




JOH N H. WHEELER. 

Jjorn, Hertford Co., No. Ca. Aug. 2d. 1802. Died, Washington, D. C Dec. 7th. 1S82. 

A. M. Univ. of No. Ca. 1826; State Treasurer, 1845. U. S. Envoy to Nicaragua, 1853. 

Author Hist, of No. Ca. and of Reminiscences of Eminent North Carolinians. 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMOIRS 



NORTH CAROLINA 



AND 



EMINENT NDRTH CAROLINIANS, 



John H. Wheeler, 



AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF NORTH CAROLINA, AND MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL 

SOCIETIES OF NORTH CAROLINA, VIRGINIA, GEORGIA, 

AND PENNSYLVANIA. 



" T/s well that a State should often he reminded of her great citizens." 



COLUMBUS, OHIO: 

COt-UMBUS PRINTING \A^ O R K S , 

1884 



.55 



^6 



TO 

HON. KEMP P. BATTLE, LL. D.. 

President of the University of North Carolina, 

as some evidence of 

PERSONAL REGARD OF THE AUTHOR, AND DEVOTION TO THE FAME 

AND HONOR OF THEIK NATIVE STATE, 

THIS WORK IS DEDICATED. 

It is well known to you that your venerated father encouraged 
tlie preparation and publication of this work. His letters to the 
author prove this. Rut he died before it was completed. Lest 
the same inevitable event should occur to the author now beyond 
the allotted period of human life, these Reminiscences and Mem- 
ories, the labor and research of a life, are now given as a grateful 
legacy to his kind and generous countrymen, who will admire the 
generous traits exhibited, and imitate the noble examples of 
their forefathers. 



PRKFACB. 



Washington City, No. 28, Grant Place, \ 
June 10, 1878. / 
To Hon. William H. Battle, L.L.D., Chapd Hill: 
Mv Esteemed Sir — Your recent letter as to 
"The Address on the Karly Times and Men of 
Albemarle," has been received. For the kind 
opinion, that ' ' the people of the State and es- 
pecially those of the Albemarle County, owe a 
debt of gratitude for this and other contributions 
to [heir iiistury, ' I sintcreiy liiiiiik. yuu. 

Your letter further adds, that you ' ' have seen 
in the Raleigh Obseiva, a handsome tribute to 
the value and usefulness of my History of North 
Carolina, expressing a wish for an early publica- 
tion of a second edition , uniting yourself in a 
similar request. 

Like expressions have been received from 
many respectable sources. 

Recently, The Netvs of Raleigh, The Demo- 
crat of Charlotte, and other papers call for the 
publication of the "Reminiscences of Eminent 
North Carolinians," and appeal to her sons for 
contributions "to the Grand Old History of 
North Carolina." 

It is hoped and believed this call will be heard 
and heeded. 

While Virginia on one side and South Caro- 
lina on the other, have presented to the world 
the glowing record of the patriotism, valor and 
virtues of their sons, North Carolina equally rich 



or richer in such reminiscences; and with traits 
of virtue, and honor, and sacrifices to patriotism, 
deserving of record, allows this record to be ob- 
scured by time, and to 

"Waste its fragrance on the desert air." 

It has been truly said that no State of our 
Republic, has, from the earliest period of its 
existence, shown a more determined spirit of in- 
dependence, and a more constant and firm resist- 
ance ■ • to every form of oppression of the rights 
of man " than North Carolina. This is evinced 
on every page of her history, and exhibited on 
the battle field, and in the exploits of individual 
prowess. This patriotic spirit has been accom- 
panied by noble traits of individual character ; 
as integrity of purpose, a straightforvvardness'o 
intention, and by simplicity and modesty in 
demeanor. 

It was on the shores of North Carolina that the 
English first landed on this continent. It has 
been the refuge of the down-trodden, the op- 
pressed and persecuted of every nation, and here 
they found that freedom denied to them in the 
old world — with gentle manners and resolute 
hearts, their whole history exhibits a firm devo- 
tion to liberty, a keen perception of right and a 
ready and determined resistance to wrong. For 
this and this only, was life desirable to then;, and 
for this they were willing to die. 

The gall.'.nt patron, who first sent a colon)' to 



(6) 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



our shores was the victim of tyranny and op- 
pression. Her first Governor was .sacrificed in 
cicicnce of popular rights. Such seed could but 
produce goodly fruits. The character of this 
people was graphically described by one of the 
early Colonial Governors, as ' ' being insolent 
and rebellious * * * impatient of all tyr- 
anny and ready to resist oppression in every 
form." 

An early historian has recorded our people, 
as being "gentle in their manners, advocates of 
freedom ; jealous of their rulers, impatient, rest- 
less, and turbulent when ruled by any other 
government than their own ; and under that and 
that only were they .satisfied. " 

It was in the natural course of events and "the 

inexorable logic of circumstances" that the sturdy 

men of the age were ever ready to defend the 

cau.se of right ; and in defense of liberty to pour 

out their life blood, as at Alamance ; on the Cape 

Fear, to beard the minions of power, and cause their 

oppressor to leave the State and seek refuge 

>;i -vhefe, and that the p • of Mecklenburgh 

• ince of every othci should thunder to 

!.- -rid theeternal princij': s of Independence 

and Liberty. 

The acts and characteristics of these illu.strious 
men, and of their descendants, we wish to 
preserve. 

We enter upon this "labor of love " with 

.inestness and pleasure. "J.' >.ught" 

•■-s ,x ica.-ricd writer, on a sin: ; " that 

J rac workint^, for our.selves alone, nor for those. 

now iivmg. "Let us rcTicn^^er t- *■ *hni;-,p.-ir^; 

yet unborn will respect and bless the patient and 

pious hands, that have rescued from oblivion 

these precious memorials." 

The Memories of the last fifty years or more, 
cover an interesting period of our history. 

We shall leave the history of the earlier events 
to some faithful historian, and be it our task to 
take up the biographies of the leading men who 
have done " the State some service" with remi- 
niscences of their times and give the biography 



and genealogy of each, as far as attainable. Bi- 
ography presents a more minute and accurate 
view of the lights and shadows of character, 
than general history. One is general, and the 
individual is a mere accessory ; the other is mi- 
nute, and directed to a single object. We often 
have a clearer idea of any event, when the mo- 
tives and the character of the chief actors are 
minutely described. We have in the " Life of 
Washington," by Marshal, the best history of 
the American Revolution. As to our genealogy, 
this is the first attempt to present the record of 
families in our State. 

This untried path involved much research and 
labor. It is hoped it will be acceptable, and 
prove useful. We are far behind the age, on 
this subject. In England, Burke's great work 
(The Genealogical and Heraldric Dictionary of 
the British Empire) is a hand-book in every well 
appointed library. 

In New England, ' ' Whitmore's American 
Genealogy" is valuable; the Genealogical So- 
ciety of Massachusetts is in full vigor, sustaining 
a (Quarterly Magaznie. Every locality and fam- 
ily in that section have preserved and published 
such materials ; these are commemorated by 
annual domestic gatherings ; thus strengthening 
the ties of affection and refreshing the memories 
of the past. In many cases genealogy is valu- 
able in preserving property to the true owners of 
estates, and the ties of kindred that otherw/se 
would be forever buried, and broken. 

Some, with phlegmatic indifference may ridicule 
th-'5 atter,M>t ; exhibiting a supreme contempt for 
such vanity, as they call it ; but surely no one 
with a discreet mind and a sound heart can be in- 
sensible to the laudable feeling of having de- 
scended from an honest and virtuous ancestry, 
and having industrious and intelligent connec- 
tions of unsullied reputation. Such a thought 
instils a hatred of laziness and vice, and stimu- 
lates activity and virtue. 

Such is a grateful oblation to departed worth. 
Not only is this a duty discharged to the dead. 



PREFACE. 



(7) 



but a moral benefit may result to the living. It 
acts as an incentive to others, while they admire 
his services and brilliant career, to emulate his 
patriotic example. 

"Oh, who shall lightly s.iy that Fame 
Is nothing but an empty name, 
While in that name there is a charm 
The nerves to brace, the heart to warm, 
When, thinking on the mighty dead, 
The youth shall rouse from slothful bed, 
And vow with uplifted hand and heart 
Like him to act a noble part." 

Let US all cherish the recollection of talents, 
services, and virtues, of departed worth, and 
such faults as arc inseparable from our nature, be 
buried in the grave with the relics of fallen 
humanity. 

Some pains have been taken with the table of 
contents and the preparation of the Index. 

Mr. Stevens, in his "Catalogue of his English 
Library," says, correctly: " If you are troubled 
with a pride of accuracy, and would have it 
completely taken out of you, attempt to make 
an Index or Catalogue." 

Dr. Allibone prints in his valuable Dictionary 
of Authors (I., 85), extracts from a number of 
the MoHt/tlj'RrL'in.v,\\\\\c\\ is well worthy r)f quota- 
tion here : ' 'The compilation of an index is one of 
those labors for which the public are rarely so 
forward to express their gratitude, as they ought 
to be. The value of a thing is best known by 
the want of it. We have often experienced 
great inconvenience for want of a good index to 



many books. There is far more scope for the 
exercise of judgment and ability in compiling an 
index than commonly supposed. Mr. Oldys 
expresses a similar sentiment in his Notes and 
Queries (XI., 309): "The labour and patience; 
the judgment and penetration, required to make 
a good index, is only known to those who have 
gone through the most painful and least praised 
part of a publication. 

Lord Campbell proposed in the English Par- 
liament (Wheatley on " What is an Index?" p. 27) 
that any author who published a book without 
an Index, should be deprived of the benefits of 
the copyright act. " Mr. Hinney of Philadelphia 
held the same views and Carlylc denounces the 
putting forth of books without a good Index, 
with great severity. 

The History of Tennessee, by Dr. Ram.say, 
full of research and philosophy, fails in this re- 
spect. A book with no index is like a ship on 
the ocean without compass, or rudder. 

In the following pages doubtless many worthy 
characters may have escaped notice — for the field 
is " so large and full of goodly prospects. " Nor 
would we if we could, exhaust this fair field ; but 
like Boaz, leave some rich sheaves for other and 
more skillful reapers in this bountiful harvest. 

To you, my dear sir, who have so kindly and 
repeatedly encouraged these labors, I respect- 
fully commend them and subscribe myself 
Very sincerely yours, 

Jno. H. Wheeler. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS, 



Dedication.— Preface.— North Carolina in the Colonial Period.— Memoir of the Author. 

CHAPTER I.— ALAMANCE COUNTY. 

Regulation Troubles. Oppressions and frauds of the officers of the Crown ; causes and conseiiuences. 
Sketch of Judge Ruffin, compared to Thomas Jefferson. Colonel Thomas M. Holt. 

CHAPTER n.— ANSON COUNTY. 

Sympathy with the Regulators, as to unlawful taxation— 1 768 ; copy of the oath taken ; resolutions 
that the Sheriffs and Magistrates should be elected by the people, Letter to Governor Martin. Character 
of James Cotten, a tory. Sketch of Judge Spencer ; his singular death. Sketch of Judge Thomas S. Ashe, 
now one of the Judges of the Supreme Court. 

CHAPTER HL-BEAUFORT COUNTY. 

Character of the nobleman for whom it is named ; commissioned the Grand Master of the Grand 
Lodge of North Carolina. Freemasonry in North Carolina ; it saves the life of an officer in battle. Jeffer- 
son's opinion of Washington. Sketch of the Blounts of Beaufort. Hon. C. C. Cambreling, long a Member 
of Congress from New York, a native of Beaufort. Sketch of J. J. Guthrie, drowned off Cape Hatteras. 
Hatteras described by Joseph W. Holden, and in the National Gazette of Philadelphia, in 1792. Sketch 
of Edward Stanley; a letter of Judge Badger, his relative, as to his course. Sketch of Richard S. Donnell ; 
of Judge Rodman, who agrees with Hooker in his opinion ol the law. James Cook, C. S N. Adventurous 
life of Charles F. Taylor, a native of this section ; participates in the war in Nicaragua ; its stirring events, 
facts never before pubhshed; the policy of Marcey an error; sad fate of Walker; tragic death of Herndon, 
with whom another North Carolinian (John V. Dobbin) was drowned. Central America described- The 
Minister of the United States is recieved. Revolution. Walker captures Virgin Bay, Grenada, and puts the 
Government to flight. Sketch of Walker and his adventurous Hfe. Scenes at the Capital ; the U. S. Min- 
ister in jeopardy. The General Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs executed by the 
invading forces. Letters between the General-in-Chief and the American Minister ; the last letter of Walker. 



(lo) WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

CHAPTER IV.— BERTIE COUNTY. 

Sketch of Whitmil Hill, a Member of the Provincial and Continental Congresses ; of David Stone, 
Judge of Superior Courts, Governor of the State and U. S. Senator. Genealogy of the family. Sketches 
of George Outlaw; of Willie Blount, Governor of Tennessee; of David Outlaw; of P. H. Winston; of 
James W. Clark. Genealogy of the Clark family. 

CHAPTER v.- BLADEN COUNTY. 

Battleof Elizabethtown, 1791; Cross Creek. Characterand services of James and Denny Porterfield. 
Sketch of John Owen, Governor of the State; of James J. McKay; of Thomas D. McDonald. 

CHAPTER VL— BRUNSWICK COUNTY 

Early history and character of its people, opposed to oppression, drove the Royal Governor, [Mar- 
tin] from the Country, July 10, 1775, seized the Stamp Master and destroyed the stamps sent to him from 
England; copy of the pledge given by the Stamp Master [William Houston]. Indignation of the people, 
and letter of Ashe, Lloyd and Lillington, offering lo jjrotect the Governor's person Sketch of General 
Robert Howe, his character as described by Governor Martin, who denounced him in a royal proclamation ; 
appointed Colonel of the zd Regiment of North Carolina troops in the Continental establishment ; marches 
to Virginia and drives the Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, from that Province. Sketch of Cornelius Har- 
nett, his life and services ; his character described by Governor Burrington, the Royal Governor ; denounced 
by Governor Martin for the destruction of Fort Johnston. General John A. Lillington's Revolutionary 
services. The Moore family of Brunswick, Maurice Moore, Roger Moore and Nathaniel Moore, the early 
settlers of the Cape Fear region. Sketch of Judge Maurice Moore ; of General James Moore; of Judge 
Alfred Moore, his legal character described. Life and services of Benjamin Smith. 

CHAPTER VII.— BUNCOMBE COUNTY. 

Character and services of Colonel Edward Buncombe, after whom this County is named. Sketch of 
David L. Swain, his life, services and death ; Sketches of Professors Mitchell and Phillips of the University 
of North Carolina; of Samuel F. Phillips. Sketch of Zebulon B. Vance ; extracts from a work on the Vanre 
family, printed at Cork, Ireland, showing the relationship of General Andrew Jackson to the Vances ; letter 
to General Kilpatrick from Governor Z. B. Vance. Sketch of Robert B. Vance ; of James L. Henry, late 
one of the Judges of the Superior Court; of Augustus S. Merrimon, late Judge and U. S. Senator; of 
Thomas L. Clingman, late U. S. Senator, his life and services; duel with William L. Yancey; of John L. 
Bailey, late Judge of the Superior Court ; of Robert M. Furman ; of Thomas D. Johnston. 

CHAPTER VIII.— BURKE COUNTY. 
Life, character and services of Waightstill Avery. Genealogy of the Averys. The McDowell 
family ; its genealogy and services in the Revolution. The Carson family. Life and services of John Car- 
son, the founder of the family. Sketches of Samuel P. Carson ; of Israel Pickens; of David Newland ; of 
Todd R. Caldwell; of James William Wilson. 

CHAPTER IX.— CABARRUS, CALDWELL AND CAMDEN COUNTIES. 

Life, character and services of Reverend John Robinson, D. D., and of Reverend Hezekiah J. 
Balch D.D.; copy of the tomb-stone of the latter. The Phifer family, and their genealogy. The Barringcr 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. (n) 

family, and their genealogy. Sketch of Nathaniel Alexander, a member of Congress and Governor of the 
State. Sketches of Dr. Charles Harris ; Robert S. Young ; of Daniel Coleman, of Cabarrus County ; of 
Samuel F. Patterson; of James C. Harper; of Clinton A. Cilley and of George Nathaniel Folk of Cald- 
well County. 

CHAPTER X.— CARTERET COUNTY. '^' 

First land sighted by the English, 1584; the lost Colony of Governor White. Indian wars with the 
Cores and Tuscaroras ; John Lawson, the first historian, murdered by them. Fort Hyde. Battle at Beau- 
fort. Sketch of the life and services of Captian Otway Burns. 

CHAPTER XI —CASWELL COUNTY. 

Life, character and services of Richard Caswell, the first Governor of the State under the Constitu- 
tion. Genealogy of the family. Sketches of Bardett Yancey ; of Romulus M. Saunders ; of Robert and 
Marmaduke Williams; of Calvin Graves; of Bedford Brown; of Jacob Thompson, Secretary of Interior in 
1857, and Member of Congress from Mississippi; all natives of Caswell County. John Kerr, his sufferings 
at the hands of political opponents, and his release. The mysterious murder of John W. Stevens ; his char- 
acter. 

CHAPTER XII.— CHATHAM COUNTY. 

The life and bloody career, in the Revolution, of David Fanning. Sketch of Charles Manly, Gover- 
nor in 1848 ; of Abram Rencher ; of John Manning. 

CHAPTER XIII.— CHOWAN COUNTY. / 

Governor Eden, (for whom the County-lown is named); sketch of him and his alleged intimacy with 
the noted pirate, Edward Teach commonly called " Black Beard" ; the bloody deeds of this marauder ; his 
wicked life and bloody end. The principles and character of the early inhabitants of Chowan. The pro- 
ceedings of the Committee of Safety in 1775; the names of the members. The Vestry of St. Paul's 
Church, and the patriotic resolves of the ladies of Edenton. Life, services and character of Samuel John- 
ston ; the opinion of the Royal Governor (Martin) of him, who removed him from the office of Deputy Nav- 
al Officer, and Mr. Johnston's reply to the Governor ; member of the Provincial Congress in 1775, and of 
the Continental Congress in 17S0 ; elected Governor in 1787 ; U. S. Senator in 1789 ; in 1800 Judge of the 
Superior Court. A devoted advocate of freemasonry. Genealogy of the Johnston family. The title of the 
Marquis of Annandale supposed to belong to them. Sketch of Joseph Hewes, signer of the Declaration of 
Independence ; of Hugh Williamson, a member of the Colonial and Continental Congresses ; and of the U. 
S. ; author of a history of North Carolina ; of Stephen Cabarrus, long Speaker of the House of Commons ; 
of Charles Johnson; of Thomas Benbury. Of James Iredell, appointed Judge of Supreme Court of the 
U. S. by General Washington ; of his son, James Iredell Jr., Speaker of the House in 1817 ; Judge of the 
Superior Court 1819; Governor of the State 1821 ; U. S. Senator in 1S27, succeeding Mr, Macon. In the 
war of i8i2, was Captain, with Gavin Hogg as one of his Lieutenants. Sketch of Gavin Hogg- Life and 
services of Agustus Moore, one of the Judges of the Superior Court ; sketch of his son, William A.Moore; 
of Governor William Allen, of Ohio, member of Congress in 1833 ; Senator in 1837-49, and Governor of 
Ohio in 1874, a native of Edenton. An amusing incident connected with the names of General Scott, Dr. 
Warren, Major Gilliam and others. 



(i2) WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

CHAPTER XIV,— CRAVEN COUNTY. 

Its early history ; the Palatines; De Graaffenreidt ; Governor Dobbs; Tryon's palace ; his clock, 
John Hawks, architect. "The cause of Boston, the cause of all ! " Committee of Safety in 1775 of Chow- 
an County. Names of its members. Sketch of Francois Xavier Martin, a historian of the State ; of the 
Blount family; of Abner Nash, his character as given by Governor Martin; a member of Congress, 1776; 
first Speaker of the Assembly; Governor in 1779; member of Congress 1781. Life, service and death of 
Richard Dobbs Spaight. Duels that have been fought in North Carolina. Sketch of John Stanley ; of 
William Gaston ; of John R. Donnel ; of John Sitgreaves ; of John N. Bryan ; of Edward Graham; of 
Francis L. Hawks ; of George E Badger ; of Matthias E. Manley ; of Charles R. Thomas ; of Judge Sey 
mour ; of William J. Clarke, and his talented wife, Mary Bayard Clarke, and his son William E. Clarke. 

CHAPTER XV.— CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 
V 

The Scotch heroine. Flora MacDonald, once lived in this County. Sketch of her life and character ; 

of Farquard Campbell, Governor Martin's opinion of Kim; of William Barry Grove; of John Louis Taylor, 

late Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Judicial System of the State as it existed from 

1798101804. Sketch of Henry Potter, Judge U. S. District Court ; of John D. Toomer; of Louis 

D.Henery; of Robert Strange; of James C. Dobbin; of Warren Winslow; of Duncan K. MacRae ; of Mrs. 

Miller; of Henry W. Hilliard of Georgia, a native of Cumberland ; of W. C. Troy. 

CHAPTER XVI.— CURRITUCK COUNTY. 

Sketch of Henry M. Shaw; of Emerson Etheridge, of Tenn., native of Currituck ; of Thomas J. Jarvis, 
Governor of North Carolina, 1882. 

CHAPTER XVII.- DAVIDSON, DUPLIN, DAVIE, and EDGECOMBE COUNTIES. 

Sketch of James M. Leach of Davidson ; of James Gillaspie ; of Thomas and O. Kenan ; of Charles 
Hooks of Duplin Co. Sketch of Henry Irwin, a Revolutionary hero ; of Jonas Johnston ; of John Hay- 
wood; genealogy of the Haywood family. Sketch of Henry T. Clark, Governor of North Carolina. 
The Battle Family, and their genealogy, including Judge Wm. H. Battle, and his son, Kemp P. Batde. 
Sketch of Duncan L. Clark, of U. S. Army; of Wm. D.Pender; of R. R. Bridgers; of Charles Price 
of Davie; of John B. Hussey of Davie. 

CHAPTER XVIIL— FORSYTHE COUNTY. 

Sketch of Col, Benj. Forsythe; of Joseph Winston ; of Israel G. Lash. The History of the Moravians. 

CHAPTER XIX.— FRANKLIN COUNTY. 

Lynch Law, origin of the term. Services nd Sufferings of General Thomas Person ; Sketch of Hon. 
J. J. Davis. 

CHAPTER XX.— GASTON, GATES, AND GRANVILLE COUNTIES- 

Sketch of Rev. Humphrey Hunter; Major Wm. Chronicle ; of Rev. R H. Morrison of Gaston County; 
of William Paul Roberts, of Gates ; of John Penn of Granville, one of the Signers of the Declaration of 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(i i) The last name in Chatham County should be Moreing. 

(12) Chapter XVII, read Duncan L. Clinch, Jiot Clark. 

(13) Chapter XXII, place a semicolon after the name "William Polk." 

(the following are to take the place of the chapters .mentioned.) 
CHAPTERS XXXIJl AND XXXIV.— HERTFORD AND HYDE COUNTIES. 
The Murfree Family. Sketch of General Thomas Wynns ; of the Cotten Family; of Rev. Matthias 
Brickie; of Dr. Goodwin C. Moore ; of John Brown; Sketch of Kenneth Rayner ; of Willian N. H. 
Smith; Tristram Capehart ; of CuUen Capehart and of Dr. Wm. Anthony Armistead; of David A. 
Barnes; of Jesse J. Veates ; of Richard J. Catling; Gen. Lafayette's visit to North Carohna : The 
Chowan Female Institute; Insurrection of Slaves; Sketch of David Miller Carter of Hyde Coup.ly. 
The Wheeler Family referred to. 

CHAPTERS XXXV & XXXVL— IREDELL, JOHNSTON, JONES AND LENOIR COUNTIES. 
Sketch of Hugh Lawson White; ofWm.Sharpe; of Dr. Charles Caldwell; of David F. Caldwell; of Hon. 
Jose])h P. Caldwell; of Hon. Robert F. Armficld ; of Hon. David M. Furches of Iredell. Revolution- 
ary proc-edings in Johnston County, in 1768. Sketch of Wm. A. Smith ; of Hon. Nathan Bryan of 
Jones County, of Hardy B. Croom and of Hon. Wm. D. Mosely of Lenoir County. 

CHAPTER XXXVII. —LINCOLN COUNTY. 
Sketch of Gen. Joseph Graham.— Genealogy of the Grahams. Sketch of Gov. W. A. Graham. Geneal- 
ogy of the Brevards. The Huguenots. Sketch of Gen. William Davidson ; of Dr. Ephraim Brevard, 
author of the Declaration of May 20, 1775. The Forney Family ; of Michael Hoke and his son Robert 
F. (Major Genl. C. S. A.); of John F. Hoke ; of James Houston ; of Dr. Wm. McLean ; of Dr. C. L. 
Hunter; of Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur ; of Gen. James P. Henderson; of Bartlett Shipp ; Robert H. 
Burton ; Hon. David Shenck. 

Chapter XXXVIII and XXXIX., read McDowell, wo/ McDonald. 
Chapter XLL, write " I (enry K. Burgwynn" at end of tliis paragraph. 



Coauty ; tf tl— 



S'^'.-'.' li of Gen. Jcseph Gia.iaui; L-o.mil 
L':i\ 'ds,in ; of the Forneys; of Mich.ic", 
M [.ean ; of Dr. C. L. Hunter ; of 
Viii "^V. Schenck ; of Robert H. Builu.. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII AXD XXXIX.- 

Sktii ii of Tames Lowrie Robinson (Spe.-'H 1 ; ■, jf Silas M 



OUNTV 



II XX. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. (13) 

Independence ; of James and John Williams ; of Robert Burton. The Henderson Family — their genealogy. 
Sketch of Robert B. Gilliam ; of A. W. Venable ; of M. Himt , of Robert Potter. 

CHAPTER XXL— GREENE AND GUILFORD COUNTIES. 

Sketch of Gen. Jesse Speight; of Joseph Dixon. Battle of Guilford Court House, March 15, 1781, be- 
tween General Greene and Lord Cornv.allis. Sketch of Cornwallis ; of Col. Tarleton; of Col. Wilson 
Webster. Cornwallis'.s letter to his father as to the fall of Webster. 

Sketch of Dr. David Caldwell; of Alexander Martin; of Newton Cannon, Governor of Tennessee, a 
native of Guilford ; of Governor Moorehead ; of George C. Mendenhall ; of Judge John M. Dick, and 
his son, Judge Robt. P. Dick; of John A. Gilmer; of John H. Dilliard ; of Rev. Calvin H. Wiley; of 
James J. Scales ; of John H. Staples. 

CHAPTER XXIL— HALIFAX COUNTY. 

The Jones Family- its genealogy; John Paul Jones adopts this name. Sketch of Wm. R. Davie, a 
General of the Revolution; of Hutchins G. Burton; of Andrew Joyner ; of John W. Eppes; of William 
Polk of the Cromwell Family ; of John B. Ashe ; of Willis Alston ; of John Haywood ; of John H. Ea*-^" ; 
of J. J. Daniel; of John R. J. Daniel; of Junius Daniel; of John Branch; of Lawrence O'B. Branch; of 
James Grant; of B. F. Moore. 

CHAPTERS XXXIII AND XXXIV.— HERTFORD AND HYDE COUNTIES. 

The Murfree Family. Sketch of General Thos. Wynns ; of the Wlieeler Family ; of Rev. Matthias Brickie; 
of Kenneth Rayner; of Godwin C. Moore; of Solon Borland; of Wm. H. H. Smith; of Jesse J. Yeates ; 
of Richard J. Gatlin. The Chowan Female Institute. Sketch of David Miller Carter ; of Hugh Lawton 
White of Tenn.; of the Osborne Family — Adlai Osborne, Spruce McCoy Osborne, Edward Jay Osborne, 
and Judge James W. Osborne; of David F. Caldwell; of Joseph P. Caldwell; of Professor Caldwell; of 
D. M. Furches; of Robeit F. Armfield. 

CHAPTER XXXV AND XXXVI.— IREDELL, JOHNSTON, JONES AND LENOIR COUNTIES. 

Revolutionary proceedings in Johnston County, 1768. Sketch of Wm. A. Smith ; of Nathan Bryan of 
Jones County ; of Hardy B. Croom ; of Wm. D. Mosely. 

CHAPTER XXXVII.— LINCOLN COUNTY. 

Sketch of Gen. Joseph Graham ; Family Genealogy of the Brevards. Huguenots ; of General William 
Davidson ; of the Forneys ; of Michael, Robert F. and John T. Hoke ; of James Graham ; of Dr. Wm. 
McLean; of Dr. C. L. Hunter; of Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur ; or Gen. Jas. P. Henderson ; of Judge Da- 
vid W. Schenck ; of Robert H. Burton. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII AND XXXIX.— MACON AND MARTIN. 

Sketch of James Lowrie Robinson (Speaker) ; of Silas McDonald of Macon ; of Asa Biggs; of Jos. J. 
Martin. 



(14) WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

CHAPTER XL.— MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 

The Polk Family,— its genealogy ; The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence ; it is denounced by 
the Royal Governor, Josiah Martin. Sketches of the Members of the Convention ; of Abram Alexander ; 
of Hezekiah James Balch ; of John Davidson— with genealogy ; of Wm Graham ; of Robert Irwin ; of Wm. 
Kennon ; of David Reese ; of Adam Craighead ; of Gen. Thomas Polk,— letter of Gen Greene to Gen- 
eral Polk. " Devil Charley." Sketch of Bishop Polk of Andrew Jackson. Bishops furnished by North 
Carolina to other States. Susan Spratt nee Barnett, a Revolutionary relic. Sketch of Mrs. Susan Hancock ; 
of Judge Sam. Lowrie ; of Joseph Wilson; of Wm. J. Alexander ; of Greene W. Caldwell; of D. H. Hill ; 
The Osborne family, and a graphic sketch of Judge James W. Osborne, from the pen of D. H. Hill ; Judge 
R. P. Warring. 

CHAPTER XLL- MOORE AND NEW HANOVER COUNTIES. 

Sketch of A. McNeil; of Archibald McBryde ; of Governor Benjamin Williams ; of Di. George Glass- 
cock, of Moore County. The Ashe Family,— its genealogy. John Baptista Ashe's controversy with the 
Royal Governor, and is imprisoned by him. Letter of Burrington, showing his own character and purely. 
Battle of Briar Creek. Sketch of the Hill family ; of Wm. Hooper ; of Timothy Bloodworth ; of Edward 
Jones; of Johnson Blakely ; of James Ennes ; of the Davis family; of the Waddell family; of Owen 
Holmes ; of John Cowan ; of Gov. Dudley ; of Bishop Atkinson ; of Rev. Adam Empie ; of Bishop Green ; 
of Wm. B. Meares; of Wm. H. Marsteller ; of General Abbot. 

CHAPTER XLIL— NORTHAMPTON AND ORANGE COUNTIES. 

Sketch of General Allan Jones ; of General Matt. W. Ransom ; of Edmund Fanning ; of Governor 
Burke, seized by Tories and carried to Wilmington. The Mebanes. Sketch of General Francis Nash ; of 
Judge Frederick Nash; of Judge Murphy; of Judge Norwood ; of Dr. Wm. Montgomery; of Willie P. 
Mangum ; of Thomas H. Benton ; of Gen. Geo. B. Anderson ; Memoirs of Chapel Hill ; Sketch of Dr. 
Charles F. Deems ; Hon. Paul C. Cameron ; Prof. Hubbard ; of Wm. Bingham; of John W. Graham. 

CHAPTER XLIIL— PASQUOTANK, PERQUIMANS AND PERSON COUNTIES. 

Sketch of John L. Bailey ; of Wm B. Shepard ; of George W. Brooks ; of Gen. James G. Martin ; of 
John Pool; of Pasquotank; of John Harvey; of J. W. Albertson ; of William H. Bagley, of Perquimans', 
of Hustavus A. Williamson ; of General Henry Atkinson, U. S. Army ; of Richard Atkinson ; of Judge E. 
G. Reade ; of John W. Cunningham, of Person County. 

CHAPTER XLIV— PITT AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES. 
Sketch of Dr. Robert Williams ; of General Bryan Grimes, of Pitt ; of Jonathtn Worth, of Pitt ; Colonel 
Andrew Balfour, his gallant services and tragic end ; Herman Husbands, a leader of the Regulators; Hon. 
John Long, Member of U. S. Congress. 

CHAPTER XLV —RICHMOND AND ROCKINGHAM COUNTIES. 

Sketch of A. Dockery ; of A. H. Dockery; of Governor ; Joseph R. Hawley ; of Walter Leake Steele, of 
Richmond ; of Thomas Settle Sen.— genealogy of the Settles,— of his son Thomas, now Judge in Florida ; 
of David Settle Reid ; of John H. Dilliard ; of Hamilton Henderson Chalmers, a Judge of the Supreme 
Supreme Court of Mississippi. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. • (,5) 

CHAPTER XLVI.— ROWAN COUNTY. 

Documents never before published as to early times in Rowan. Population in 1754; first settlers their 

names; Committee of Safety, 1774-76. Sketch of Hugh Montgomery — his decendants. leroic conduct of 
Mrs Steele. Sketch of General John Steele; of John V. Steele, Governor of New Har. pshire; of Wm. 
Kennon ; of Griffith Rutherford — his gallant services in the Indian and Revolutionary Wars. Sketch of the 
Locke family; of Spruce McCoy ; of James Martin ; of George Mumford ; of the Pearsons; of Judge John 
Stokes; of Charles Fisher, and his son, Colonel Charles F. F'isher, killed at Manasses, Va., and his daughter, 
Miss C. Fisher, distinguished as an authoress; of Governor John W. Ellis; of Nath. Boyden ; of Burton 
Craige; of Hamilton C. Jones; of of Francis E. Shober; of John L. Henderson. 

CHAPTER XLVH.— ivUTHERFORD, SAMPSON, STOKES AND SURRY COUNTIES. 

Sketch of Judge John Paxton; of Felix Walker, author of the world-wide expression "talking for buncombe;" 
of Colonel Wm. Graham; of Gen. John G. Bynum, and his brother, Judge Wm. P. Bynum; of Judge John 
Baxter, of Rutherford ; of Gov. Holmes ; of Gen. Tlieo. H. Holmes ; of Wm. R. King. Vice President of 
U.S. of Col. Benj. Forsythe of Stokes County ; of James Martin, his Military services in the Revolution, as de- 
posec to, by himself; of John Martin, of Stokes; of Benjamin Cleaveland, of Surry; Names of the Committee 
of Safety, of Surry County; Sketch of William Lenoir; of the Williams family; of Jesse Franklin ; ofMeshach 
Franklin ; of Judge Jesse Franklin Graves. 

CHAPTER XLVIII.— TYRRELL AND WAKE COUNTIES. 

Edward Buncombe, his Military services and heroic death. The Pettigrews, James and his son Ebenezer, 
and his gallant grandson J. Johnston Pettigrew ; Sketch of Dr. Edward Ransom ; of Joseph Gales, first Editor 
of the Raleigh Register; The Press of North Carolina. Sketch of Joseph Gales of Washington, D. C; of 
Weston R. Gales, of Raleigh ; of Seaton Gales; of Judge Sewall ; of Judge Duncan Cameron; of Edmund 
B. Freeman; of Dr. Richard H. Lewis. Sketch of William Hill, Sec. of State; of Dr. William G. Hill; of 
Theophilus Hill; of Mrs. Zimmerman, Poetess; of Andrew Johnson, President of United States; of General 
Joseph Lane, and of the Lane family ; of Governor W. W. Holden ; of Bishop Ravenscroft ; of Bishop Ives ; 
of Rev. Dr. Richard S. Macon ; of Bishop Beckwith ; of Octavius Coke ; of Randolph A. Shotwell ; of Don- 
ald W. Bain. 

CHAPTER XLIX.— WARREN COUNTY. 

Military services of General Jethro Sumner in the Revolution. The Hawkins family, with its genealogy; 
Sketch of Dr. James G. Brehon ; of Nathaniel Macon ; of Gov. James Turner ; of Daniel Turner ; of Whar- 
ton J. Green; of Kemp Plummer ; of Judge Hall; of Judge Edward Hall; of Judge Blake Baker; of Gov. 
William Miller; of Weldon N. Edwards; of the Bragg family ; State Capitol burned, June, 1831. 

CHAPTER XLIX.— WATAUGA, WAYNE, AND WILSON COUNTIES. 

Sketch of Daniel Boone ; of John Sevier. The State of Frankland, and its rise, progress, and fall. Sketch 
of Ezekiel Slocumb; of Col. Thomas Ruffin; of Gov. C. H. Brogden ; of Gov. Montford Stokes, and his de- 
scendants ; of Henry G. Williams, of Wilson ; Isaac F. Dortch ; of Richard W. Singletary. 



/^ 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR, 



i®Siil iifflH aSMKlili 



Of Hertford County, North Carolina. 

BORN AUGUST^ 1806, DIED DECEMBER 7, 1882, 
Bv HON. JOSEl'II S. FOWLER, Ex-Senatok Fkom Tennessee. 



" Excgi monumentum tsre perenniiis^ 
Hetjalique situ pijramidnm nltius ; 
Quorf non imher edax. non Aqnilo impoteng 
Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis 
Annorum series, cl/uga lemporum.'^ 

— UOR. Cau., XXX. 




TJO.M Mooru's "Historical Si'ictches of 
Ileitford County," wo learn the fol- 
^ey lowing: 
(|] L Among the early citizens of the 

ei villiigeof Murfreesboro, in this county, 

S was John Wheeler. He was of an ancient 
1 family, long seated around New York. In 
the latter end of tlie 17th century-, under a 
grant of land from Charles II., Jo.^eph Wheeler 
emigrated from England, and settled in New- 
ark, New Jersey. Like William i'enn, he was 
the son of a gallant naval officer. Sir Francis 
AVheeler, an English admiral, was his father, 
and the grant of land from the Crown was in 
reward for faithful services, lie and his young 
wife had followed soon after the conqtiest of 
the New Netherlands by the Duke of York, son 
of Charles I., afterwards James II. 

To them was born, in 1718, their son Ephraira 
Wheeler, to whom, and his wife Mary, the tirst 
American John AVheeler was born in the year 
1744. John had bestowed upon him the best 
advantages of educai ion — he was educated as a 



physician. When the Revolutionary war came 
on, he entered the army under General Mont- 
gomery', and accompanied him in the perilous 
and ill-fated campaign to Quebec, and was in 
the battle (December 31, 1775.) in which that 
gallant officer fell. In Toner's "Reminiscences 
of the Medical Men of the Revolution" he is 
prominently mentioned. Aaron Burr served 
also in this campaign. Dr. Wheeler accom- 
panied General Greene in his southern cam- 
paign, and was with him in the hard fought 
and glorious victory at Eutaw Springs, Sep- 
tember 8, 1781, and until the close of the war. 
Pleased with the genial climate of the South, 
he settled near Murfreesboro and brought his 
family with liim. llis wife Elizabeth Long- 
worth, was the neice of Aaron Ogden, after- 
wards the Governor of New Jersey, and Sen- 
ator in Congress. Ho lived near Murfreesboro 
for years, in the practice of his profession, in 
which he had great skill and much success. 

His death occurred on October 14, 1814, and 
he lies buried in Northampton County, near 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Mnrfreesboro. He left several works in man- 
acript on medical science, which evinced tlie 
depth of his acquaintance and his devotion 
to his profession. His son John was born in 
1771. In his early youth he was engaged with 
his cousin, David Longworth, in business as 
lial)lisher8 and booksellers in New York, Here 
he attracted, by his attention to business, the 
notice of Zedekiah Stone, who was then in 
Now York, and by v.'honi he was induced to 
remove to Bertie County, North Carolina. 
Ho was there married to Elizabeth Jordan. 
January 6th, 1796, and after the death of his 
triend, Mr. Stone, Murfreesboro became his 
home. At this place he was engaged in mer- 
cantile and shipping afiairs until the day of 
his death. From his enterprise, industry, 
sagacity, and integrity he attained great suc- 
cess, and his memory, to this day, is cherished 
in that section as "the honest merchant." lie 
was a man of unspotted integrity, so strong 
that venality and indirection cowered before 
him. After a long life of industry, usefulness 
and piety (for he was a consistent member of 
the Baptist Church for more than forty years) 
he died, lamented and belovetl, August 7tb, 
1832. His family surviving him, consisted 
of two sons by his first marriage, John H. 
Wheeler, late Public Treasurer of the State, 
and Dr. S. Jordan Wheeler, late of Bertie 
County. By a second wife (Miss Woods) he 
left one daughter, Julia, the peerless wife of 
Dr. Godwin C. Moore; and by a third wife, 
among others. Colonel JuniusB. Wheeler, now 
Professor of Civil and Military Engineering 
and the Art of War in the United States Mil- 
itary Academy at West Point. He is the 
author of several military works on civil and 
military engineering, and on the art of war, 
which have been adopted as text books by the 
War Department. He has thus written his 
name in the useful literature of the nation and 
discharged "that debt," which Lord Coke 
says, "every man owes to his profession." 



Professor Wheeler was born in 1S30; edu- 
cated in pttrt at the University of North Car- 
olina, and when only a boy volunteered as a 
private in Captain William J. Clarke's com- 
pany in the Mexican war. He was in every 
battle from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico. 
At the fiercely contested affair at the Nnvional 
Puente, one of the lieutenants was killed, and 
young as he was, he was appointed by the 
President as the successor, on the repor^ of his 
commanding otlicer, now on file, that "he had 
seen young Wheeler under heavy fire, and he 
had proved to the command that he was made 
of the stuff of which heroes are made." On 
his return from Mexico he could have remained 
as an officer in the army, but he declined on 
the ground of want of qualification, he there- 
fore resigned his commission. The President 
determined to retain him in the service, and 
he appointed him a cadet at West Point, 
where he graduated among the first of his 
class. After serving for several years in the 
Corps of Engineers in Louisiana, Wisconsin 
and elsewhere, he was appointed to succeed 
the late Professor Mahan in the position he 
now occupies. 

Dr. Samuel Jordan Wheeler, brother of the 
above, w'as born in 1810; was educated at the 
Hertford Academy, and graduated from 
Union College, Schenectady; he studied medi- 
cine with Dr. Nathan Ch:ipman in Philadel- 
phia, and practiced for years with success. 
He has been an earnest co-laborer in the cause 
of education and religion, as the Chowan In- 
stitute and the Church at Murfreesboro bear 
witness; he was professor in a college in 
Mississippi. He recently died in Bertie County, 
loved and respected for his purity of character. 
He married Lucinda, daughter of Lewis Bond. 

John Hill Wheeler. 

The conspicuous services rendered the State 
of North Carolina, and her eminent citizens, 
by this accomplished man, will forever pre- 



JOHN HILL WHEELER. 



serve his nienioij from oblivion. Born in the 
dawn of the present centnry, ho has been tlie 
witness of the most remarkable events in the 
history of the republic. In the connty of 
Hertford he tirst saw tlie light, August 6, 
1806. 

lie was prepared for college at Hertford 
AcadLni}' by Dr. John Otis Fieenian, an emi- 
nent divine. He was then placed at the 
Columbian University, Washington, J). C , 
and graduated in the class of 1826. In the 
year 1828 he took his degree of Master of 
Arts in the Universitj' of North Carolina. 
He studied his profession, tlic law, tinder the 
direction of Chief Justice Taylor, of Xorth 
Carolina. He was elected to the Legislature 
before ho was admitted to the bar. in the3'ear 
1827. Then State Legislatures were honored 
bodies, and secured some of the best talent in 
the States. 

This Legislature containevl manj' eminent 
and able men, auiong thvui were Judges 
Gaston, Nash and Bailey, George E. Spri- 
uell, John M. Morehead, James Iredell, and 
many more. To win position in such a body 
was tl e [iromise of a fruitful manhood, in a 
youth just twenty-one years of age. For an 
earne. i and aspiring mind, it proved a valua- 
ble seij lol. Success was not to be hoped for 
witht>!.t severestuily and thorough preparation. 
To tu. -ide into revorentiui indifference was 
notl :.. i-liaracteri.-tic of hi.smind. Independ- 
ent i ! .is feelings, whilst respecting the ability 
of Ir' ju'ileagues, he claimed equal rights in 
the ! } . Conscientious in the execution of 
the it trust com. ' ' ' r.m ]>y a gen- 
e'.X' . ..id \jroad— &;->- . he could not 

see .litir dignity -©vei'.-^liii.'TTrK'Bd, He sum- 
mon' : .11 his powers to the v.-ork.and won 1^7 
hir;; :i conspicuous and honorable po,sition. 
So V ••: (lid he perform the task assigned him, 
that \iu. approving constituents returned him 
to the 'i.':)uy. In his twenty-fifth year, they 
nonil.i.ed him for Gviugress, but after a 



severely contested ami gallant canvass, he wis 
defeated by the Hon. William B. Shepard. 

In the year 1831, he was appointed Secii'- 
tary to the Board of Commissioners, under lli" 
treat}- with France, to adjudicate the claim.-- of 
American citizens for spoliations under Ihe 
Berlin and Milan decrees. 

In 1836, he was placed by General Jackson 
in the position of Superintendent of the 
Branch Mint at Charlotte, but in 1841 shared 
the political fortune of his friends and parly. 

In 1842, he was elected by the Legislature to 
be Treasurer of the State, in opposition to 
Major Charles L. Ilinton. After liis term had 
e.xpiied, he retired to his rural home on thq 
banks of the Catawba, and, aided by the sug- 
gestion of his friend, Governor Swain, he be- 
gan the patriotic labor of writing "Wheeler's 
Histoiy of North Carolina," on which he was 
employed for about ten years. How well this 
duty was performed, will appear from an ex- 
tract of a letter of General Swain, written not 
long before his death, now in our possession, in 
which he says: 

"I have been much urged to write a comple- 
tion of Hawks' History of North Carolina. 
The on ly response I have ever made is that I am 
too old, and too poor to venture on such an un- 
dertaking. Were it ctherwise, in ray opinion 
another edition of Wheeler's History would be 
more useful and acceptable than any work I 
could write." 

In this work. Colonel Wheeler sought to col- 
lect the intere.sting facts that illustrated the 
history of the State and give them an enduring 
place. He proposed to preserve, for all time, a 
faithful record of the illustrious deeds of a 
noble and patriotic people, who have character- 
ized their presence in the new world by an 
intense love of liberty and the most striking 
individuality. Ti^ey r.-2re. from their presenoo 
in the wilderness, aself governing"CDrr:;«iuuhy. 

No authority was sacred that did not emi- ' 
nate from themselves. Loyal to the will of 
the people, they resented indignantly the im- 



iv WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

position of any external authority. They re- termined men, tojoin the liberals, and the posi- 
jected the magnificent plan of government pro- tion held by Colonel Wheeler became one of 
vided hy the Earl of Shaftesl)ury, though he much peril and responsibility. It soon became 
summoned the brilliant talents of the illnstri- manifest that neither party couki be relied on 
ous philosopher, John Locke, for its preparation, for any permanent and .sahitary government. 
They adopted a plan drawn from their own The following of Walker, though small, was 
experience and their wants, under the circum- brave, determined and intelligent; their leader 
stances, which surrounded them. They were very soon resolved, if he had not from the be- 
the first to repel the aggressions of the British ginning, to give the country an Anglo-Amer- 
parliament and crown. They well knew the ican government. He thus expected to make 
rights of freeborn Englishmen and the princi- Central America the -seat of a new and pro- 
pies of their constitution, and were determined gressive civilization, which would convert its 
that no invasion of them should be tolerated, fertile soil and generous climate into the uses 
Colonel Wheeler gave his work to the public of the commercial world. For the interesting 
in the year 1851. It was a compilete success, and incidents of this daring and romantic advent- 
is highly esteemed as a faithful record of a ure, the reader is referred to the sketches of the 
most interesting and remarkable people. incidents and characters connected with the 
in the year 1844, he was warmly urged upon revolution. A thrilling episode of his sojourn in 
by his party a.s a candidate f . v governor, but that distracted country, so characteristic of the 
did not receive the nomination. man himself, is given at pages 22 to 30 of the 

In the year 1852, he was elected to the J^tate following Reminiscences. 
Legislature, which was fiercely agitated by the As soon as General Walker had established 
contest for a United States Senator. his authority, and his was the de facto govern- 
The Democratic caucus put forth their favor- ment,theAmerican mitiister promptly acknow 1- 
ite man, the Honorable .lames C. Dobbin, than edged it. This act was not approved by the 
whom a purer, or nobler man never lived. Not- Secretary of State, the Honorable William L. 
withstanding his great popularity with his Marcy, and be requested iiis recall. As Colonel 
party, and his admitted ability, the friends " /heeler bail a warm friend in the President, 
of the Honorable Romulus M.Saunders re- andashisearnestand longtried friend,theHon. 
fused to support the caucus nominee, and James C. Dobbin, was Secretary of the Navy, 
voted for Honorable Burton Craige. The ob- he was in no danger of being recalled without 
stinate contest thus made deprived the state a hearing. His reply to .Mr. Marcy's stric- 
of its representation in the Senate for two tures was triumphant, and the President re- 
years. In this contest Colonel Wheeler stood fused to recall him. 

by bis party and his warm personal friend, iMr. Colonel Wheeler not only sympathized with 

Dobbin, and did all in his power to secure his the object of this movement, but admired the 

election. character of General WalJ^wv • He wasa qniet. 

In the year 1853, Colonel Wheeler was ap- unassuming p^rtrtfeiian, eilucated under the 

pointed, by President Pierce, Minister to Nica- best instructors of the United States and 

ragna. Central America. j>i;:;;;g his residence Europe. In [loison, he was below the average 

there thi>ef>uiiFrywastorn by opposing political American, by no means imposing in his pres- 

" factions, that sought their ends by the sword, ence. A ready, eloquent, and graceful writer. 

During tlie revolution General William Walker he would have been one of the first journalists 

made his appearance with a company of de- of his age. The blood of the Norsemen coursed 



JOHN HILL WHEKLER. v 

through liis veins, niul he was alive with an soiinil judgment, a cautious fort'sight, a steady 

onthui^iasni of the old Vikings for adventure. ]mrpose, and a captivating manner, lie knew 

rio neither estimated the dangers of the how to hnshand liis resfiurces for the hour of 

enemy, or the climate; his courage was of the trial. General Walker moved often under the 

pure.«t steel. An ardent Anglo-American, lie influence of a whimsical impulse, careless of 

had only contempt for the Spaniards and those the demands of an insatiable to-morrow. He 

mongrel races, who occupied with indolence sought the enemy at too great a sacrifice of 

and semi-harbarism one of the finest an<l most men who could not be restored; he took hut 

productive regions on the continent. He con- little account of the profound causes which 

ceived the purpose of planting there another preserve and destroy armies. His high quali- 

race of men who would open the land to a re- ties and noble ambition will cause feelings of 

finement and civilization that would make it regret for his unhappy end, and the failure of 

the jiathway of nations to the eastcrir world, his ambitious and magnificent pui-pose. Not 

Colonel ^Vheeler readily saw in the advent of the love of gain, nor the vulgar display, led 

this cultivated and revolutionary mind, and this refined student to the unequal contest, 

his brave and daring followers, the promise of It was the pride of his noble race and its ea- 

hope for the country so long cursed w-ith de- pacity to rejoice a country blessed by nature 

generac}' and mindless inaction. He became with every bounty, and cursed only b}' an in- 

the invited guest and welcome friend of the dolent, vicious, and monotonous race. Too 

United States minister, who knew the men soon for the demands of mankind, a more op- 

and the situation far better than General portune period will, in time, complete the 

Walker. Had he listened more earnesti}' to w-ork in which he bravely fell, and vindicate 

the wise counsel and cautious prudence of his generous ilesign. 

('olonel Wheeler, he would, in all probability. To the honor of Colonel Whoelei- be it re- 
have realized the briglit dreams of his ardent corded that he used his influence to promote a 
fancy. He had many of the qualities of a sue- revolution so fraught with unnumbered bless- 
cessfnl leader — sincerity, courage, self-denial ings to civilized man. Nor didhe com]>roniise 
and intellectual superiority. He was not a the great repul)lic, that had confided her good 
state-iiM-i" i.ifl +'ni!od in vnnking provisions es- faith to his care, though he cou'd not lookwirh 
sential to the maintainanee of armies. Takitig composure upon the contest, of an enlightened 
no account of the strength of the foe, or the civilization witii a stupid indifference to the 
i'atality of the climate, he wasted his forces demands of an intelligent and progressive age. 
without the possibility of a supply. That one entire continent, and a large pi)rtiou 
The United States minister, with far keener of another, should be consigned to stolid repose 
apprehension, saw the dangers that threatened without an heroic effort to unfold th.eir al- 
and advised the means to insure the success of most boundless possibilities, was to him. 
the promising enterprise. To him it was the neither statesmanship nor hiunanity. He 
introduction of a new civilizatiori by a race knew it was the destiny of his race to oradi- 
whose destiny was to found new nations. His cate barliarism, and teach the inhabitants of 
whole heart was with the movement, and his the wilderness the arts of production, coni- 
condnct was only limited l)y his duty to jire- mercc, moral responsibility, social refinement, 
serve the faith and honor of the republic and intelligent freetlom. Before its all-coa- 
which he represented. To a courage not less quering enterprise nature had put off its sav- 
pronqit than General Walker's, he added a age habits for new creations of beauty and 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



utility. Prot'oundly versed in its history, he 
was moved witli iidmi ration for its all-creii- 
tive energ}'. He did not doubt that its pres- 
ence would endow, with a new life, that entire 
isthmus, which could not fail, in a few years, 
to meet the advance of the Unittd States into 



estness through all its mcanderings. The 
change from Pierce to Buchanan brought no 
change in the purposes or dispositiou of the 
party. Under the former, the repeal of the 
Missouri compromise, and the organization of 
the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, had 



Mexico. With prophetic vision he beheld its dissolved the Whig party and introduced the 



gloomy' forests giving place to the peaceful 
abodes of cultivated men. Deprecating the 
erratic impulses of the young leader of this 
promising mission, he nevertheless hailed it as 
the harbinger of a glorious future for Central 
America and the commercial world. Not even 
the demands of a coldly selfish diplomacy 
could repress his generous approval, and he 
gave the benign presence of a creative enter- 



Republican party into the field of action. The 
conflict between individuals had passed away 
with the magnificent personages that charac- 
terized that period. Principles laying at the 
foundation of free institutions, and deeply 
imbedded in the conscience, came into the 
field. The Republican party planted itself 
upon the doctrine of freedom for the territor- 
ies. The Democratic party proclaimed the Ni- 



prise his counsel, his symiiathy, and his sub- violability of slavery in the States and Terri- 



stantial support 

In the year 1857, Colonel Wheeler resigned 
his mission, and returned to his abode in 
Washington City. So long as he lived he 
claimed his legal residence to be in North 
Carolina. On his door plute was that name 



tories. The former was a new and revolu- 
tionary i'orce, the latter stood firmly by the 
ancient constitutional rights of slavery. The 
former was organized to break up and displace 
it, the latter resisted displacement. Trained 
in the school of Jackson, Colonel Wheeler's 



onplcd with his own, and over the breast of judgment was against war, and adhered to 



his encoflined form was engraved that name 
so dear to him. In all his thoughts,and in all 
bis jor.rneyings, his heart yearned towards 
North Carolina, and within her borders he 
would have preferred interment. The amia- 
ble and charming English poet. Waller, in his 
old age, purchased a small property at his 
birthplace, saj-ing he would like to die, like the 
stag, where he was roused. This poetic idea 
has immortality in the lines of Goldsmith: 

■' As the poor stag, wliom hound and horns pursue, 
Fants for the place where at fh-st he flew, 
I still hud hoj'ed my vexations past. 
Here to return and die at home at last." 

By this time the long agon}' over the slav- 
ery question was culminating. Oar republic 
was rapidly drifting towards a fierce and de- 
.-itructive war. Colonel Wheeler had ever 
been identified with the Democratic part}', and 
bad followed its taithand practices with earn- 



the Union; but this school had disappeared 
and a new Democracy had arisen, and guided 
by his sympathies he followed his party, drift- 
ing rapidly upon dangerous reefs and quick- 
sands. One of his sons, C. Sully Wheeler, was 
in the Federal Navy; the other, Vi''oodbury 
Wheeler, had joined the Confederate Army. 
Each remained faithful to the cause he had 
esp )nsed, to the end. To those laboring un- 
der the weight of half a century that had seen 
the republic in the glory of its united power, 
it seemed now in the agony of inevitable death. 
The expiring houri< of Demoiiratic rule was 
spent shuddering before the fearful respon- 
sibility of the solemn oath "to support and de- 
fend the Constitution." The incoming admin- 
istration , though sustained by an unconquer- 
able enthusiasm in its ranks, was slow to an- 
nounce any policy. Many unionists in the 
south, believing all to be lost, hastened into the 



JOTfX HILL WIIKELEK. 



ranks of the disunionists. All tin' companions of 
Colonel Wheeler's life, all that was dear to him 
from childhood were enveloped in the fortunes 
of the Confederacy. Ilis lonj? and strong po- 
litical bias and the intensity of his friendship 
drew his sympathy and his hopes with them, 
and he came back to Xorth Carolina to be 
with her in the struggle. Too far advanced in 
life to become an actor in the contest, in 1863, 
pursuant to a resolution of the General Assem- 
bly of the State, he went to Europe to collect 
material for a new edition of liis history. Anx- 
ious to gather all that related to the subject 
which could render it a more perfect chronicle 
of his beloved people, he sought the treasures 
of the British Archives and buried himself in 
that wonderful collectioii, far from the desolat- 
ing and sanguinary events of the war. He 
collected much valuable and interesting mat- 
ter, which he incorporated in the new edition 
of his history which he left ready for the press. 
Colonel Wheeler was a sincere believer in 
the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independ- 
ence, of May 20th, 1775. His studies in the 
Archives left no doubt upon this interesting 
l.roblcni in his mind. The meeting and reso- 
lution of the same body of men of May 31st, 
1775, are undisputed. They did not go to the 
point of declaring a separation from the 
British government, but they went far beyond 
the expressions of any other colony. The 
reader of Wheeler's History will mark with 
what delight he records the resistance of 
these forest-born republicans to the aggres- 
sions of the royal government. The gallant 
struggles and heroic sacrifices of his revolu- 
tionary ancestors are set forth with care and 
eloquence 

He was thoroughly versed in the opinions 
of democratic statesmen, and sincerely devoted 
to the Jefferson school. He maintained the 
sovereignty of the states in all local matters, 
whilst he held to the inviolability of the 
Federal authority in national affairs. Each 



was sacred in the realms assigned them by the 
Constitution. It is difficult to prosorvo the 
complicated adjustment of the relations of the 
states to the general govermnent. In the 
South, he saw a strong tendency to magnify 
the powers of the states. In the North, the 
Federal authority was rapidly assuming new 
and alarming importance. The effect of the 
war was to give far greater importance to the 
nation, and to silence everywhere the princi- 
ple of state sovereignty. Colonel Wheeler 
regarded the influence of the central power as 
dangerous to individual lilierty, and constantly 
tending to imperialism. He beheld with re- 
gret the citizen disappearing in the grandeur 
and power of the nation. Reared among men 
proud of their honor and influence, he dreaded 
the decline of personal excellence. Its loss 
was the grave of liberty, and birth of imperial 
power. 

The integrity of the state and nation de- 
pended upon the sanctity of the ballot, liiid 
this upon the responsibility and intelligence 
of the individual citizen. The presence of 
powerful monied corporations, and a graiul 
central government, would destroy in time 
its responsibility. The voter, being entirely 
overshadowed, would soon begin to look as 
lightly upon his personal worth, as he did 
upon bis influence in the republic. He relied 
chiefly on character to preserve the republic 
through the ballot. Neither education nor 
wealth could be trusted with the liberties of the 
people, in the absence 'of inflexible purpose, 
and the habit of self government. The only 
safeguard for the encroachments of power 
was in the disposition and capacity of the 
citizen to resi.^t them at the threshold. When 
the public ceases to be a severe censor of the 
conduct of ofiicials, the end of our delicately 
adjusted republic will not be remote. His 
apprehensions of a gradual change, and a 
complete undermining of the nature of our 
institutions, was the result of close observa- 



viii WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

tion for more than half a ceiitni'}-, of the The social qualities of Colonel Wheeler 
most e\'entful periiul of the history of the were of the highest order. His warm lieart, 
govei'iimont, aetuateil by an intense solicitude his classic wit, and mirth-creating humor, 
for the safety of the republic of the fathers. made him the favorite of all circles in which 
Cidonel Wheeler was a sincei'e believer in intelligence, refinement, and graceful address 
the salutary intiueiice of labor directed by were desired. Living in that age of the re- 
method. Ardent lal)or, regulated l)y reason, is public which gave the noblest development 
the price of excellence. He that would win of individual excellence, he had ample oppor- 
tlio latter, can not dispense with the former. tunity of mingling in its most delightful as- 
Time was a sacred trust that no one could sociations. BountifuUj' supplied with instruc- 
neglect Mithont evil. Thoroughly realizing five and intei'esting anecdote, his conversation 
its demands, with earnest i)urpnse and willing never lost its interest and inspiration. He 
hands he consecrated all to the noblest drew from ancient and modern literature their 
ends of life. Knowing that the brightest ricliest gems, and witli consummate taste he 
genius, and the most brilliant p iwei's, [ileased and instructed his ever attentive 
could avail but little if this trust was not ex- auditors. The fountains of Greek, Roman, 
ecuted with system, he introduceil the most English and French history were open to his 
con\'enient order into all his labors, so that lie never flagging memory. It was in the richer 
could call up the gleanings of years in a developments of American life that he en- 
nunnent. joyed the gi'eatest pleasure. Above all [leriods 
A systematic and laboi-ious scholar, he en- of human history, he esteemed the characters 
riched his understanding frcmi the treasures of our revolutionary era. It bad furnished 
of many tongues. The Englisli furnislied him the grandest exjjressicni of freedom an<l in- 
the I'ichest stores, and he liad drunk deeply at tegi'it}', as it had of civil and political iirstitu- 
her purest fountains. Into his tenacious and tions. With pious veneration he had collected 
fruitful memory, were joined the wealth of and preserved every heroic act and noble 
the prf)se and pioetry of that wonderful people, utterance, unwilling to allow the corroding 
whosi' intelligence, more tlian their arms, has ringers of time to erase fr(.)m coming genera- 
tilled the woild. lie was familiar with all the tions the humblest name. 

great dran.iatists. The great poems of Shakes- Not less fortunate in his political ussocia- 

peare, he could repeat with a [)ower rarely tions, lie knew personallv all the presidents 

equalled by tlie first actors c>f his time. and cabinet otricers, from Jefferson to Arthur. 

His friendships were ardent and sincere, and Ho had been the confidential friend of Jack- 

his dev(.)ti<m to his friends knew no bounds; son, i'ierce and Johnson, and was by them 

influence, purse, life itself, if in the right, called to counsel and advice. He did not 

were at their service. Attachments .-o strong look to high orti< ial station, for the richest 

and pure, insured a loving and faithful Inrs- manifestation of intellectual and moral worth, 

band, a.n indulgent and devoted father, and a He had too often seen the most commanding 

kind and generous neighbor. In all tlie rcla- positions occupied by presuming inferiority, 

tions of life ho filled the measuie of a noble through the'labors and merits of the modest 

aiianhood; tciider and charitable to the atriict- and deserving. By the fruits of their lives, 

ed, cheerful and courteous to the prosperous, he esteemed the actors of the age in which 

lie ever sought to mitigate the asperities of life, they lived and worked. Tliis volume of rem- 

.thoserude blasts tliat visit too often evervhome. ini-cences discloses his estimation of characters 



JOIIX TTILL WIIKELEK. 



who figured in the moral and political life of most venerable and sacred institntions, in 

the state and nation, far better than any sketch time, give place to new ones, better adapted 

of his life. It also presents with equal force to represent its advancement, and perpetuate 

his moral, social and political preferences and its usefulness. 

appreciations. In all the noble actions of the great and 
He bad been from his first political essay, good of the republic, he bad an inheritance of 
trained in the Democratic party, and his ac- imperishable glory. With pious care he has 
tive afiinities drew from the ranks of that garnared all, and has labored to transmit 
party his warmest associations. Ilis demo- them to posterity, as an inspiration to emulate 
cracy was founded upon the lofty plane of the iieroic and worthy lives of an illustrious 
integrity and worth. There, all who could ancestry. The conduct of the great and good 
come wore equals, and entitled to the rights is the most valuable legacy that a nation can 
and honors of the state. Neither accident of have. The memories and the glorious deeds 
birth or wealth could push from their seats of the eminent personages whom North Caro- 
the true, the industrious, and the brave. Hum- liiia has contributed to humanity, have been 
hie worth, bending beneath the weight of sor- sacredly collected and eloquently described by 
rows and privations, had an open highway to this faithful historian. They have not been 
his respect. He rejoiced to see the virtuous left to [>erish '• unhonored and unsung." The 
youth, bursting the barriers of pride and cast, memory of the busy, patriotic and eloquent 
and appealing to the just judgment of society man, who has rescued from oblivion, so many 
for the recognition of its worth. For misfor- illnstrions names, will be recalled with grate- 
tune he had all sympathy; for unostentatious fr,l thanks, from tlie shores (mi which break the 
merit, reverence; for courage, that presses for- waves of the Atlantic, to the peaks of the 
ward in the achievement of great and useful Unaka mountains that mark the western limits 
measures, admiration. of the state. Whenever thesonsor daughters 
Trained from child iiood to industry and of the old commonwealth have eseheloned 
action, he knew the value of useful labor. No into the west, liis labors will be carried and 
speculative theorist, he sought substantial re- read. They will be to all a reservoir of bril- 
sults through methods approved of by experi- liaiit names, and a chronicle of illustrious 
euce. With reluctance he marked uny departure deeds. 

from the way selected by the sages, and lined This worthy and learned man attained a 

with countless blessings. The continuity of his- ripe age, in the full enjoyment of his intel- 

tory described the march of human intelligence lectual powers, laboring cheerfully to the end. 
and could not be broken with any assurance Though during his clo.sing years he suffered 

of safety. Nor was he blindly bound to an much, his genial and sunny disposition did 

irrational and monotinous past. He well not desert him. He continued to receive his 

knew that every day and every hour makes friends with that generous welcome, which 

demands upon the exercise of reason and in- will be fondly remembered after he has past 

vention, that can only be appeased by advance- the "sunless river's flow." 

meut in time and space. A witness of all the He was married first to -Mary, only daughter 

greatest discoveries in the useful arts, he well of Ilev. Mr. 0. B. Erown, of "Washington City, 

understood their influence upon the refine- one of the most accomplished and literary 

ment of the people. Society was undergoing ladies of her day, by whom he had one 

perpetual change in all its varied aspects. The daughter, married to George N. Deale, a 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



brotlier of General E. F. Beale, late ITnited 
States Envoy toAustria, and, second, to Pollen, 
daughter of Thomas Snlly, one of the most 
distinguished artists of Philadelphia, liy whom 
he had two suns, Charles Sully and Woodbury, 
a successful lawyer in Washington City. 

On Thursday, Deecmher 7th, 1882, at 12:30 
o'clock, a. m., the long sufferings of Colonel 
Wheeler were ended; and at 2 p. m., on Sun- 
day the 10th, lie was buried in Oakllill Ccnie- 
ter3', Georgetown, D. ('. 

Eminent citizens of Xorth Carolina then in 
Wasliington, met in the National Capitol, and 
ndcijited the fiillowing resolutions: 

''Rcsijfcal, That we, North Carolinians, pre- 
sent in Washington, have assembled to pa}' a 
trilnite of respect to the memory of our de- 
parted friend, Mr. John II. Wheeler, whose 
private worth and pul)lic services have en- 
deared him to our whole i)eople. 

"Rei^olral, That by his life-work, though to 
him a labor of love, as the historian of the 
state, and the collection of vast stores of his- 
torical material, he imposed a debt of gi'ati- 
tude upon every Isorth Carolinian, and upon 
the republic of letters, which will be remem- 
bered for generations." 



Eulogiums, attesting the high place the de- 
ceased had won in the hearts of his people, 
were pronounced by the Hons. Z. B. Vance, 
Samuel F. Phillips, Jesse J. Yeates, A. M. 
Scales, M. W. Ransom, and T. L. Clingmau. 

The following letter of condolence was ad- 
dressed to Major Woodbury Wheeler, son of 
the deceased: 

'' Senate Chajibek. 
''Major WoonBrRY Wheeler. 

"Dear Sir: We have this moment heard 
with deep pain, of the death of your father. 
Ilis death atiects us with great soritiw; his 
loss will be mourned by all the people of the 
State, which he loved and served so \vell. 
Truly :i good and great man has left us. 

"We beg leave to exp)ress to j-ou and his 
family our sincerest sympathy. In your sad 
bereavement you have the consolation arising 
from the men}ory of his illustrious life marked 
by conspicuous virtues. 

"Yours sincerel}', 

"Z. B. Vance. M. W. Ransom. 

"L. C. Latham. A. M. Scales. 

"Rob't V. Vance. li. F. Akmfield. 

"W. R. Cox. C. DowD." 




KRRATA. 

Paee XII, ist column, nth line, read frontier, not fronlinj,'. 
lb lb., i^.th line, read Lords, 7wl Lord, 

lb -'d coiunin, 6lh line, read east, vol west, 
lb" lb qth line, read feeble, 7iot public, 

p.ure XV ist column, TSth line, read writer's, not writers. 
Pale XVI ist column, 38th line, place comma after ^^KSrV^''^' " 
Pafc XV .St column 24th line, read antedates, not antidates 

lb lb., . 33^1 lint-, read churchman, uot church man. 

Paee XVIII, ist column, last line, omit " &c " 
Paee XX, 1st column, 35th line, read the, «c^/ he _ 

*' 11, lb 36th line, read what, not which. / 

P^p-e XXI lb', 9th line, read e.xpOrts, 7iot e.\parts. 

IK ' ' Ih T>th line read Sounds, wo/ sound. , 

Pa JxXII !b:; ^ -Hi 37th lines, omit the interpolated sentence in brackets. 

Page XXIli, lb., 39th line, read ot, not et. 

PaleXXV, lb., 21st line, read by, «o/ viz. 

lb 2d column, last line, omit comma after local. 

Pa>'-eXXVI. lb., read Tryon, wc^/ Tyron. 

^•^hb^^""' J^^^Ir'^S^isKnSV:"! 1^ .wor of the clmrd.^^ 
Pace XXVIII ist column^ 2d paragraph should have quotation maiks to it. 
Paee XXIX, ist column, 3tst line, read imparted /w/ imported. 

^^Tu lb lod hue, omit comma after tone. 

Pace XXXI "d column, last line should follow third line of ne.xt column. 

lb ' lb 2ist hue, place "Academy ' m brackets. 

P,cr,. XXXII lb' 22d line, read extract, w/ extracts. 

Page^ XXXI 1 , lb., ^^^^ ^^^ ^__^^ j.^^^^ ^^^^ disbarring, not debarring. 

lb lb' -,ist line, read //was ordered. 

Pao-e XXXIII ist column, -,6th line, read detinue, not detinee. 

Pa^e 192, 2d column, 3d line, read Lizzie, wo/ John M. 
* lb lb 4th line, read Corvina, not Louisa, 

lb' lb' between lines 8 and 9 insert John L. 

Page 196. ist column, 32d line, read researches, not resuhs. 
Page 201, ist column, 17th line, read Humphrey, not Hampton. 
Page 202, ist column, ist line, read 1781, not 1871. 
Pifre -.04 ist column, 38th line, read " Colonel Lillmgton. 
Page 216, ist column. 17th line, read Amis, not Ams. 
' lb. lb.. 22d line, read to. not at. 

\h. 2d column, 32d line, " but had no." 
Page 217, ist column, i6th line, omit much of. 

lb., 2d column, 14th line, omit early in and. 
Page 220, ist column. 17th line, read the. not he. 
Page 221, 2d column, 22d line, read Catling, not Gatlin. 
Page ^^6, ist column, 3d line, read member. 

P 't„ B't'colun,™, n'h Un;"! b« '' McPCnl." ^l.ouUI be Mac„„el,„. 
Page -^30 2d column, 6th line, read " Carolina. 
Page 232 2d column, 24th line, read incessant, not incessent. 
Page 238, ist column, 7th line, read Pierre, w(?/ Pierce. 
Page 240, ist column, 4th line, insert on before one. 
Page 252, 2d column, 23d line, read Caesar, not Casar. 
Paee 2S3, ist column, 12th line, read 1776, not 1767. 
Page 255! ist column, loth line, read Lieut. George, not Colonel Lock. 
Page 228, ist column, 32d line, same error. ^ 

Pa^e 255, ist column, nth line, read Joseph, w<p/ (.eorge Graham. 
Page 287, 2d column, 30th line, read those that, 7iot these that. 
Page 288, ist column, 23d line, read correct, not court. 

Page 289, ist column, 9th line, read have. «<?/ here ,K,„,l,l 1,,. Moore and New Han- 

Page 297—301, inclusive-the running head " Mecklenburg counlv shoul.l be Woo.c 

over counties. . , , . ^ / > 

Page 300, 2d column, to the end ol 18th line add servient rami. 
Page 301, 1st column, 2d line, read Gen. not Gov. 



KCDHTH CAM©MNA 
In the Colonial Period, 



^. 



BY DANIEL R» GOODLOE 



An article by John Fisk, which appeared in 
the February ( 1 883) number of Harper's Maga- 
zinc, entitled "Maryland and the far South in 
the Colonial period," contains statements in 
regard to North Carolina which have given 
grave offense to every citizen and native of the 
State. The writer assumes to portray the con- 
dition of the people and the character of their 
institutions, civilization and government, during 
the whole period of their colonial existence, 
while he has presented only an exaggerated and 
distorted picture of disorders which prevailed 
among the first handful of settlers on the North- 
eastern border, before there was a defined 
boundary, and when that portion of the terri- 
tory, or a considerable part of it was claimed 
by Virginia. 

The writer may, also, have had in view the 
resistance made by the people called Regula- 
tors, in the middle and upper counties, ata later 
period, to the robbery and extortion of the 
county officers. But the more charitable sup- 
position is, that he hag never read a history of 
the Province. 

The original grant made by Charles II. to the 
Lords Proprietors, bears date March 20, 16G3. 



This instrument conveyed to the noblemen and 
gentlemen, named all the territory lying between 
the parallels of thirty-one and thirty-six degrees 
of North latitude, and extending from the At- 
lantic Ocean westward to the South Sea. Wm. 
Ryrd, Esq., the intelligent Virginia gentleman, 
who was one of the commissioners employed to 
run theboundary line between the two provinces, 
states, in his " Westover papers, " that "Sir 
William Berkeley, who was one of the grantees, 
and at that time Governor of Virginia, finding 
a territory of thirty-one miles in breadth be- 
tween the inhabited part of Virginia and the 
above mentioned boundary of Carolina, (thirty- 
six degrees) advised Lord Clarendon of it, and 
his Lordship had influence enough with the 
King to obtain a second patent to include this 
territory, dated June 30, 1665." 

It appears from this statement of Mr. Byrd, 
that North Carolina owes this addition of half 
a degree to the vvidth of her territory, to the 
treachery of the Governor of Virginia, to his 
trust. It was the duty of the Governor to se- 
cure, if practicable, the unclaimed territory for 
Virginia, but it was in the interest of Sir Wil- 
liam Berkeley to have it added to the Carolina 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Colony. However, the people of North Caro- 
lina have no reason to complain of Sir William 
on this account. 

In reference to this acquisition Dr. Hawks, 
the historian of North Carolina, remarks : "But 
though this second charter defined the line that 
was to divide Virginia and Carolina, and stated 
on what part of the globe it was to be drawn, 
viz : 36° 30' North latitude ; yet astronomical 
observations had not fixed its precise locality, 
[' V and consequently the people on the fronti^ of 
both provinces entered land and took out patents 
A by guess, either from the King, or the Lord; Pro- 
prietors. The grants of the latter, however, 
were more desirable, because, both as to terms of 
entry, and yearly taxes, they were less burden- 
some than the price and levies imposed by 
the laws of Virginia, This statement will ex- 
plain the fact that some of the earliest grants of 
land, now confessedly in Carolina, but lying 
near the border are signed by Sir William 
Berkeley." 

This new boundary line of 36° 30' remained 
undefined for two-thirds of a century — that is to 
say, until the year 172S; and in all that period 
there was a margin of territory several miles in 
width, in which no one knew, definitely, whether 
the inhabitants owed allegiance to Carolina or 
Virginia. The disputed territory lay within and 
on the southern border of the Dismal Swamp. 
Practically, for nearly fifty years, the territory 
west of the Swamp was not in dispute, as the 
settlements on the Carolina side lay to the east 
of the Chowan River. To the west of that 
great stream the Indians still held sway. It was 
not until after the Massacre in 171 1, when one 
hundred and thirty persons were murdered in 
their homes in one day, that these savages were 
made to give place to the advancing tide of civ- 
ilization. The largest of the tribes, and the 
most war-like, the Tuscaroras, after that event, 
were required to vacate their territory, when 
they emigrated North and rejoined the Iroquois 
or Five Nations, from whom they were de- 



scended. The smaller and less criminal tribes 
were permitted to remain on reservations. 

During the first sixty years of the colonial 
history, the population was chiefly confined to 
the territory north of Albemarle Sound, 
west of the Chowan River. The settle- 
ments between the two sounds, Albemarle and 
Pamlico, and that- about New Berne, were still 
-pi^i?, but were represented in the Albemarle \~<i(/ 
Assembly. This body was composed of twenty- 
seven members, of whom the four counties 
north of the sound sent five, each. The three 
counties south of Albemarle had two members 
each, and New Berne town one. There was 
little intercourse with the Cape Fear Colony, 
which had a separate Assembly of its own, as 
well as a Governor. It was a short-lived enter- 
prise. The colonists came from Barbadoes, in 
1665, under the leadership of a gentleman 
named Yeaman. He was succeeded by a Mr. 
West, as Governor, who was also made Gover- 
nor of the Charleston settlement, a few years 
later, and persuaded the Cape Fear people to 
follow him. During the year 1690, the last of 
these Cape Fear settlers abandoned their homes 
and went to Charleston. The writer, whose 
statements are complained of, assumes that 
these Barbadian colonists became a permanent 
part of the population of North Carolina. 

In 1729 seven of the eight Lords Proprietors 
surrendered their rights in and authority over 
the colony, to the crown, for a valuable consid- 
eration, of course ; Earl Granville retained his 
claim of right to the soil, and a large strip of 
country (about half the State) on the northern 
border was set off to him as his private property, 
while he surrendered his right to share in the 
Government of the people. 

Francis Xavier Martin, one of the most judi- 
cious historians of the Province, estimated the 
white population at the date of this transfer of 
authority from the Lords Proprietors to the 
Crown (17-9) at about 13,000. He gives no 
opinion as to the number of the blacks; but 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



there is reason to believe that tliey were fewer 
in proportion to the whites than were to be 
found in either Virginia or South Carolina. 

A reference to the map will show the reader 
that the original boundary of 36° passes up the 
Albemarle Sound ; and the acquisition made by 
the new patent of 16C5 embraces, therefore, the 
whole territory north of the Sound. In other 
words, it embraced three-fourths of the popula- 
tion of North Carolina in 1729. This date of 
the purchase by the Crown from the Proprietors 
is, also, coeval with the separation of North 
from South Carolina, and the incorporation of 
the whole territory of the former under one Gov- 
ernor and Assembly. 

Besides the small scattered settlements south 
of Albemarle Sound, the relative importance of 
which is indicated by their proportion of repre- 
sentation in the Assembly, as above stated, the 
population had begun to spread out beyond, 
that is to say, west of the Chowan River ; and 
in the year 1722, the County or Precinct of Ber- 
tie was organized ; but up to that date, if not 
later, the people on that side of the river voted 
as of Chowan Precinct. 

The immigration of Swiss and Palatines under 
Baron De Graffenreidt and Mr. Mitchell came to 
North Carolina in the years 1709-10. No defi- 
nite statements as to their numbers, have come 
down to us, but it is believed that the two classes 
of immigrants combined, did not exceed two 
thousand. Some loose guesses make them 
larger. They settled in the vicinity of New 
Berne, which town received its name ''rom the 
Swiss. Somd of these foreigners were murdered 
by the Indians the next year, after their arrival, 
when the great Massacre of the whites occurred. 
De Graffenreidt narrowly escaped being burned 
at the stake by the Indians, in company with 
Lawson, the Surveyor General, who had invaded 
their territory with his compass and chain. It 
is probable that the massacre was the main hin- 
drance to further immigration from Switzerland 
and the Palatinate ; but De Graffenreidt failed 



to give them titles to the lands he sold them, 
which must have greatly added to their dis- 
couragements. 

The foregoing preliminary statement as to the 
nature and extent of the ground occupied by 
the early settlers of the Province has been 
thought necessary to a thorough understanding 
of the character of the aspersions of the writer 
referred to, and of the answers that will be 
made to them. lUit in the first place it will be 
proper to present them in the language of their 
author. They form a compact mass of misrep- 
resentation. I understand the writer to be a 
Massachusetts man. "Prof John Fisk" of 
Harvard. He says : 

" At the time of the Revolution the popula- 
tion of North Carolina numbered about 200,000, 
of which somewhat more than one-fourth were 
negio slaves. The white population was mainly 
English, but the foreign element was larger than 
in the case of any other of the colonies which 
we have thus far considered. There were Hu- 
guenots from France, German Protestant from 
the Palatinate, Moravians, Swiss, and Scotch, 
and what we have to note especially is that this 
foreign population was, in the main, far more 
respectable and orderly than the English major- 
ity. The English settlers came mostly from 
Virginia, though in the southeastern corner of 
the colony there was a considerrble settlement 
of Englishmen from Barbadoes. 

"Now, the English settlers who thus came 
southward from Virginia were very different in 
character from the sober Puritans, who went 
northward into Alaryland. North Carolina was 
to Virginia something like Rhode Island was to 
Massachusetts — a receptacle for all the factious 
and turbulent elements of Society ; but in this 
case the general charaeter of the emigration was 
iiiuiieasnreably loiver. The shiftless people who 
could not make a place for themselves in Vir- 
ginia society, including many of the "poor 
whites, " flocked in large numbers into North 
Carolina. They were, in the main, very lawless 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



in temper, holding it to be the chief end of man 
to resist all constituted authority, and above all 
things to pay no taxes. The history of North 
Carolina was according!)' much more riotous 
and disorderly than the history of any of the 
other colonies. ' 'There were neither laws nor 
lawyers," says Bancroft, with slight exaggera- 
tion. The courts, such as they were, sat often 
in taverns, where the Judge might sharpen his 
wits with bad whiskc}', -li'liilc their decisions 'arrc 
not nronit-d, but were simply shouted by the 
crier from the inn door, or at the nearest market 
place. 

' 'There were a icw amateur surgeons and apoth- 
ecaries to be found in the villages, but no regu- 
lar physicians. Nor does the soul appear to be 
better cared for than the body, for it was not 
until 1703 that the first clergyman was settled 
in the colony. The Church of England was es- 
tablished by Government, without the approval 
of the people, who were opposed on principle 
to church rates, as to all kinds of ta.xes whatso- 
ever. Owing to this dislike of ta.xation, most 
of the people were Dissenters, but no Dissent- 
ing Churches flourished in the colony. There 
was complete toleration even for Quakers, be- 
cause nobody cared a groat for theology, or for 
religion. The few ministers who contrived to 
support life in North Carolina, were listened to 
in a mood like that in which Mrs. Pardigle's 
discourses were received by the brickmakers, 
while the audience freely smoked their pipes 
within the walls of the sanctuary during divine 
service. 

"Agriculture was conducted more wastefully 
and with less intelligence than in any of the 
other colonies. In the northern counties to- 
bacco was almost exclusively cultivated, but it 
was of very inferior quality, compared with the 
tobacco of Virginia. 

" All business or traffic about the coast was 
carried on under perilous conditions : for pirates 
were alwaj^s hovering about, siriiir in the svin- 
patliyof tlie people, like the brigands of southern 



Italy in recent times. It was partly due to this, 
no doubt, as well as partly to the want of good 
harborage, that a very large part of the com- 
merce of North Carolina was diverted north- 
ward to Norfolk, or southward to Charleston. 

' 'The treatment of the slaves is said to have been 
usually mild, as in Virginia, but their lives were 
practically, at the mercy of their masters. The 
white servants fared better, and the general state 
of society was so loic that when their time of ser- 
vice was ended, they had here a good chance of 
rising to a position of equality with their 
masters. 

"The countr)' swarmed with ruffians of all 
sorts, who fled thither from South Carolina and 
Virginia. Life and property were very insecure, 
and l)'nch law was not infrequentl)' administered. 
The small planters led, for the most part, a lazy 
life, drinking hard, and amusing themselves 
with scrimmages, in which noses were broken 
with blows of the fist, and eyes gouged out by 
a dexterous use of the long thumb nails. The 
only other social amusement seems to have been 
gambling. But, except at elections and other 
meetings for political purposes, people saw 
very little of each other. 

' ' There were no roads worthy of the name, 
and every family was almost entirely isolated 
from its neighbors. Until just before tlic zuar for 
Indepemienec, there was not a single school, good or 
bad, in the whole colony. It need not be added that 
the people were densely ignorant. 

"The colony was a century old before it could 
boast of a printing press; and if no newspapers 
were published, it was doubtless for the suffi- 
cient reason that there were very few who would 
have been able to read them. A mail from 
Virginia came some eight or ten t'mes in a year, 
but it only reached a few towns on the coast, 
and down to the time of the Revolution the in- 
terior of the country had no mails at all. Under 
such circumstances it is not strange that North 
Carolina was in a great measure cut off" from the 
currents of thought and feeling by which the 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



other colonies were swayed in the middle of the 
eighteenth century. 

"In the Warfor Independence, North Carolina 
produced no great leaders. She was not repre- 
sented at the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, and 
she was the last of the States, except Rhode Is- 
land, to adopt the Federal Constitution." 

The reader cannot have failed to note in these 
statements, supposing the writer to be well in- 
formed, a spirit in sympathy with the arbitrary 
rule of the Lords Proprietors and the Crown of 
England, and with their persistent efforts to 
compel an unwilling people to pay taxes for the 
support of the Church of which they were not 
members. The whole tenor of the writers criti- 
cism would justify this inference; and that his 
sympathies are also with the corrupt county 
officials whose illegal exactions provoked and 
justified the efforts of the Regulators to resist 
them. But it is charitable to assume that he 
has only a vague idea of these events, derived 
from second-hand sources. For he could not 
read the history of the Province, without being 
convinced that the causes and grounds of resist- 
ance to the constituted authorities were, in the 
first instance, the efforts of the Lords Proprietors 
to impose the absurd "Fundamental Constitu- 
tions" of Locke, upon the people, followed by 
the persistent, and never quite successful at- 
tempt to estab'ish the Church, with a system of 
Church rates. Mr. Bancroft has brought out 
these facts with more distinctness than the his- 
torians of the State ; and even Dr. Hawks has 
only paraphrased the lucid statement of the great 
historian. 

The second great source of disturbance, the 
robbery of the people in the name of law, by 
the county officers, at a later period, is equally 
well attested, and no one acquainted with the 
history of those times, will venture to vindicate 
or palliate their conduct. These events will re- 
ceive further notice in their order, as well as 
other arbitrary and unjust measures of the 
British rulers of the Province. 



Another thing observable in this pretentious 
criticism is a proneness to jump to general con- 
clusions from single instances. The writer has 
seen th^r statement that at an out-of-doors relig- 
ious meeting, in the Albemarle region, in one 
of the first years of the last century, some rough 
fellow smoked his pipe while the services were 
going on; and this fact is sufficient to warrant 
the statement that such was the universal cus- 
tom throughout the colonial period, in all parts 
of the Province. He has read that a noted pi- 
rate infested the Sounds before there was so 
much as a village upon their borders, and that 
the pirate obtained supplies of provisions from 
the first squatters on the coast whom he would 
have exterminated if they had refused compli- 
ance with his demands ; and, without mention- 
ing that the pirate was at length captured and 
put to death, the swift conclusion is drawn, that 
piracy was the order of the day, all along the 
coast, with the connivance of the people, for 
the century and more of colonial vassalage; and 
that the effect was to render legitimate com- 
m.erce a hazardous and dangerous occupation, 
lo this cause the writer would have the world 
believe is due the alleged fact that the people of 
the colony carried their produce to Norfolk 
through the Dismal Swamp ; although there 
was neither road nor canal. Or else to Charles- 
ton through a wilderness two to three hundred 
miles in width, without roads or navigable wa- 
ters; whereas, at the period when the pirates 
infested the coast, the commerce of the colony 
was chiefly in the hands of New Englanders, 
who came with their vessels through the 
Sounds. 

A traveler has at some time witnessed a fight, 
somewhere in the Province, accompanied by the 
brutal practice of "gouging," in which the 
lower class of whites sometimes engage, and 
this is sufficient to justify the critic in the sweep- 
ing statement that "scrimmages " of this sort 
constituted the favorite amusement of the small 
planters— " their only other entertainments be- 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



ing drinking and gambling." It would be as 
fair to charge the whole body of respectable 
people in a Northern city, at the present day, 
with participation in all the vice and crime which 
are daily and nightly enacted in the dens of in- 
famy that are to be found in every street. 

These arc only specimens ot the illogical in- 
ferences of this writer, with whom the rule 
seems to be, that every isolated fact warrants a 
generalization. 

In view of reiterated charges against the peo- 
ple of lawlessness, idleness, "shiftlcssness," 
and general inability to make their way in the 
world, it is worth while to notice the first state- 
ment quoted from the writer, to the effect that at 
the period of the Revolution, North Carolina 
contained about 200,000 inhabitants ; and if this 
statement were true, it would afford evidence of 
an extraordinarily rapid increase of population 
during the next fourteen years, and especially 
so, as seven of those years were spent in civil 
and foreign wars, accompanied by the expatria- 
tion of thousands of the conquered, and the 
escape of not a few of the servile class. The 
census of 1790, which was taken just fourteen 
years after the Declaration of Independence, or 
fifteen years after the commencement of hostili- 
ties, showed the population of the State to be 
393,000, or nearly 100 per cent, more than the 
supposed number of 200,000. In consideration 
of the destructive war through which the people 
had passed during those eventful years, we are 
bound to conclude that the population at the 
beginning of the war was nearer th'-ee hundred 
than two hundred thousand. In 1729, it will 
be remembered, the total white population was 
estimated to be only 13,000; and if we add 7,000 
for the black, the aggregate, forty-six years be- 
fore the beginning of the Revolutionary War, 
would be but 20,000. Here, then, is evidence 
of an extraordinary increase of these "idle," 
"shiftless," "outlaws " and " renegades " from 
Virginia. 

We are told that "the foreign population was 



in the main far more respectable and orderly 
than the English majority." By the foreign 
population, the writer means those of non- 
English origin. There can be no question about 
the moral worth and respectability of the Mora- 
vians and German Lutherans, of the Swiss and 
Palatine. They all made orderly, good citizens, 
but they were not more conspicuous for these 
virtues than were the Quakers, who, in early 
times, exercised a controlling influence in the 
Albemarle settlement. Nor were the "for- 
eigners" more distinguished for sobriety and 
love of learning than the Presbyterians who 
came to the Colony from Pennsylvania and Vir- 
ginia, or directly from Scotland and England. 
Neither is it true that any of these classes were 
more respectable than the native Virginians and 
other Americans, mostly of English ancestry, 
who came in from time to time, during the 
whole colonial period, and constituted a large 
majority of the population of the Province ; and 
it is a baseless calumny to say otherwise. They 
constituted a majority, and a controlling major- 
ity of the people. They were part and parcel 
of the best element in Virginia society — em- 
bracing not many of the oldest, or more aristo- 
cratic families, but the solid, respectable, and 
well-to-do classes of planters and farmers — -the 
classes that produced such men as Jefferson, 
Patrick Henry, Henry Clay, and others who 
became eminent for talents and virtue; and they 
imparted these characteristics to their children. 
Many of the poorer classes came with these 
planters and farmers. Some were, no doubt, 
vicious characters, who added nothing to the 
strength and respectability of the Province. 
But what country under the sun is free from 
such a class ? 

"North Carolina " we are again told, "was 
to Virginia something like Rhode Island was to 
Massachusetts — a receptacle for all the factious 
and turbulent elements of society. " There was, 
it must be owned, a resemblance in the two sit- 
uations. Massachusetts e.xpellcd Roger Wil- 



Till". COLONIAL 1'1:r1()U. 



liams and his Baptist followers, with Quakers 
and Presbyterians, as heretics ; and most good 
people of the present day arc apt to believe that 
when the exiles shook the dust from their feet, 
they left not their equals in moral worth behind 
them. And it was in like manner that Virginia 
intolerance drove many of her best inhabitants 
into the wilderness of Carolina, as will now be 
shown. 

Durant's Neck in Perquimans county, was 
the first permanent settlement made in the Prov- 
ince, and it was made by Quakers who fled from 
Virginiaand Massachusetts persecution. "The 
oldest land title that we know of in North Caro- 
lina," says Dr. Hawks, "and that which we 
think was actually the first, is still on record. 
It is the grant made by Cistacaiioc, king of the 
Yeopim Indians, in 1662, to Durant, for a 
neck of land at the mouth of Little and Per- 
quimans rivers, which still bears the name of the 
grantee. In 1633, Berkeley confirmed this 
grant by a patent under his own signature." ^ 

This patent by the Indian Chief to the Qua- 
Ig^ ker, antedates the first patent given by the king 
to the Lords Proprietors. It became the nu- 
cleus of a large Quaker settlement, which re- 
mains to the present day. It is said that a com- 
pany was formed some years previous to this 
purchase by Durant, for the purpose of taking 
up lands and making settlements in the un- 
claimed territory; and it is probable that the 
plan may, to some extent, have been carried 
into effect — or this purchase by the Quakers 
may have been a part of it. The cautious terms 
in which the Quakers gave in their adhesion to 
the "Fundamental Constitutions," show that 
they were neither illiterate nor reckless vaga- 
bonds. Their signature and assent are qualified 
as follows : 

" Francis Tomes, Christopher Nicholson, and 
William Wyatt did before me, this 31st July," 
&c. , &€., "and so far as any authority by the 
Lords constituted, is consonant to God's glory, 
and to the advancement of his blessed truth, 



with heart and hands we subscribe, to the best 
of our capacities and understandings." 

In regard to these earliest settlers of North 
Carolina, Mr. Bancroft states that the adjoining 
county in Virginia, Nansemond, had long 
abounded in non-conformists ; and it is certain, 
he says, that the first settlements in Albemarle 
were the result of the spontaneous overflowing 
from this source. A few vagrant families, he 
thinks, may have been planted in Carolina be- 
fore the Restoration. Such settlements would 
have been made voluntarily, as under Cromwell 
the Church would not have been permitted to 
persecute Dissenters. But on the restoration 
of Charles, men who were impatient of inter- 
ference with their religion, "who dreaded the 
enforcement of religious conformity, and who 
distrusted the spirit of the new Government in 
Virginia, plunged more deeply into the forests. 
It is known that in 1662, the Chief of the Yeo- 
pim Indians granted to George Durant the neck 
of land which still bears his name ; and, in the 
following year, George Cathmaid could claim 
from Sir Wm. Berkeley^a large grant of land 
upon the Sound, as a reward for having estab- 
lished sixty-seven persons in Carolina. This 
may have been the oldest considerable settle- 
ment; there is reason to believe that volunteer 
emigrants preceded them." 

It has already been stated that Sir William 
Berkeley was Governor of Virginia and one of / 
the Lords Proprietors of Carolina at this time. 
He was also a Churclv-man, intolerant of dissent 
— in Virginia; but his pecuniary interests im- 
pelled him to be very liberal and tolerant of 
Quakers, Presbyterian, and other sectarians who 
would agree to remove to their territory. His 
proprietary colleagues cordially concurred with 
him in this left-handed spirit of toleration, by 
which they hoped to be enriched ; and in con- 
formity with it, the Carolina colonists were 
allowed to indulge in whatever eccentricities of 
faith and worship their tastes or their con- 
sciences might suggest. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Indeed, it was very plain to the common 
sense of the Proprietaries, that zeal for the 
Church north of 36° 30', if enforced by rigorous 
persecution, was as conducive to the peophng 
their Carolina territory, as the liberty of con- 
science which was granted south of that line. 
These seemingly hostile principles, or moral 
forces were thus made to work harmoniously for 
the advantage of their Lordships, while narrow- 
minded bigots, by enforcing conformity on both 
sides of the line, would have spoiled every- 
thing. 

Howison, the historian of Virginia, describes 
Sir William, who was appointed Governor of 
Virginiain 1642, by Charles I, as an accomplish- 
ed gentleman whose winning manners captivated 
all hearts, but, "His loyalty was so excessive 
that it blinded his eyes to the faults of a crowned 
head, and steeled his heart against the prayers 
of oppressed subjects. * * He loved the 
monarchical constitution of England with sim- 
ple fervor ; he venerated her customs, her 
Church, her Bisjiops, her Liturgy ; everything 
peculiar to her as a kingdom; and believing 
them to be worthy of all acceptation, he en- 
forced conformity with uncompromising stern- 
ness. * * HadSir William Berkeley descend- 
ed to his grave at the time when Charles II gained 
the English throne, we might with safety have 
trusted to those historians who have drawn him 
as adorned with all that could grace and elevate 
his species. But he lived long enough to prove 
that loyalty when misguided, will make a tyrant; 
that religious zeal, when devoted to an estab- 
lished Church, will beget the most revolting 
bigotry : and that an ardent disposition, when 
driven on by desire for revenge, will give birth 
to the worst forms of cruelty and malice." 

Yet this excessive zeal for religion and " re- 
volting bigotry, " had a practical side to them 
which the historian overlooked. For they tend- 
ed rapidly to people Sir William's Carolina plan- 
tation with sober and industrious Quakers and 
Presbyterians &c. , who bought land or paid rent 



at prices fixed by the Proprietaries. The Vir- 
ginia Assembly, under such a champion of or- 
thodoxy, passed laws of the most stringent 
character for the enforcement of uniformity. 
Tithes were imposed and exacted inexorably : 
the persons of the Clergy were invested with 
a sanctity savoring strongly of superstition : 
papists were excluded from the privilege of hold- 
ing office, and their priests were banished the 
Province ; the oath of supremacy to the king as 
head of the Church, was imposed, dissenting 
ministers were forbidden to preach ; and the 
Governor and Council were empowered to com- 
pel "non-conformists to depart the colony with 
all convenience." It is not surprising that the 
Carolina Colony, where toleration was establish- 
ed by the Proprietaries, flourished, .when the 
Governor and Assembly of Virginia were so ac- 
tive in stimulating emigration. But it is obvious 
that these intolerant laws of Virginia, on the 
subject of religion, were not calculated nor in- 
tended to drive out the lawless and vicious 
classes. On the contraty, wherever Religion is 
established by law, whether the creed be Protes- 
tant or Catholic, the vicious and criminal classes 
are rarely arraigned for denying the authority 
of the Church, however much they may disre- 
gard its injunctions, and stand in need of its 
discipline. It is the sober, earnest men who 
suffer the pains and penalties of heresy, whether 
those penalties be the rack, the fagot or banish- 
ment. 

But the persecuted Dissenters were not the 
only classes that preferred the free air of North 
Carolina to the intolerance of Berkeley. Thous- 
ands of Churchmen, real and nominal, joined 
them ; and without being eminently religious, 
they soon became sufficiently numerous to form 
a strong party in favor of a Church establish- 
ment. 

Mr. Bancroft thinks that the first Governor 
of the Albemarle Colony, Drummond, appoint- 
ed by Berkeley, «»//^rt//4,W/y' liinizvitliout aitial, 
for alleged participation in Bacon's Rebellion, 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



was a Presbyterian. If this opinion be correct, 
it serves to illustrate more fully how tolerant of 
heresy the bigoted Govenor of Virginia could 
be, when it tended to advance his pecuniary in- 
terests. 

Two or three of the Lords Proprietors were 
cabinet ministers of Charles II, and they could 
not only procure a grant of territory half as 
large as P>urope, but they could stipulate the 
terms of the grant, and the sort of government 
its future inhabitants were to live under. Eor 
the reasons already explained, the Second Chart- 
er, dictated by themselves, authorized the es- 
tablishment of the utmost toleration, without 
so much as naming the Church, and this liberty 
was confirmed to the people. They were grant- 
ed "an Assembly, " says Mr. Bancroft, "and 
an easy tenure of lands, and he (Berkeley) left 
the infant people to take care of themselves ; to 
enjoy liberty of conscience and conduct, in the 
entire freedom of innocent retirement ; to for- 
get the world till rent day drew near, and quit- 
rents might be demanded. Such was the origin 
of fixed settlements in North Carolina. The 
child of ecclesiastical oppression was swathed in 
independence." 

It is appropriate in this place to notice the ci- 
tation of Mr. Bancroft by the critic, as an au- 
thority for one of his aspersions, He says : 
"There were neither laws nor lawyers, says 
Bancroft, with but slight exaggeration," and he 
represents the historian as applying this remark 
to North Carolina throughout its whole Colonial 
existence. The truth is, that Mr. Bancroft has 
nowhere made such a remark, for the two-fold 
reason that he is too well informed, and has too 
much regard for truth to make it. On the con- 
trary, he has done more to vindicate the charac- 
ter of North Carolina than any of its special his- 
torians. And since he is a deservedly high au- 
thority throughout the nation and the world, 
it is worth while to show what he has said on the 
subject. The statement from which the above 
garbled quotations are made are but the conclu- 



sion of an elaborate account of the settlement 
of the Colony which every citizen and native 
of the State reads with pride and pleasure. 
After mentioning the arrival of emigrants from 
New lingland and from Bermuda, he says that 
the Colony lived contentedly with Stevens as 
Chief Magistrate, " under a very wise and sim- 
ple form of government. A few words express 
its outlin,e3: a Council of twelve, si.x named 
by the Proprietaries and six chosen by the As- 
sembly ; an Assembly, composed of the Gover- 
nor, the Council and delegates from the free- 
holders of the incipient settlements, formed a 
government worthy of popular confidence. No 
interference from abroad was anticipated; for 
freedom of religion and security against taxation, 
except by the Colonial Legislature, were solemn- 
ly conceded. The Colonists were satisfied ; the 
more so, as their lands were confirmed to them 
by a solemn grant on the terms which they them- 
selves had proposed. " 

Mr. Bancroft proceeds to state that the first 
Legislature, in 1669, enacted laws adapted to 
the wants of the people, "and which therefore 
endured," he saj's, " long after the designs of 
Locke were abandoned." Again he states that 
" the attempt to enforce the Fundamental Con- 
stitution of Locke, a year or two later, was im- 
possible and did but favor anarchy by invalidat- 
ing the existing system, which it could not re- 
place. The Proprietaries, contrary to stipula- 
tions with the Colonists, superseded the existing 
government ; and the Colonists resolutely re- 
jected the substitute." 

The historian then gives a brief account of 
the visits of the celebrated Quaker preachers, 
William Edmundson and George Fox, to the 
settlements at Durant'sNeck ; of the favor with 
which they wen; received by the people, and by 
the Governor, and adds: " If the introduction 
of the Constitution of Locke had before been 
difficult, it was now become impossible." 

The death of Stevens, says Mr. Bancroft, left 
the Colony without a Governor ; and by per- 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



mission of the Proprietaries, the Assembly 
elected Cartwright, their Speaker, to act as Gov- 
ernor. "But the difficulty of introducing the 
model (Locke's Constitution) did not diminish ; 
and having failed to preserve order, Cartwright 
resolved to lay the state of the country before 
the Proprietaries, and embarked for England." 
At the same time the AssemblysentEastchurch, 
their new Speaker, to explain their grievances. 
Mr. Bancroft resumes: 

"The suppression of a fierce insurrection of 
the people of Virginia had been followed by the 
vindictive fury of ruthless punishments and run- 
aways, rogues and rebels, that is to say, fui^itivcs 
from arbitral)' tribunals, non-conformists, and 
fiicnds of popular liberty, fled daily to Carolina 
as their common subterfuge and lurking place. 
Did letters from the government of Virginia de- 
mand the surrender of leaders in the rebellion, 
Carolina refused to betray the fugitives who 
sought shelter in her forests." 

Such is the account given by Mr. Bancroft of 
the refugees from Virginia oppression ; and he 
rejects the idea of our historian Martin, that 
these fugitives were runaway negroes. Equally 
does he reject the Tory estimate placed upon 
them by the Virginia Governor, Smallwood, 
and other writers of that school, that they were 
lawless vagabonds and "runagates" — a phrase 
which our own Hawks applies to these non-con- 
formist refugees from priestly tyranny. These 
and similar passages in Bancroft occur in his 
first and second volumes, which were published 
long before Hawks' history of the State. The 
latter author, in som.e places rallies to [y^e. de- 
fence of the State and the South, against which 
he deems to be northern injustice ; but in deal- 
ing with this subject of our early history, he 
would have done well to follow the lead of the 
great northern historian, instead of that of the 
English and Virginia Tories. But no careful 
reader of Dr. Hawks can fail to see that his pat- 
riotic feelings, as a North Carolinian were in 
this regard overborne by his reverence for the 



Church of England, and its then feeble offshoots 
in the Colonies. This feeling blinded him to 
the virtues of Quakers and other dissenters, who 
resisted the attempts to form an establishment, 
and compel the payment of tithes or Church 
rates. It is true that he has presented a mass 
of facts which should convince everj' wise and 
dispassionate son of the Church, that the at- 
tempt to establish it in the Colony, and by such 
agencies, in spite of the determined opposition 
of a majority of the people, did it lasting injury, 
as well as equal injury to the cause of religion. 
He has shown, as he could not fail to do, with- 
out grossly perverting history, that the Church 
suffered, as well from the unjust attitude which 
its friends assumed, of attempting to force it up- 
on the people, as from the character of the 
clergymen who were sent over from England. 
Of the seven who came on this mission during 
the Proprietary government, three turned out to 
be disreputable in character — drunken, dissolute 
and knavish. The others were intelligent and 
good men, whose teaching and example, sup- 
ported by the voluntary offerings of the Church 
at home, would have been eminently salutary. 
But as the representatives of an arbitrary plan 
of enforcing uniformity of worship, and with 
their good example offset by the bad conduct 
of their associates, their labor was almost in 
vain. It was unfortunate for the Church, also, 
that the jealousy of the British Government 
would not allow America to have a Bishop dur- 
ing the whole Colonial period, but turned a deaf 
ear to the appeals in this behalf, which were 
sent up by the Colonists. The consequence 
was, that there were few native Church clergy- 
men in America, since it was necessary to send 
them to England, at great expense, to be or- 
dained and properly educated. The clerical 
"carpet-baggers" sent to the Colonies, were, 
with honorable exceptions, of course, exact 
prototypes of the lay species which have visited 
the South in more recent years. 

Mr. Bancroft has answered so many of the 



THE COLONIAL PERKED. 



misrepresentations of North Carolina, that the 
reader will excuse a few more brief references 
and citations. He denounces the meanness of 
the British Government in applying their navi- 
gation act, passed in 1672, to the Colonies, ac- 
companied by a tax on their products. Its ap- 
plication to North Carolina was cruel. The 
population was barely four thousand. Its ex- 
pifrts consisted of a few fat cattle, a little corn 
and eight hundred hogsheads of tobacco. This 
trade was in the hands of New Englanders, 
whose small vessels came into the ^und Maden 
with such foreign articles as supplied the simple 
wants of the people, and exchanged them for 
the raw products. But the act referred to re- 
quired that these products should first be sent 
to England, where a duty was imposed on them, 
before their re exportation to the West Indies, 
or elsewhere. The tobacco was taxed a penny 
on the pound, which was equivalent to three 
cents at the present day. From this source 
these poor people were made to pay twelve 
thousand dollars per annum, and to receive only 
British goods, or foreign articles through Brit- 
ish ports, in return. A revolt was the conse- 
quence of these oppressive measures, incited, 
Mr. Bancroft says, by the Virginia refugees, 
who came over after Bacon's rebellion, and by 
New Englanders who were trading in the Albe- 
marle country. The Deputy Governor and 
Council were arrested and imprisoned ; and Cul- 
pepper, an Englishman who had come over some 
years before, was made Governor. This rebel- 
lion, therefore, was on grounds identical with 
those which moved the American colonies to 
resistance a century later, and which resulted in 
their independence. The people of New Eng- 
land, also, resisted the enforcement of this Nav- 
igation Act. The motive assigned for this re- 
bellion was, "that thereby the country may 
have a free Parliament, and may send home their 
grievances." In connection with these facts 
Mr. Bancroft remarks : 

" Are there any who doubt man's capacity 



for self government, let them study the history 
of North Carolina; its inhabitants were restless 
and turbulent in their imperfect submission to a 
government imposed on them from abroad ; the 
administration of the colony was firm, humane 
and tranquil, when they were left to take care 
of themselves. Any government but one of 
their own institution was oppressive. * * 
The uneducated population of that day formed 
conclusions as just as those which a century later 
pervaded the country." 

The people rebelled again, a few years later 
against the misrule of Seth Sothel, one of the 
Proprietors who was sent over as Governor. 
This man, says Mr. Bancroft, found the country 
tranquil, on his arrival, under laws enacted by 
the people, and under a Governor of their 
own choice. "The counties were quiet and 
well regulated, because not subjected to foreign 
sway. The planters in peaceful independence, 
enjoyed the good will of the wilderness. Sothel 
arrived, and the scene was changed. * * 
Many colonial Governors displayed rapacity and 
extortion toward the people ; Sothel cheated his 
Proprietary associates, as well as plundered the 
colonists." He was deposed by the people, 
who appealed again to the Proprietaries ; and 
the planters, says Bancroft, immediately became 
tranquil, when they escaped foreign misrule. 

And here follows a remark of the historian 
made with reference to the four or five thousand 
people who constituted the whole population in 
1668, but which the maligner of the Province 
misquotes, and makes applicable to them 
throughout the one hundred and thirteen years 
of colonial dependence. Under the marginal 
date, i688, which the garbler could not fail to 
see, and just at the close of the account of the 
rebellion against Sothel, Mr. Bancroft says : 

"Careless of religious sects, or colleges, or 
lawyers, or absolute laws, the early settlers en- 
joyed liberty of conscience, and personal inde- 
pendence ; freedom of the forest and of the 
river." 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



By " absolute laws," he clearly refers to the 
" Fundamental Constitutions " prepared by Mr. 
Locke for the Lords Proprietors. He could 
mean nothing else ; for he had just completed 
an elaborate eulogy of the people for their prac- 
tical wisdom in enacting laws adapted to their 
own circumstances. This remark about "abso- 
lute laws " follows what has been quoted above 
from his pages. He had also praised the virtue 
and devotion of the Quakers and non conformists, 
who sought refuge in tlie wilderness from the 
persecutions of the English church in Virginia. 
These men who had suffered together under the 
same tyrannical laws and government, and whose 
safety in their new common home depended on 
a cordial union with each other, would naturally 
subordinate their differences, and become less 
tenacious of mere names. The Quakers were 
an organized body of religionists, who, until 
they were able to build meeting-houses, wor- 
shipped in the beautiful groves, or in their pri- 
vate dwellings. The other unorganized non- 
conformists would naturally attend these Qua- 
ker meetings ; and we are assured, even by 
their enemies, that the Quakers made many 
converts to their Society from the others, 
not excepting the established Church. 

But if it were literally true that in 1688, the 
refugees in the Albemarle settlemer.t, from Vir- 
ginia oppression, had neither laws nor lawyers, 
what must be thought of the candor or the intelli- 
gence of a writer who attempts to impose upon 
the world the statement that Mr. Bancroft ap- 
plies the remark to North Carolina during her 
whole colonial histor)' from 1663 to 1776. — (1- 
suggest to April, 1775-). 

The facts here brought out on the authority of 
Mr. Bancroft, refute at the same time another 
statement of the writer, which he couples with 
his comparison of the several sorts of people 
who made up the emigrations respectively to 
Rhode Island, and to North Carolina, from 
Massachusetts and Virginia. 

In regard to the Virginia emigrants to Carolina, 



he says, " their general character was immeas- 
urably lower," than that of the Massachusetts 
emigrants to Rhode Island. There is no re- 
spectable authority for this statement. The 
victims of Massachusetts persecutions were ex- 
cellent people, no doubt ; but there is no reason 
to suppose that the Puritans of that colony 
were more select in regard to the characters of 
those whom they expelled from their borders, 
than were the Churchmen of Virginia. There 
has been nothing in the subsequent careers of 
the two classes of emigrants, or in their posteri- 
ties, to warrant the invidious comparison ; and 
there remains but one judgment to pronounce 
upon it, viz : that whether proceeding from 
ignorance or malevolence, it is no less a whole- 
sale calumny, and this calumny is repeated in 
other connections and forms, but the above 
answer must sufifice for them all. 

"They were, in the main, very lawless in 
temper," we are told, "holding it to be the 
chief end of man to resist all constituted au- 
thority, and above all things, to pay no taxes." 
Here again this ready writer shows his ignorance 
of the history of the Province. The absurdity 
of the statement becomes apparent if we com- 
pare it with other statements made by him. 
He tells us in one breath, and tells truly, that 
these Virginia and American-born emigrants 
constitute a large majority of the people ; and 
in the next that they are lawless, riotous, indo- 
lent, " shiftless," and utterly opposed to paying 
taxes. Who, then, made the colonial laws of 
which there are large volumes extant? Who 
imposed the taxes? Was it the handful of 
Swiss and Palatines, not above two thousand in 
number, and not one of whom, when they ar- 
rived, understood the language ? Was it by the 
Gaelic-speaking Scotch Highlanders, who came 
to the Province after the middle of the eight- 
eenth century — two or three thousands in num- 
ber ? Was it by the German Lutherans and 
Moravians who came still later — all of whom 
spoke a foreign language ? These emigrants 



THK COLONIAL PICRIOD. 



I were most valuable acquisitions ; and many of 

their descendants have become distinguished 
citizens ; but during the twenty or thirty years 
of their residence here prior to the Revolution, 
they knew too little of the English language to 
take a leading part in making the laws. The 
conclusion is a necessary one, then, that the 
colonial statutes, constituting a complete body 
of laws, adapted to the wants of the people, 
correctly and concisely written, in parliamentary 
style, were the product of the class which this 
writer would have the world believe, was com- 
posed, "in the main," of worthless renagades 
and law-breakers from Virginia. The character 
of these laws will be shown in another place. 

"The Colony was a century old," says our 
censor, "before it had a printing press: and if 
no newspapers were published, it was doubtless 
for the sufficient reason that there were very 
few who would have been able to read them." 

The first of these statements contains full 
eighty per cent, of truth, which is so much 
above the average that it may be allowed to go 
uncontradicted. But at the same timeitadmits 
of extenuation. The Colony was planted in 
1663, and the first printing press was brought 
into it in 1749, and was employed in printing 
the laws, and a few years afterward, a news- 
paper. 

The further statement of the writer, that " A 
mail from Virginia came some eight or ten times 
a year, but it only reached a few towns on the 
coast, and down to the time of the Revolution 
the interior of the country had no mails at all, " 
is quite true; and it fully explains to any fair 
mind how newspapers could not flourish under 
such circumstances, and without assuming that 
the people could not read. Another obstacle 
Q- to the success j^{ newspapers is presented in the 
fact that North Carolina was, and still is, more 
exclusively agricultural than any other part of 
America ; and contained and still contains, in 
proportion to aggregate population, f-nver peo- 
ple resident in towns. 



In New England there was a far greater popu- 
lation, and at the beginning of the eighteenth 
century, Boston, according to Rev. Cotton Ma- 
ther, and other authorities quoted in the "Me- 
morial History " of that city, contained not far 
from ten thousand inhabitants. But there was 
the same deficiency of mail facilities, though 
not in equal degree, which existed in North 
Carolina. I find in a little work published by a 
Postoffice official, that so early as 1672, a 
monthly mail was established between Boston 
and New York; and that in 171 1, Massachu- 
setts established a weekly mail between Boston 
and her outl}'ing territory of Maine. And yet, 
with these relatively great advantages and facili- 
ties — a town of ten thousand inhabitants, and at 
least one weekly mail — no newspaper was es- 
tablished in Boston, nor in Massachusetts, until 
the year 1704. This was eighty-four years after 
the founding of the Colony. It is true that 
there was a printing press introduced at an ear- 
ier date, which was employed in the publica- 
tion of pamphlets and books of theology, and 
the laws of the colony; but no newspaper until 
the settlement was eighty-four years old. Isa- 
iah Thomas a Massachusetts man, in his valu- 
able history of printing, gives an interesting 
account of this first American journalistic enter- 
prise. It was called the Boston Xoxcs- Letter. 
The first numberappeared in April, 1704. John 
Campbell, a Scotchman, and Postmaster of the 
town, was the proprietor, or "Undertaker," as 
he styled himself. It was printed on a half- 
sheet of what was called "Pot" paper, once a 
week; but after the second number it appeared 
on a half-sheet of fools-cap. Whether this was 
an enlargement on Pot paper, or a reduction in 
size, is not stated ; but the change in dimensions, 
whether in one way or the other, was no doubt 
inconsiderable. At any rate the Ne^vs Letter 
continued to be printed for four years on a half- 
sheet of fools cap, once a week. It rarely con- 
tained more than two advertisements, one of 
them by the proprietor, in which he enumerated 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



the articles he was ready to advertise, at reason- 
able rates, among them "runaway servants." 
The ill omened style of undertaker, assumed by 
the proprietor, may in some sort, account for the 
unhealthy childhood and youth of Boston's first- 
born journal. At any rate, the undertaker, 
after fifteen years of sad experience, informed 
the public that he could not dispose of three 
hundred copies weekly; and that he was thirteen 
months behind time in the publication of the 
foreign news. 

This was the case in 1719, when Boston must 
have had apopulation of nearly or quite 25,000, 
for in 1 7 10, according to the high authority 
of the "Memorial History," it was already 
18,000. 

Mr. Thomas states that the first press intro- 
duced into North Carolina (at New Berne) was 
in the year 1754 and Mr. Bancroft makes the 
same statement ; but Martin, the intelligent 
historian of the Province, who resided about 
thirty years at New Berne, during all of which 
time he was engaged in printing — and most of 
the time, as a newspaper publisher, as well as 
public printer for the Colony, says that James 
Davis came, by invitation of the Assembly, 
with a printing press, in the year 1749. Davis 
began the publication of a newspaper in 1765. 
New Berne contained at that time, perhaps, five 
hundred white inhabitants ; and the fact that 
his paper was sustained was wonderful, in view 
of Campbell's discouragements at Boston. 

It would not be fair to assume that this ina- 
bility to support, or indifference to the worth 
of a newspaper, on the part of the people of 
Massachusetts, was due to their ignorance or 
inability to read, for we know that such was not 
the case. It is more just to say that new in- 
ventions and new methods of doing particular 
things are slow in finding their way into com- 
mon use. Fifty years hence people may won- 
der that their ancestors of this our day, did not, 
one and all, use the telegraph or telephone, in- 
stead of the slow process of sending letters by 



mail, by which days are consumed in doing the 
work of a few minutes. 

"In the war for independence North Carolina 
produced no great leaders," says the essayist. 
It would be easy to retaliate that other colonies 
or States, more favorably situated, failed to pro- 
duce great leaders. New England furnished a 
majority of the rank and file, and probably, 
most of the material aid ; and yet she failed to 
produce the great leader; nor did she produce 
but one great soldier, and he came from the 
despised little colony of Rhode Island, and 
from the persecuted class of Quakers, who were 
driven into exile by Massachusetts orthodoxy. 
There were many good officers produced by the 
war of the Revolution — men who were brave, 
sagacious, and enterprising — but history fails to 
point to more than two who were equal to the 
greatest emergencies, in which the disciplined 
and well armed soldiers of Britain were to be 
met and foiled by the comparatively raw and 
ill appointed recruits of the provinces. Those 
two men were Washington and Greene. Per- 
haps there was one other thus endowed ; but he 
turned traitor to the cause. 

North Carolina produced in the Revolutionary 
era anumberof good officers — Howe, Davidson, 
Davie, Caswell, Lillington, Moore, Nash, and 
many others — the equals in merit with those of 
the same rank, in other States. And during 
those eventful days, a North Carolina boy was 
trained by the discipline of adversity, to take the 
foremost place in the Nation's regard, as a great 
captain, hero, and statesman. A New England 
author of celebrity, Parton, has demonstrated 
that Andrew Jackson was born on North Caro- 
lina soil. His childhood was spent in South 
Carolina, though within two miles of his birth- 
place; which circumstance gave rise to the im- 
pression that he was a native of that State. 
While still a boy, he returned to North Caro- 
lina, where he spent his youth and early man- 
hood. At length he emigrated to Tennessee, 
which was then only a western county of his 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



native State, and there he lived and died. For 
greatness of soul — for the possession of those 
qualities of intelligence, of courage, and firm- 
ness, which inspire respect and confidence, and 
constitute a nature "born to command," An- 
drew Jackson has had, certainly, not more than 
one superior in this country. 

" She was not represented at the Stamp Act 
Congress of 1765," says Fisk, and the purpose 
of the statement is to convey the impression 
that the absence of North Carolina from tliat 
Congress was due to a want of sympathy in the 
common cause. If this was not his purpose, he 
could have had none. He failed to add that 
New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Georgia 
were also unrepresented in that Convention. 
If he had had any acquaintance with the history 
of North Carolina, he could not have been ig- 
norant of the fact that her failure to be repre- 
sented on the occasion was caused, in the lan- 
guage of Martin, -i"^^: "the lower House not 
having had the opportunity of choosing mem- 
bers," Martin suggests that a similar obstacle 
may have prevented the other three colonies 
from being represented. He states that, ' ' In 
the Province of North Carolina, the people, at 
all their public meetings, manifested their high 
approbation of the proceedings of the inhabi- 
tants of the other Provinces ; and Lieutenant 
Governor Tyron, judging from the temper of 
the people that it would be unsafe and danger- 
ous to allow them the opportunity of express- 
ing their feelings, by allowing a session of the 
Legislative body, in these days of ferment, on 
the 25th of October, issued his proclamation to 
prorogue the General Assembly, which was to 
have met on the 30th of November, till the 12th 
of March, assigning as a reason for the step, 
that there appeared to be no immediate necessity 
for their meeting at that time." 

In January, 1766, the British Sloop of War 
Diligence arrived in the Cape Fear, having on 
board the stamp paper. The Governor issued 
his proclamation calling on the stamp distribu- 



tors to apply for it to the Commander of the 
.'^loop. But Colonel John Ashe of New Han- 
over, and Colonel Waddell of Brunswick em- 
bodied the militia of the two counties, and 
marched at their head to Brunswick, where the 
Diligence was anchored, and notified the com- 
mander that they would resist the landing of the 
stamp paper. A party was left to watch the 
movements of the ship, while their comrades 
seized a boat belonging to the ship, and ascend- 
ed the river to Wilmington, where the Governor 
resided, for the time. They placed the boat on 
a cart and marched with it through the streets, 
amid the plaudits of the people. The next day, 
Colonel Ashe, with a crowd of the people, called 
on the Governor, and demanded to see the 
Stamp Master, James Houston, who it seems, 
had taken refuge with His Excellency. The 
Governor at first declared his purpose to resist 
the demand, but was induced to yield by a threat 
that his house would be burned over his head. 
Houston then came out, and accompanied Col- 
onel Ashe and the citizens to the market, where 
he took a solemn oath not to attempt the execu- 
tion of his office. Whereupon the people gave 
him three cheers, and conducted him back to 
the Governor's quarters. This statement is con- 
densed from Martin, who has given a fuller ac- 
count of the resistance of the Colonies to the 
Stamp Act, than even Mr. Bancroft, and other 
historians of the United States. 

The Whigs of North Carolina, owing to pe- 
culiar circumstances, had to confront formidable 
bodies of tories at home, where there was less 
glory, or at least, less reputation to be achieved, 
than in the struggle with the foreign foe. These 
internecine conflicts, though fierce and bloody, 
and calling forth physical courage and military 
conduct of a high order, were not of a character 
to place their leaders in the line of promotion 
in the Continental service. 

The existence of Toryism in North Carolina 
called forth all the more courage and firmness 
on the part of her lovers of liberty. This local,. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



defection was the result of a combination of 
circumstances which have never been fully ap- 
preciated beyond the limits of the State. 

The Scotch Highlanders who came to North 
Carolina about the middle of the eighteenth 
century, would, under other circumstances, have 
been an excellent class of immigrants. They 
were good people. But they had rebelled against 
George II, in favor of Charles Edward, a de- 
scendant of their ancient kings of the House 
pf Stuart. These adherents of the Stuarts con- 
stituted or formed a part of the Tory party of 
Great Britain; and the Highlanders were, there- 
foie, Tories by inheritance ; that is to say, they 
belonged to the party which believed in the di- 
vine right of kings. They had been defeated 
at the battle of CuUoden, and their last hope of 
a restoration of the Stuarts was gone. The 
leaders were hanged, and their followers were 
allowed t;^ emigrate to America, after taking the 
oath of allegiance While these North Carolina 
Highlanders, therefore cannot be supposed to 
have felt an ardent love for the British Govern- 
ment, they were still further removed in senti- 
ment from that form of Whigism in America, 



marriage licences and all legal processes. The 
Sheriffs exacted double and treble the amount of 
the taxes. The people protested, but to no pur- 
pose. At length an indictment was found 
against the Clerk of the Orange County Circuit 
Court. He was convicted, and was fined by the 
Judges — a sixpence. This conduct of the 
Court in conniving at the fraudulent extortion 
of the Clerks, rendered the people desperate, 
and provoked them to take up arms in defence 
of their violated rights. No fair-minded man 
who reads the history of these events will hesi- 
tate to say that these people were subjected to 
greater injustice than was imposed by the Crown 
and Parliament on the American Colonies. 
They took the name of Regulators, and organ- 
ized rude military companies, which were very 
poorly armed and equipped. They were poor, 
and for the most part ignorant ; and without 
arms or military training, they were in no plight 
to cope with the forces under Governor Tyron. 
They were ingloriously defeated at Alamance, 
in May, 1771 ; and like the defeated Highlanders 
at Culloden, they were required — such as were 
not hanged — to take an oath of allegiance. 



which had armed itself for the establishment of Governor Ty^on was a man of the world, un 



a Republic. They were at the same time suffer 
ing the terrible consequences of an unsuccessful 
rebellion against an established government ; 
and having renewed their allegiance to it, nothing 
was more natural than that they should shun, 
and even resist, a second rebellion. Under 
these circumstances the Royal Governor Mar- 
tin, authorized Donald McDonald, their recog- 
nized head, to raise a brigade. He did so; but 
was soon defeated and made a prisoner, together 
with Allan McDonald, the husband of the cele- 
brated Flora Mclvor. The leaders were ex- 
changed, and returned to Scotland. 

The yeomanry of the upper counties had for 



scrupulous, but polished in manners. His wife, 
and her sister Miss Esther Wake, were ladies 
of rare beauty and accomplishments. The gen- 
try in all the eastern counties were completely 
led captive by the fascinations of the Provincial 
Court. In those days, the lawyers and wealthier 
classes exercised far more control over the peo- 
ple than they have done in later years. As il- 
lustrative of this statement it may be mentioned 
that Tryon, by these social influences, was able 
to carry through the Assembly a measure which 
was regarded at the time as one of startling ex- 
travagance. This was an appropriation of fif- 
teen thousand pounds for the erection of a Gov- 
ernor's palace. The house was built at New 



years chafed under the illegal exactions of the Berne, and was, no doubt, one of the finest man- 
county officers. The Clerks of Courts demand- sions in America, in its day. It added consider- 
ed two to six times the amount of the lawful ably to the burden of taxes, and to the irritation 
fees for registering deeds and wills ; for issuing of the people. 



THE COLONIAL PKRIOD. 



It was in like manner, by social blandishments 
that Tryon was able to rally around him the gen- 
try of the lowlands, when he marched into the 
up-country ;*«. the suppression of the revolt of 
the Regulators. These gentlemen, three and 
four years later, became the staunchest of Whigs, 
and were not a whit behind the Adamses and 
Hancock, of Massachusetts, or of Henry and 
Jefferson of Virginia, in their early and firm 
support of the rights of the Colonies. But the 
active part taken by these men in the suppres- 
sion of the revolt of the Regulators, tended 
strongly to alienate the latter from the cause of 
the country in 1775, and the years following. 

This antipathy of the Regulators to the lead- 
ing Whigs ; the suffering they had undergone, 
as a result of unsuccessful revolt, together with 
the oath they had so recently taken to be faith- 
ful to the Crown, made it an easy matter for 
Tryon's successor, Josiah Martin, to fix them 
in their allegiance. He visited their region of 
country, redressed their grievances, pardoned 
such as were still amenable to trial or punishment, 
and gave them his confidence by appointing 
their leading men to office. Martin, in all these 
respects showed great good sense and sagacity. 
But he led a forlorn hope ; and was compelled in 
April, 1775, to abandon the seat of govern- 
ment at New Berne, and fly for safety to Fort 
Johnston, on the banks of the Cape Fear. In 
July, feeling insecure in the Fort, he took ref- 
uge on board the British Sloop of War, Cniiscr, 
and from this safe retreat he fulminated his 
Proclamation, and issued his orders to his Tory 
adherents ; but never again could he set foot on 
North Carolina soil, as Governor of the State. 
The knavish conduct of the county ofificersin 
extorting illegal fees and taxes, which the'Regu- 
lators resisfed to the best of their ability, be- 
longs to the class of occurrences in the history 
of the Province which half-informed scribblers 
have, for a century and more, harped upon as 
affording evidence of the lawless character of 
the people. 



In Virginia, the old aristocratic families, who 
gave tone to public sentiment, were strongly 
biased, by the force of habit, education, and 
attachment to the Mother Country, )/f the 
Church of England. They were not a particu- 
larly religious class of people ; nor were they 
deeply learned or interested in theological con- 
troversy. But the religion of the Church was 
that of the Monarch, and of the aristocracy, 
and therefore, they argued, it must be the true 
church. They had sufficient influence with the 
people to establish it, and maintain it at the 
public expense. But there was a large and 
growing element of dissent, which was destined 
under the lead of Jefferson, to overthrow the 
establishment, and to place all denominations on 
an equality before the law. A large proportion 
of the wealthy and well-to-do classes who emi- 
grated to North Carolina from Virginia, were 
attached to the Church ; and, backed; at first, by 
the Lords Proprietors, and afterwards by the 
King's Government, they succeeded in estab- 
lishing the Church as the Religion of the Prov- 
ince, accompanied by the imposition of a tax 
for its support. The Province was divided into 
Parishes, and glebe lands were set apart, out of 
the public domains, with the same end in view. 
At the same time all other forms of religion 
were tolerated without the slightest restraint. 
The provision of law for the support of the 
clergy, and for other church purposes, was 
wholly inadequate, and the payment of taxes 
for that purpose was evaded as much as possible. 
The odium which attached to the establishment 
from a sense of the injustice of compelling Dis- 
senters to pay taxes for its support, was a fatal 
obstacle to its usefulness. The Proprietors 
might without olTensc to the people, have en- 
dowed the Church out of their more than princely 
domains, with lands, which, in the course of 
time, would have made it wealthy ; but the im- 
position of taxes for the support of the clergy 
was a fatal mistake which deprived it of the love 
and veneration of the people, which its unri- 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



valed liturgy is so well calculated to inspire. 
At the outbreak of the Revolution there were 
not many clergymen in the Colony, and scarcely 
one of these remained with their flocks, to share 
in their fortunes, when the shock of revolution 
and war came. 

The failure of the Church to take root in the 
Colony, owing to the persistent efforts that were 
made to force it upon the people, was sufficient 
reason, with British Tory writers of those times 
(and is sufficient reason still, with an American 
writer who wishes to calumniate the State) for 
the declaration, "Nor does the soul appear to 
be better cared for thanjhe body, for it was not 
until 1703 that the first clergyman was settled 
in the Colony. ' 

The Church of England was established by 
the Government, without the approval of the 
people, who were opposed on principle to 
Church rates, as to all kinds of taxes whatsoever. 
Owing to this dislike of taxation, most of the 
people were Dissenters. But no Dissenting 
Churches flourished in the Colony. There was 
complete toleration, even for Quakers, because 
nobody cared a groat for theology, or for relig- 
ion. " This remark, like the others quoted from 
the writer, is made with reference to North Caro- 
lina, "in the Colonial Period" — that is to say, 
throughout that period. It has been shown on 
preceding pages, that the earUest settlements in 
the colony were made by people who fled from 
religious persecutions in Virginia. It is never 
the indifferent and careless, the vih; and the vi- 
cious, who become the victims of religious per- 
secution — they would rather bend the knee ; than 
brave the storm. On the contrary it is only the 
sincere and earnest believers — those who are 
inspired by an unconquerable love of truth and 
duty — that prefer exile and martyrdom to a re- 
cantation or abandonment of their faith. And 
such, we have seen, was the character of the 
Quaker and Presbyterian emigrants from Vir- 
ginia to the Albemarle settlements. They were, 
after a few years, followed by large numbers 



who were members or adherents of the Church. 
The proportion of sincere believers of this class 
was quite as large as the average in communi- 
ties; while the Quakers and Presbyterians were 
eminently rehgious — else they would not have 
been exiled by persecution. The first necessity 
of all was to build cabins to shelter them from 
the elements, to clear the forests for cultivation, 
and to enclose them with fences. For they 
brought horses, cattle and other live stock, 
which roamed at large, and helped themselves 
to the bounties supplied by nature, and needed 
little attention from their owners. The colonists 
were not in a condition to build stately churches, 
nor to pay salaries to ministers ; and it was, and 
is, a principle with Quakers, to pay no salaries 
to their preachers. This fact has been familiar 
to every man of ordinary intelligence for two 
centuries. They met at private houses for pur- 
poses of worship, or when the weather was fa- 
vorable, in the stately groves. The Presbyte- 
rians whosecircumstances were similar, imitated 
the Quakers in the simplicity of their religious 
exercises. They were often under the necessity 
of putting up, for the time, with the ministra- 
tions of laymen, or of a minister who had some 
secular occupation for his support. 

The Baptists formed a congregation in Per- 
quimans, as early as 1727. Paul Palmer was 
the minister. He began with thirty-two mem- 
bers, whose names are given. Joseph Parker 
succeeded him. A Baptist congregation was 
founded in Halifax, in 1742. "This, says Mr. 
Benedict, the historian, "is the Mother Church 
in all that part of the State, which still abounds 
with Baptists." In 1752, the Baptists had six- 
teen congregations in the Province. In 1765, 
they had become numerous, and formed the 
Kehukee Association. ' 'About this time, " says 
Mr. Benedict, "the separate Baptists had be- 
come very numerous, and were rapidly increas- 
ing in the upper regions of North Carolina." 
This schism, however, was soon afterwards 
healed, and the two branches of the denomina- 
tion were cordial'y united. 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



Mr. Moore an able historian of the State, 
mentions a Baptist congregation known as Shi- 
loh, which was organized in Pasquotank County, 
as early as 1729, and refers to John Comer's 
Journal of that year, as his authority. Mr. 
Moore states, also, that "six years later, Joseph 
Parker, ordained by this church, had established, 
where Murfreesboro now stands, the church 
still known as Meherin ; that in 1750 a congre- 
gation was formed at Sandy Run in Bertie; 
and about the same time, chapels were in exist- 
ence at St. John's, and St. Luke's or Buckhorn, 
in Hertford. 

In the year 1736 there was an immigration of 
Presbyterians into Vh-ginia and North Carolina, 
from the North of Ireland. Henry E. McCul- 
lough, the agent of Lord Granville — himself a 
large land owner — induced a colony of these 
people to settle on his estate in Duplin county, 
in the southeastern part of the Province. Erom 
this time forward colonies of Presbyterians came 
and settled in the Province, from year to year, 
and became a powerful influence, from their su- 
perior education and strong characteristics. 
From the Virginia border to that of South Caro- 
lina, in all the Piedmont region, and as low 
down as the county of Granville, their settle- 
ments were numerous ; and in conjunction with 
the Moravians in Surry, the Quakers in Guilford, 
and Lutherans, and German-Reformed Churches 
Cl in Rowan, they imp^jfrted a high moral and re- 
ligious tone, to society, in all that portion of 
the Province, accompanied by a love of learning 
and of liberty. The Presbyterians were strongly 
planted in Granville and Orange ; and where- 
ever they formed a settlement they built a 
church. These settlements date back to the 
year 1740. 

To the Rev. Mr. Foote, who composed his 
valuable Sketches of North Carolina from the 
records of the Presbyteries and congregations, 
I am indebted for many valuable facts. The 
Rev. Mr. Caruthcrs, also, in his Life of the 
Rev, David Caldwell, and his sketches of the 



history of the Province and State, has contrib- 
uted many valuable facts and incidents. Mr. 
Eootc, in this connection, says : 

" While the tide of emigration was setting 
fast and strong into the fertile regions between 
the Yadkin and Catawba, from the North of Ire- 
land, through Pennsylvania and Virginia, anoth- 
er tide was flowing from the Highlands of Scot- 
land, and landing colonies of Presbyterian peo- 
ple along the Cape Eear river. Authentic re- 
cords declare that the Scotch had found the 
sandy plains of Carolina many years previous to 
the exile and emigration that succeeded the 
crushing of the hopes of the House of Stuart in 
the fatal battle of Cullodon in 1746. But in 
the year following that event, large companies 
of Highlanders seated themselves in Cumber- 
land County ; and in a few years the Gaelic lan- 
guage was heard familiarly in Moore, Anson, 
Richmond, Robeson, Bladen and Sampson. 
Among these people and their children, the 
warm hearted preacher and patriot, James Camp- 
bell labored more than a quarter of a century ; 
and with them, that romantic character. Flora 
McDonald passed a portion of her days." This 
lady worshipped at a little church among the 
sand-hills of Cumberland, called "Barbacue." 
It is still a place of public worship, but whether 
in the same building or not, is not stated. 

In the year 1750 the Moravians, or United 
Brethren purchased 100,000 acres of land from 
Lord Granville, in Surry County, in sight of the 
mountains. They began their settlements the 
next year. There were several of these settle- 
ments in the purchase, and each settlement im- 
mediately built a house of worship. Their de- 
scendants still inhabit that fine district of coun- 
try, and give tone to society. Like the Quakers, 
they are an eminently religious people ; and like 
the Quakers, too, they are conscienciously op- 
posed to war and fighting. It is a fact highly 
honorable to the Province and State of North 
Carolina, that the scruples of these two classes 
of Religionists have always been respected ; and 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



men whose consciences forbid the bearing of 
arms, have ever been excused by the payment of 
a moderate tax. The ill success of the Church 
of England has already been explained. But it 
was not wholly inefficient. Every Parish — and 
the Province was divided into Parishes — had its 
lay Reader, who, in the absence of a clergyman, 
read the services, and a sermon, selected gener- 
ally from the works of some eminent English- 
man, such as Tillotson, South or Barrow. And 
thus, every heart which remained loyal to the 
faith of our English ancestors, was nourished and 
instructed. But the desertion of their posts by 
the clergy, on account of inadequate salaries, 
and the open revolt of their parishioners, in 1775, 
prepared the way for the reception of Methodism, 
which, at that time, was only a new method of 
propagating the faith of the Church. Most fam- 
ilies which were not distinctively of the Presby- 
terian, Baptist, Quaker or some other denomina- 
tion, during and immediately after the Revolu- 
tion, became attached to the Methodists. There 
was no interregnum of Religious worship and ob- 
servance in the State. 

There remain two more serious misrepresenta- 
tions to be noticed, viz : the denial that there 
were schools or Courts of law in North Caroli- 
na, during the era of Provincial dependence. 
And first, as to schools, the writer says : 

"Until just before the war for Independence 
there was not a single school, good or bad, in the 
whole Colony. It need not be added that the 
people were densely ignorant." 

If the people of North Carolina were as ignor- 
ant of letters as this historical critic has shown 
himself to be of his subject, their condition was 
pitiable indeed. 

Dr. John Brickell, an intelligent naturalist, 
resided in and traveled throughout the settle- 
ments in the early part of the eighteenth centu- 
ry, and published, in Dublin, in the year 1737, 
"The Natural History of North Carolina ; with 
an account of the trade, manners and customs 
of the Christian and Indian inhabitants." This 
intelligent writer says: 



"The Religion by law established is the Prot- 
estant, as it is professed in England ; and though 
they seldom have orthodox clergyman, (he 
means those of the Church) among them, yet 
there are not only glebe lands laid out for that 
use, commodious to each town, but likewise for 
building churches. rhcimntoj these Protestant 
Clagy is generally supplied by some sehoolmasters, 
who read the Liturgy, and then a sermon out of 
Dr. Tilotson, or some good practical divine ev- 
ery Sunday. These are the most mtmerous and are 
dispersed through the whole Pi ovince. ' ' This gen- 
tleman traveled and made his observations in 
the Province between the years 1730 and 1737, 
as is shown by the imprint of the book ; and it 
appears from his statement, that at that early 
day the ' ' schoolmaster was abroad " ' ' through 
the whole Province." Next in numerical 
strength were the Quakers, the Presbyterians, 
the Baptists and the Catholics, and the author 
says that the latter, who were scattered over the 
Province, had a clergyman at Bath-town. 

In 1704, Mr. Blair, a Church missionary, and 
a good man, came to the Colony, and reported 
that the settlers had builtsmall churches in three 
precincts, and appointed a lay Reader in each, 
who were supplied by him with sermons. These 
lay-Readers were schoolmasters, as appears from 
the specific statement of Dr. Brickell ; and there 
is additional incidental evidence of the fact. 
The lay-Readers were to be supported, and to 
employ them as teachers of schools was the nat- 
ural resource. But there is other positive evi- 
dence of the fact. 

Dr. Hawks gives an account of some small 
subscriptions made by the wealthy clergy and 
nobility for the propogation and support of the 
Gospel in America, from which it would appear 
that those well-to-do Christians of the fatherland 
had an idea that a very little money would dif- 
fuse a great deal of Gospel truth ; or that a very 
little of the truth would be sufficient for the 
Colonies. But the King, (William III,) we are 
told, did better. "On the report of Dr. Bray, 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



a missionary, Bishop Compton went to tlie King, 
as he had done before, and obtained from him a 
bounty of ^20 to every minister orsc/iooluiasta; 
that would go over to America." 

The Rev. William Gordon, an intelligent Eng- 
lish clergyman, who came as a missionary to 
North Carolina in the year 1708, and who was 
a man of character and piety, after returning 
home, wrote a long letter to the Secretary of 
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 
in regard to the Colony. It bears date May 13, 
1709. In this letter he incidentally alludes to 
the fact that the Quakers in Pasquotank were 
sending their children to the school of a lay 
Reader of the Church, named Griffin. The 
same clergyman established a church at the head 
of Albemarle Sound, in the settlement which 
afterward became the town of Edenton, and in- 
trcdiu'cd a sclwobnastcr, with school books. He 
states that there were no Quakers in that pre- 
cinct, (Chowan) and that the people were ex- 
tremely ignorant and poor. Yet Edenton, long 
before the Revolution, became the centre and 
the abode of the wealthy and refined. The 
reader of the life of Judge Iredell, of the Unit- 
ed States Supreme Court, by iVIcRee, is charmed 
by the picture presented of a polished society 
of well-bred and educated people in that seclud- 
ed little nook of the Province of North Caro- 
lina. 

At the session of the Assembly which met at 
Wilmington, November 20, 1759, says Martin : 

"An aid was granted to the King for the sub- 
sistence of the troops and militia now in pay of 
the Province ; it was directed to be paid out of the 
fjiiid heretofore appiopriated for the purchase of 
glebes and the establishment of schools, the King 
not having signified his pleasure on that appro- 
priation." 

As a rule the Kings of England had to be 
bribed into acquiescence in any measure pro- 
posed in behalf of the Colonists, however essen- 
tial to their welfare, by the grant of money to 
/ which was no doubt dropped out or omitted, as ' 



himself or his favorites, The foregoing is a spec- 
imen of this system of government. I fail to 
find in the Colonial statutes the Act referred to, 
it never became a law. But Martin published 
one or more editions of the laws, and there can 
be no question that the Assembly, about the 
middle of the last century, passed an Act for 
the support of Common schools — a measure of 
benificence, which was frustrated by the selfish 
stupidity of George II. 

The subsequent Act of the Assembly for di- 
verting the school fund from its original purpose, 
in order to defend the Colonies against the com- 
bined attacks of the French and Indians, was 
justifiable ; but the withholding the royal assent, 
before the emergency arose, was simply in keep- 
ing with the heartless policy, with reference to 
the Colonies, which governed in the British Cab- 
inet. 

In 1764, "An Act was passed for the erection 
of a schoolhouse, the Academy in the town of 
New Berne, which," says Martin, " is the first 
effectual Act for the encouragement of litera- 
ture." Why this was the first, we have already 
explained. In 1767, the Academy was incor- 
porated, and about the same time a charter was 
given to the Edenton Academy. Careless writers 
have misunderstood these remarks of Martin, 
with reference to these Charters, as implying 
that they were the first schools ever established 
in the Province. The pretentious Harper's 
Magazine Critic belongs to this class of super- 
ficial readers and writers. 

The condition of these Charters was, that the 
schools were to be taught by members of the 
established Church. And it was for lack of this 
restriction that the Royal authority was withheld 
from the Charter of Queen's Museum, at Char- 
lotte, which was to be under the control of the 
Presbyterians. At the next session of the As- 
sembly, 1 77 1, the Charter was modified, in the 
hope of securing the Royal favor, but without 
success. But as there is no royal road to science, 
so also, the classics and sciences may be taught 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



in institutions from whicli the Royal assent is 
withheld — and there were many such in North 
Carolina, long before the Revolution. 

The Rev. Mr. Foote, whose sketches of North 
Carolina have been quote.:; in preceding pages, 
says "Almost invariably, as soon as a neigh- 
borhood was settled (by Presbyterians,; prepa- 
rations were made for the preaching of the 
Gospel by a regular stated pastor; and wherever 
a pastor was located, in that congregation was 
a classical school — as in Sugar Creek, Poplar 
Tent, Centre, Bethany, Buffalo, Thyatira, Grove, 
Wilmington and the churches occupied by Pa- 
tillo in Orange and Granville." The Presby- 
terian settlements commenced in 1738 ; and al- 
though each settlement did not, at first, have a 
minister, and a classical school, there can be no 
question that they had schools in which the 
children were taught to read and write. 

The history of the Moravian settlements at 
Wachovia, or Salem, shows that they founded 
churches and schools immediately on their ar- 
rival ; or as soon as they had provided humble 
dwellings for themselves and their children. On 
their hundred thousand acre purchase they 
formed several settlements, each of which had a 
place of worship. Salem is the centre ; and now 
for nearly eighty years it has had one of the 
largest and finest female schools in America, in 
which, during that long period, thousands of 
young ladies have been educated, who have gone 
thither from every State of the South, and not 
a few from the North and West. 

In the eastern and middle counties the common 
schools were taught, as has been shown, by the 
lay readers of the Church, and by others ; while 
the most wealthy classes sent their .sons to Wil- 
liam and I\Iary in Virginia, to Princeton, to 
New England, and even to Old England, for 
higher education. 

The libel which the writer attempts to attribute 
to Mr. Bancroft, has been exposed, and need 
not be repeated. He follows up that statement 
with another, however, which requires notice. 
He says : 



"The Courts, such as they were, sat often in 
taverns, where the Judge might sharpen his wits 
with bad whiskey ; ivhile theit decisions were not 
rcconicd, but were simply shouted by the crier 
from the Inn door, or at the nearest market 
place." 

Of all the statements of the writer, the aboye 
shows the greatest degree of ignorance; for it ie 
incredible that a sane man who has read the his- 
tory of the Colony, would deliberately make 
assertions which are contradicted on almost 
every page of our annals. A large portion of 
Martin's history of the Province is devoted to 
an exposition of the court systems. But to 
begin at the beginning, — Dr. Hawks, in his his- 
tory of the early colonization of the Province, 
which he brings down to the year 1730, has a 
lengthy chapter entitled "The Law and its Ad- 
ministration." He prefaces this chapter, as is 
his method, with his authorities; and these con- 
sist of extracts from the Records of the Courts. 
The first extract^ from the Records of the 
" General Court," refutes two of the statements 
above. It is dated 1695, and is an order of 
the Court to the Marshal to take into custody 
Stephen Manwaring, an attorney, " to answer 
for his contemptuous and insolent behavior be- 
fore the Court. " L-'ji 

Then follows an order debarring him ; and 
another, allowing him till th^ next term to an- 
swer ; and finally, in 1697, was ordered "that 
the said Stephen Manwaring shall not, from 
henceforth, be permitted to plead as an Attor- 
ney in any Court of Record in this Goveiunieut." 
The next extract bears date the same year, 
1695, and is of the same character. Two gen- 
tlemen of the bar were debarred for contempt. 
One of them, Henderson Walker, Esq., after- 
ward made a distinguished figure in the history 
of the Colony; and four years after this con- 
tempt of Court, he became its Governor. 

In 1697 we have the record of a "Summary 
proceeding for a false accusation." In 17 14, 
the "Proceedings on an Information against a 



THE COI.ONIAl, I'I'.RIOD. 



militia-man;" and in 1722, an "Abatement of 
suit by reason of the plaintiff's outlawry." 
Next follows the whole proceedings in the Gen- 
eral Court, on a writ of error. This was in the 
year 1723. The introductory lines in this pro- 
ceeding will show that the forms of law, brought 
from England, were substantially observed. It 
begins as follows: 

"JohnCiray of Bertie precinct, gentleman, 
comes to prosecute his appeal from certain pro- 
ceedings had against him, at the Pnriitct Coutt 
of Berth-, on Tuesday, the 14th day of May, 
Anno Domini, 1723, at the suit of John Cot- 
ton, Esq. 

" And the said John Gray, by Edward Jfose- 
lev, his attorney, brings into court here, a copy of 
the Record and proceedings of said Court, in 
these words," &c. 

This precinct or county of Bertie, was the 
youngest of the settlements, and it had just been 
given corporate authority. This may have been 
the first court — and it was certainly among the 
earliest. Yet we see that it was a Court of 
Record, and thus brands as a calumny the state- 
ment referred to in Harpers Magazine. It is a 
part of the Record that the Court was held at 
the house of James Howard at Akotsky. The 
date was Tuesday, May 14, 1723. Bertie 
is just across the Chowan river from Edenton, 
the principal town of the Province; and the 
writ of Error seems to have been sued out on 
the day the judgment was rendered. 

Dr. Hawks gives the writ of arrest of John 
Gray, and his declaration, signed by John Hen- 
neman, his Attorney, " pro pi' ff." The suit 
tLC was an action of detiihlc for a patent, for "six 
hundred and forty acres of ground. " The Dec- 
laration is endorsed, "I do not detain the pat- 
ent. — John Gray." Next follows a formal sum- 
mons for George Wynn as a witness ; then the 
statement of the issues joined, the plea of non- 
detinet, the impannclling of the jury, and their 
verdict for the plaintiff. All this in the lowest 
court of the Province, held by three or more 



Justices of the Peace, in the youngest county 
in the Province, in the year 1723. Mr. Mosely, 
afterwards distinguished in the history of the 
Province, was the attorney for the plaintiff in 
error. He recites the foregoing facts, and 
excepts to them in the usual form and assigns 
four reasons why the court below manifestly 
erred. 

The General Court reversed and annulled the 
verdict, and ordered that Cotton pay the costs. 
Dr. Hawks, who was a lawyer before he became 
a clergyman, reinarks on these proceedings as 
follows : 

"VVe have presented the whole Record of the 
General Court in this case, that the reader 
might see the forms of writ and subpoena in use 
as set forth in the Record from the Precinct 
Court. It furnishes, also, incidentally, evidence 
that the practice of the day seems to have been 
in the Precinct Court, to endorse the pleas on 
the declaration. It illustrates also, the formality 
with which the minutes of proceedings were 
kept in the General Court. There are nuiiierous 
other eases to be found, more fidly even, than this, 
and where the errors assigned involved some 
interesting and really doubtful points of law ; 
but we selected this, as being one of the short- 
est, and yet sufficient for all purposes of illus- 
tration." 

Dr. Hawks fills sixteen pages with extracts 
from "tho Records of the General Court of 
Oyer and Terminer," beginning in 1697, and 
ending in 1726. Nothing could have been 
further from his purpose than to furnish proof 
that North Carolina had courts of record at that 
early day : for how could he imagine that any 
man would make such a display of his ignorance 
as to dispute the fact? How could he suppose 
that a pretentious Magazine would commit such 
a blunder, in an article of historical criticism — 
and that it would apply the stupid remark to 
the condition of the Province, during the whole 
time of colonial dependence? Yet that is the 
predicament in which Harper s Magazine has 
placed itself. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



The first case copied by Dr. Hawks from the 
Records of the General Court of Oyer and Ter- 
miner, is erroneously placed under the date of 
1697, when William III. was on the throne. 
For the writ runs in the name of "our Sovereign 
Lady, the Queen " — meaning, doubtless. Queen 
Anne. 

It was on an indictment against Susannah 
Evans, for witchcraft, under an old English stat- 
ute, as amended in the reign of James I. It 
was not a colonial statute ; yet the courts were 
required to enforce it. But the result of the 
trial shows that our ancestors were not abreast 
with the civilization of that age, as illustrated 
further north, and it was lucky forSusanah that 
they were not. The indictment is as follows : 

"The Jurors for our Sovereign Lady, the 
Queen, present upon their oaths, that Susanah 
Evans of the precinct of Currituck, in the 
County of Albemarle, in the aforesaid Province, 
not having the fear of God before her eyes, but 
being led by the investigation of the Devil, did, 
on or about the twenty-fifth day of July last past, 
the body of Deborah Bouthier, being then in 
the peace of our sovereign lady, the Queen, 
devilishly and maliciously bewitch, and by as- 
sistance of the devil, afflict, with mortal pains, 
the body of the said Deborah Bouthier, whereby 
the said Deborah departed this life. And also 
did diabolically and maliciously bewitch several 
other of her Majesty's liege subjects, against the 
peace of our sovereign lady, the Queen, and 
against the form of the statute in that case made 
and provided," &c. 

This indictment was laid before the Grand 
Jury, by the Attorney General; but that body 
failed to find a true bill, and Susanah was turned 
loose upon society to work her "devilish arts." 
This seems to have been the only case in which 
a person was brought before the Courts of North 
Carolina, on a charge of witchcraft, and whether 
the fact was due to the isolation of the Province, 
by which it "was in a great measure cut off 
from the currents of thought and feeling by 



which the other colonies were swayed," or 
whether to a more enlightened sense of justice 
than prevailed in colonies which sent witches to 
the gallows " by the cartload," as Upham in- 
forms us, was the case in Massachusetts, the 
reader may determine. 

But if North Carolina suffered from its seclu- 
sion, a loss of .sympathy with the great move- 
ment for the suppression of witchcraft, it was 
from no lack of zeal for religion and good morals, 
as the Magazine critic would have the world be- 
lieve. Among the numerous extracts from the 
Records of the General Court of Oyer and Ter- 
miner, made by Dr. Hawks, are the proceedings 
on the indictment of John Hassel, of Chowan 
Precinct, in the year 1720, on charge of pro- 
fanity. Hassel was one of the "advanced 
thinkers" of that age, who declared publicly on 
Sunday, March 13, 17 18, "That he was never 
beholden to God Almighty for anything ; for 
that he never had anything from him, but what 
he worked for;" and much more of the same 
sort. He plead "not guilty," but the jury con- 
victed him. His counsel moved in arrest of 
judgement, that the indictment was not brought 
within six months after the words were spoken ; 
nor was it prosecuted within ten days, "accord- 
ing to the form and effect of an act for obscming 
ilic Lord's Day." The court overruled the mo- 
tion, and ordered that the culprit should receive 
"thirty-nine lashes on his bare back," and give 
security "in the sum of fifty pounds for his 
good behavior for a year and a day." 

Here is incidental proof that these colonists, 
who are represented as devoid of law and relig- 
ion, and of learning, had laws against profanity, 
and requiring the observance of the Lord's Day, 
as early as 1 7 1 8 ; and that these laws were en- 
forced against any "lawless and vile fellows" who 
might come into the Province, and offend against 
them. But our ancestors failed in the matter 
of hanging witches, and selling Quakers, and 
are voted ignorant and irreligious. 

Tiie proceedings on an indictment for ' 'forcible 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



entry and trespass," are given by Hawks, un- 
der date of 1729. And of the same date there 
is the written refusal of the Governor to sign a 
death warrant on account of informaHties in the 
trial. 

Numerous specimens are given of the sen- 
tences of the Court for theft, and similar offences, 
in which the lash was generally brought into 
requisition. 

Some pages are devoted to the Records of 
the Chancery Court, during the early period of 
colonial history, prior to 1730; but the foregoing 
must suffice. 

It is probable that the as.sailant of the good 
name of the State may have deduced many of 
his conclusions from the following remark of the 
elder Josiah Quincey, which he recorded in his 
Memoir. That gentleman passed through east- 
ern North Carolina in the Spring of 1773, and 
was greatly pleased with the character and spirit 
of the people, all along his route. He was es- 
pecially pleased with the gentlemen he met at 
Wilmington, where he spent some daj's. He 
mentions with honor several whose names have 
come down to us. Passing on further north, he 
states, under date of April 5th, that he "break- 
fasted with Colonel Buncombe[in Tyrrell County] 
who waited upon me to Edenton Sound, and 
gave me letters to his friends there. Spent this 
and the ne.xt day in crossing Albemarle Sound, 
and in dining and conversing in company with 
the most celebrated lawyers of Edenton." 
[Among these lawyers were, doubtless, Samuel 
Johnston, who, a few years later was chosen to 
the office of President of the Continental Con- 
gress, which he declined ; but became Governor 
of the State, and a United states Senator. Mr. 
Quincey more than likely met, also, James Ire- 
dell, who afterwards became a Justice of the 
Supreme Court of the United States.] Mr. 
Quincey continues : "From them I learned that 
Dr. Samuel Cooper of Boston, was generally 
(they said universally) esteemed the author of 
"Leonidas," who, together with " Mucius 



Scaevola, " was burnt in effigy under the gallows, 
by the common hangman." And here follows 
the misleading remark of Mr. Quincey, which a 
person, entirely ignorant of the history, and of 
most other things, might be excused for taking 
as conclusive proof that North Carolina, prior 
to the Revolution, never had any laws or courts, 
although she possessed "celebrated lawyers." 
Mr. Quincey says: "There being no courts of 
any kind in this Province, and no laws in force 
by which any courts could be held, I found little 
inclination or incitement to stay long in I'Menton, 
though a pleasant town." 

This statement was literally true at that day 
and date ; but the circumstances which brought 
about the peculiar state of things, being well 
understood throughout the colonies, Mr. Quincey 
did not stop to explain them. They constituted 
one of the most serious grievances against which 
the people of the Province had long had reason 
to complain of the Crown and Government of 
Great Britain. The explanation is as follows: 
For more than twenty years a struggle had been 
going on between the Assembly on the one side 
and the Governor and Council, appointed by 
and impelled by the Sovereign, on the other, in 
regard to the constitution of the courts, Supe- 
rior and Inferior. 

The Crown insisted on the appointment and 
removal of the Judges, at pleasure, and to im- 
port them from Great Britain, while the Assem- 
bly was required to provide them fi.xed and lib- 
eral salaries. 

The Assembly resisted this unjust pretension, 
and insisted that lawyers resident in the Colony 
should alone be appointed to Judgeships over 
them ; that their tenure of ofifice should be per- 
manent, and that their salaries should depend 
upon the free offering of the Assembly from 
year to year. 

This controversy dated back to the middle of 
the century. An act of the Assembly of 1754, 
for the regulation or reorganization of the courts 
had never received the royal sanction, and at 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



length, after it had been in force for several years, 
it was annulled, or vetoed. In 1760 a new 
court act was adopted, which provided, among 
other things, that no person should be appointed 
a Justice of the Superior Court, unless he had 
been regularly called to the degree of an outer 
barrister in some of the luiglish Inns of Court; 
unless he were of five years standing, and had 
practiced law in the principle Courts of Judica- 
ture of the Province. The act also required 
that the commissions of the Judges should run 
during good behavior. 

The Governor, Dobbs, held that the clause 
defining the qualifications of the Judges, was 
an unconstitutional restraint on the King's pre- 
rogative, almost precludeing the appointment of 
any one from England ; and that the clause de- 
fining the tenure of the Judges was at variance 
with the principle of keeping all great colonial 
officers under a strict subordination to, and de- 
pendence on the Crown. 

The Assembly plead earnestly with the Gov- 
ernor, alleging the necessity for courts of Justice 
and the sacredness of the right they contended 
for. They were, indeed, fighting over again the 
parliamentary battles of Hampden and Tyni, 
for regulated liberty; and they fought them with 
a courage, an intelligence, and a dignity worthy 
of the cause. They were fighting just such 
battles as Massachusetts had fought throughout 
her whole history, and which constitute her 
chiefest glory. 

As illustrative of the Crown officials in the 
Province, and as throwing further light upon the 
causes which provoked the Regulation move- 
ment, I will be excused for presenting more 
fully, the nature of this controversy between the 
people and their imported rulers. 

Of the new court system, which was intro- 
duced and passed in the Assembly which met 
at Wilmington, November 20, 1759, Martin 
says that it provided for the establishment of a 
court of king's bench and common pleas. It 
forbade the Chief Justice to receive any part of 



the fees of the clerks, which seems to have been 
an unauthorized practice of that eminent person 
— or rather, of one or more persons who had 
held the office. The Council, which was ap- 
pointed by the Crown, would not consent to the 
passage of the bill until this prohibition was ex- 
punged, which that body held to be derogatory 
of the dignity of the Chief Justice. The Assem- 
bly replied that '' tlic practice zvliich had hitherto 
prevailed of the Chief Justice exacting from the 
Clerks a considerable proportion of their legal fees, 
had been one cause of their being guilty of great 
extortions, whereby the Superior Courts had be- 
come scenes of great oppression, and the con- 
duct of the Chief Justice and Clerks, a subject 
of universal complaint, ,);hey admitted that the J 
late Chief Justice, Peter Henly (whose death 
was lamented by all who wished to see the hand 
of Government strengthend, the laws duly exe- 
cuted and justice impartially administered) from 
a pious sense of the obligations of his oath, had 
conformed to the act of 1748, for regulating 
officers fees, but they thought themselves bound 
in duty to their constituents to provide against 
the pernicious effects of a contrary conduct." 

On this and other grounds of disagreements 
the two Houses did not come to terms, and the 
bill failed. At the ne.Kt session the Assembly 
passed a court bill not materially different from 
that of 1759. It was sent up accompanied by 
an address, in which its importance to the welfare 
of the Province was urged. 

But the Governor, who was very anxious to 
have an aid bill passed, in compliance with a 
demand by the Crown, for the prosecution of 
the war against the French and Indians, temper- 
ized while urging the paramount duty of passing 
that measure. The Assembly prepared an ad- 
dress or petition to the King, in which the griev- 
ances of the Colony were strongly set forth, and 
tile great importance of the "court law " was 
urged. 

In the same address, serious complaints were I 

made against the Governor, Dobbs, who, it was j 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD. 



charged had appointed corrupt and incompetent 
men to office. 

No agreement was reached and the Superior 
Court bill was rejected. 

An act, however, was passed, for establishing 
county courts, accompanied by a provision for 
the support of the clergy ; and this was sanc- 
tioned. 

The Governor then prorogued the Assembly, 
from the 23d to the 26th of May; when he again 
called on that body to pass a Superior Court 
bill, and grant an aid to the King. These meas- 
ures were accordingly adopted ; and the Gover- 
nor gave his sanction to the "Court law" on the 
condition that if the King did not confirm it 
within two years from the loth of November 
following, it was to be null and void. 

In December, 1 761, the Lords Comm'ssioners 
of Trade and Plantations, laid the Court laws, 
passed in May of the preceding year, before the 
King and Council, asking the royal disallowance 
and repeal ; and accordingly the act was annulled. 
The Governor was severely censured for allow- 
ing it to go into operation before it received the 
royal sanction. 

In 1762, a Superior Court law, temporary in 
its character, was agreed upon by the two Houses, 
and was permitted to go into operation. The 
Assembly still maintained its position of with- 
holding permanent salaries from the Judges. In 
1764, the Act was renewed, or extended; and 
in 1767, a new Act was passed, and limited to 
five years duration. The County Court law was 
also renewed, and continued for the same period. 
These laws would therefore expire in 1772 — 



probably at the close of that year ; and hence it 
was that Mr. Quincey, in February, 1773, was 
correct in saying, that there were "no Courts of 
any kind in the Province, and no laws in force 
by which they could be held." The people of 
all the Colonies were aware of this state of things 
and the reason for it, and hence he deemed it 
unnecessary to explain them. A man of ordi- 
nary intelligence, and especially one who assumes 
the office of historical critic — even at a distance 
of a century — should have, at least surmised as 
much. 

The remark quoted from Mr. Bancroft, on a 
preceding page, that whoever doubts the capac- 
ity of man for self-government, should study 
the early history of North Carolina, was made 
with reference to the people of the Albemarle 
settlement during the Proprietary Government ; 
but its truth receives additional, and even fuller, 
illustration, in the subsequent career of the Col- 
onists, when they had spread over a territory as 
large as the Mother Countiy, and laid the foun- 
dations of a great State. No true man can read 
that history without admiring the courage, and 
the unconquerable firmness, exhibited under the 
most trying circumstances with which they vin- 
dicated their rights as men. The whole history 
of the Province, from 1663 to 1776, Was a strug- 
gle of the people against arbitrary power and 
corrupt administrative officers ; and people of 
the present day who imagine that Colonial de- 
pendence in the 17th and i8th centuries was an 
easy yoke to bear, only show their ignorance of 
the history ot that period. 







t^^^^^^"^ 



GERMANS IN CABARRUS. 



^^^^^^^^S'^'^^^^r^^ 



EARLY GERMAN SETTLERS IN EASTERN CABARRUS COUNTY. 



X 



An Address of Gen. Rufus Barringer, delivered at the Lutheran Commemoration in Concord, 

N. C, November loth, 1883.* 



From a variety of causes, so far as I can 
learn, not a record exists exactly fixing the 
date of the first German settlement in this 
section of North CaroUna, nor has a single pen 
told the story of the wanderings of our Ger- 
man fathers nor the part they bore in our 
early wars. 

Less than five generations liave passed away 
since these German fathers first struck the 
banks of the Cold Water and Dutch Bufialo 
Creeks. Yet who, in this large assembly can 
tell when, whence, why, and. how these hardy 
pioneers came ? If direct from Europe, what 
part ? If from or through Pennsylvania, what 
County? What routes did they travel ? When 
and where was the first settlement made ? 
}2<.\d especially what were their peculiar char- 
acteristics ? Did they have any distinct reli- 
gious creed ? Any known political polity ? 
How did they bear themselves in the nume- 
rous Indian and other early wars? Especially 
in the great rexolutionary struggle for free- 
dom and independence, what troops did they 
furnish ? What sufterings and losses did they 
endure, and what sacrifices did they make for 
the cause ? Who were Whigs and who Tories ? 
All interesting questions ; the very doubt 

*Tlie reader should reraemlier tliat many of these 
remarks were local and personal aud uuderstood by 
the audience only. 



and confusion in wliich they are shrouded 
greatly embarrasses one. I shall, therefore, 
rather seek to excite interest and enquiry into 
the subject before us than undertake to decide 
or debate disputed issues. If I .should chance 
to fall into errors of any kind, I will be only 
too glad to be fully and promptly corrected. 
My great aim is historic truth. 

Before proceeding to the main enquiries, it 
is proper to disabuse the popular mind of cer- 
tain prejudices in regard to the so-called 
Dutch or Germans, generally, of this country 
and more particularly as regards the religious 
faith and fighting, or rather non-resisting 
tenets, of certain Teutonic sects amongst us. 

It is true that many of the earlier Dutch and 
German colonists were non-armbearing secta- 
rians, such as the Mennonites in Pennsylva- 
nia, the Moravians here in North Carolina, and 
the Saltzbergers in Georgia. But there were 
none amongst our Germans. From the days 
of Braddock's defeat and the advent of Maj. 
George Washington, down to the last battle 
under Gen. Robert E. Lee, our Dutch have 
proved a most pugnacious set. 

Then, again, the first German settlers are 
constantly confounded with Hessians, who 
fought against us, and numbers of whom, after 
the revolution, found an asylum in this coun- 
try, and were not unwelcome. 



xl 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



The facts are these : The Hessian contin- 
gents of George III came from a region, 
and were rait^ed at a time, when the bulk of 
the common people, the world over, were lit- 
tle better than beasts of burden for their 
rulers. The Swiss Guards were not the only 
mercenaries. They, too, came from the only 
Republic of Europe. But these Hessians hap- 
pened to be mostly Protestants. The mar- 
velous light, of Luther's teachings had struck 
deep into even their dark minds. General 
Washington, with that tact and wisdom pecu- 
liarly his own, readily saw this, and ventured 
to turn it to account. He accordingly man- 
aged, when any of these Hessian soldiers were 
captured, to send them off into the interior of 
the country, and quarter them upon the 
soundest German settlements. In this way 
many of them were very naturally left in 
America. Or if exchanged, they had but to 
take the chances of war. to release them fi-om 
their military oaths and obligations. This 
happened, notabl^v, at the siege and surrender 
of Savannah, and under the articles of Peace 
1782, when hundreds of these Protestant Hes- 
sians chose to remain in this land of liberty, 
and enjoy the untold blessings they were sur- 
prised to find here. They very sensibly sought 
their German countrymen, who knew the facts 
of their case, and who pitied their forlorn con- 
dition. As a well-known circumstance, they 
almost universally make good citizens — strik- 
ingly faithful to every trust and obligation. 
Hence they soon intermarried with other clas- 
ses, and thus it happens that hundreds of those 
now before me, are the descendants of the once 
"Hated Hessians." 

But I have lately obtained information quite 
curious in regard to these Hessian contingents: 
At the very time that George III. was gath- 
ering up his foreign levies, to help to conquer 
us, Silas Deane, the American Commissioner 
in Germany, was offered large numbers of the 



same people to fight for us; and only an acci- 
dent and a scarcity of money defeated the 
scheme.* 

Another class of German immigrants who 
entered largely into our population of foreign 
descent, and who are commonly thought to 
have cast a stain on the name of freedom, 
were the so-called Redemptioners — a term now 
well nigh obsolete in popular speech — but once 
indicating a body of immigrants, who took an 
eventful part in the development of this New 
World. The term was first used in connection 
with white indentured apprentices. It was af- 
terwards applied to a large class of very poor 
emigrants, who could not pay their passage- 
money to America in cash down ; but who 
were willing to enter into contracts of limited 
service, on their arrival here, in order tore-im- 
burse the funds advanced for that purpose. 

Still again, it was an artful scheme often re- 
sorted to, by the down -trodden of Europe, to 
escape the thraldom of feudal bondage. 

Some of our first German settlers no doubt 
belonged to all of these three different classes 
of redemptioners. A few of the most promi- 
nent pioneers certainly came in the way last 
indicated. 

The story of the wrongs, the sufferings, the 
trials and troubles of these humble heroes, is 
so full of interest and instruction, nay of sub- 
lime courage and christian fortitude, that I 
pause to explain it. The facts, too, slied a re- 
flected light on the mooted and somewhat mys- 
terious question of where these first adventu- 
rous Germans came from, and of tlieir national 
characteristics. 

In one of the quiet out-lying districts of 
Wiirtemburg, the traveller now sees standing 
a plain stone pyi-araid, erected by the peasants 
of German}- in 1789, as a monument to Prince 
Charles Frederick of that Duchy, for his vol- 

*[See American Archives— series 5,— (1779), vol. III. 
page 887.] 



GERMANS IN CABARRUS. 



xli 



uutaryaliolitioii (if sorl'dom in that year. And 
its simple history is this: 

The thunder of Luther's tire struck deep and 
fast into tlie hearts of the peasantry chiss, as 
you have heard liere to-day. This resulted in 
all sorts of insurrectionarj' outhreaks, which had 
to be put down hy force. This stayed sonie- 
wliat the progress of the reformation and 
grieved Luther, But the mighty work Avent 
on and soon the minds and consciences of men 
Itecame comparativelj' free. And yet it was 
a long time before the light of political truth 
reached the prerogatives of power and property. 
At that time very few, if any, of the peasant 
class, as such, could hold real estate in Central 
Europe. On the contrary, they themselves 
were often bought and sold with the land they 
worked, and had to serve their landlords a 
certain number of days each week, the year 
round, and all through life. The Protestant 
peasants, naturally enough, became restive un- 
der such hard and cruel restraints and restric- 
tions. And they ere long sought in every pos- 
sible way to avoid and escape them. This was 
next to impossible to do, and still remain in the 
country. But to flee their homes was also ex- 
tremely hazardous. The law of expatriation 
was not then fully recognized, and all sorts of 
treaty stipulations and alliances provided for 
their recapture, return to slavery, and, usually, 
a barbarous beating besides. But go they 
would, and their safest course was stealth, un- 
der this scheme of indentured apprenticeships. 
In this way, the young men could gradually re- 
move themselves from one State or province to 
another, and little noticed, reach a seaport; and 
so escape to America or some other foreign 
country where life, liberty, limb and land were 
somewhat free. To us of this enlightened age 
and free republican government, it is simply 
incredible that such a state of things should 
have existed in any Christian country, espec- 
ially in the English colonies, less than one hun- 



dred and fifty years ago. But so it was. White 
men not only indentured themselves as ap- 
prentices, but gladh' sold their persons into 
long but limited slaverj', for the blessed privi- 
lege, or chance of escaping feudal serfdom. 
But listen while I read this advertisement 
from an old Philadelphia newspaper, Tlw Arn^r 
icnii Mn-i-urji, of date November 28, 1728: 

"Just arrived from London, in the ship Bor- 
den, Williani llurbert, connnander, a parcel of 
young likel}' Men Servants, consisting of Hus- 
bandmen, Joyners, Shoemakers, Weavers, 
Smiths, Brickmakers, Bricklayers, Sawyers, 
Tailors, Staymakers, Butchers, Chairmakers, 
and several other trades, and are to be sold 
vei-y reasonable, either for ready monej',wheat, 
bread or flour, by Edward Home, Philadel- 
phia." 

Amoiiir the classes thus named were, no 
doubt, the ancestors of many now high in the 
Free Citizenship of this great country, and 
possibly the ancestors of some of those present 
here to-day.* 

After the American revolution, the exodus 
from Europe under this process was enormous; 
so much so as almost to depopulate certain 
German States and countries, notably "Wur- 
temberg, where serfdom was so absolute and 
grinding. Then it was, in 1789, that the 
reigning Grand Duke, Prince Charles Frede- 
rick, rose to the supreme height of voluntarilj- 
abolishing all serfdom in his dominions. And 

*It wa.s tlie liDiicst boast of the di.stiiiKuislied John 
Covode, of Pennsylvania, "tliat his fatlicr liad been 
held as a Kedcniptioner." 

John Reed, tlie discoverer and tirst owner of tlie fa- 
mous "Reed gold mine" in Cabarrus County, was one 
of the Hessians of the RcvohUionary war. He died a 
wealtliy man, but did not know, wlien he found the 
lirst lump of fiohl, wliat it was or what it was worth. 
Nor did he know until he was more tliaii eiffhty years 
old that he had a right to citizensliip in thi.s country. 
He was naturalized at Concord about 1843. For tlic 
discovery of the Reedf;old mine, see Wheeler's History 
of North Carolina, Vol. H, page 64. 



xlii 



WHEELEK'S REMINISCENCES. 



in return, a grateful Protestant peasantry 
cheerful!}' erected this simple monument to 
his memory. Wurtemburg again prospered; 
population grew and she soon became a king- 
dom. 

In all this may be noticed the marked char- 
acteristics of the German mind and temper. 
According to their light, the German Princes 
generally had a fatherly love for their people, 
and the latter, ever reverential and grateful, ac- 
cepted the great boon conferred by Providence 
not in a spirit of fanatical pride and resent- 
ment, but as a gracious concession and bless- 
ing. 

And what may seem strange to us, as touch- 
ing this custom of voluntary slavery, no sense 
of degradation seems to have attached to it. 
It simply shows that parties resorting to it, 
were in dead earnest to reach the goal of free- 
dom, and meant real work and business. As 
just and proper labor contracts, such inden- 
tures were almost invariably carried out in 
good faith by all parties concerned. 

For one, therefore, I rather commend the 
patient fortitude, the unfaltering faith and 
courage, and the Christian tidelity, with which 
certain of the redemptioners worked their 
way to the fertile fields of the Cold Water 
and Buflalo Creeks. As the darkest shades 
often reflect the most beautiful tints; and as 
the purest gold is usually found in the rough- 
est rock, so the finest characters are always 
evolved through the severest trials and tribula- 
tions. We are the more perfect through 
suffering. Our Redemptioner fore-fathers 
had realized in their own persons the inestim- 
able privileges and blessings they had come so 
far, and at such fearful risks and sacrifices, to se- 
cure. The sequel will show that when the day 
of trial came, and they were called upon to 
fight for their dear-bought benefits, they were 
equal to every emergency. 

The first Germans known to have reached 



this immediate section, now called the Dutch 
Side, consisted of three young farmers — all 
foreigners and probably all three Redemption- 
ers. One certainly was, and he the best 
known, a man in fact, of rare strength of will, 
and singular force of character. He was a 
native of Wurtemburg ; left therewith the 
consent of his father, in his 21st year; tarried 
a while in Hanover; finally sailed from Rotter- 
dam in the ship Phcenix, and landed at Phila- 
delphia Sept. 30th, 1743. He had some edu- 
cation but no money or friends. He left home 
and country, because he was not allowed to 
buy or hold real property. His term of ser- 
vice was three years; but he worked so well, 
and faithfully, that he managed, some way, to 
make favor with his master, and wiped the 
whole debt out in one short j^ear. Whether 
he married his master's daughter, or some 
other good Pennsylvania girl, it is not certain; 
but she, too, was poor; and he often told, with 
much glee that he got with her "just one sil- 
ver dollar." 

With this wife and two small children, and 
accompanied by his two countrymen and 
their little families, the youthful Redemption- 
er, now free, set out from Pennsylvania, for 
the rich region of the Yadkin and Catawba 
— then the aim and end of the adventurous 
immigrant. 

When this trio of enterprising Germans* 
started on their perilous march, the buffalo, 
bear and the wolf still roamed our forests. 
The savage Indian and the frontier French 
often marked the camping grounds of the 
lonely immigrant with the blood of slaughtered 
innocents. They crossed the mountain ridges 
and the flooded streams by following the old 
buffalo trail, then known as the " Indian Trad- 
ing Path." At last they reached the end of 
their wanderings, and the}- safely forded the 

* The names of these three pioneer Germans were 
BaiTiuger, the grand-father of the speaker, Dry, 
(Derr, and Smith. 



GERMANS IN CABARRUS. 



xliii 



broad and beautiful Yadkin at the "Trading 
Ford," the sole memorial amongst us, of this 
once famous "Indian Trading Path." But 
here a new ditBculty beset these peaceful fugi- 
tives from the land of the "Broad-brimmed 
Quaker." The free and tolerant principles of 
Penn had gathered into his Province, all the 
odds and ends of civil and religious persccutioti, 
the world over. Jarrings and conflicts na- 
turally ensued ; notably, among the Scotch- 
Irish and some of the quaint Mennonites of 
that State. When our German friends crossed 
the Yadkin, and began to cast their wistful 
eyes over the wide plains and spreading prai- 
ries of this lovely region, they were surprised 
to find the Scotch-Irish just ahead of them. 

The latter had occasional squatters, here 
and there, on the choicest spots, especially on 
its western borders, up and down the Catawba. 
Our German Pilgrims had seen enough of strife 
and resolved to "avoid all such." They ac- 
cordingly abandoned the "Trading Path," just 
east of the present site of Salisbury and 
turned square to the left and followed the 
right bank of the Yadkin, down towards the 
lighter slate soils of that broken region. They 
were however, not afraid of their Scotch-Irish 
allies, in the mighty struggle to subdue the 
wilderness and enter its broad acres. So they 
gradually turned their steps to the better lands 
above them, and iinally located on the high 
ground between the present Cold Water and 
Buffalo creeks. The exact spot was the old 
Ovenshine place, near the Henry Propst home- 
stead. 

How long these people had resided in Penn- 
sylvania does not appear — long enough, how- 
ever, to have lost somewhat their native Ger- 
man, and picked up, in its stead, that strange 
but popular gibberish of all tongues, univer- 
sally known as " Pennsylvania Dutch." Our 
immigrants themselves were called Dutch. 
They recognized the term and proceeded to 



designate their surroundings accordingly. 
Their nomenclature, however, was quite limi- 
ted, and they usually followed nature. Hence 
we have Big and Little Dutch Buffalo, Big 
and Little Bear Creek, Big and Little Cold 
Water, and Jenny Wolf Branch. Above and 
west of them, was the English or Irish Buffalo, 
and south was Johnson, now Rocky River. 

This would seem to have been a long time 
ago. Ours was then Bladen, or probably Pee 
Dee County— a County never legally recog- 
nized. But after all, it was only about one 
hundred and forty years back — as near as I can 
fix it — 1745-6. One hundred and forty years ! 
Only the hfe-span of two or three of the stout 
old German fathers. And yet what marked 
and momentous changes have taken place 
amongst us, in that eventful period ! IIow t 
the panorama of history has crowded upon us, 
in one short century and a half ! How slowly 
time has passed ; and how utterlj' the foot- 
prints of these wandering fathers have fled 
from sight and memory ! They numbered 
only three families, and their nearest neigh- 
bors, on one side, were sparse settlers, in the 
present limits of Popular Tent and Coddle 
Creek, and on the other, the Highland Scotch 
of the Pee Dee hills. But our wanderers were 
uot long alone. 

Soon the news of a goodly land flew back, 
first to Pennsylvania, and then on to the far 
off", struggling, toiling, teeming, millions of the 
war-racked and priest-ridden Fatherland. 
And now they poured in from all directions, 
mainly still from and through Pennsylvania, 
but often through Charleston and occasionally 
through Wilmington, following the routes 
along the high ridges dividing the principal 
rivers. And it was thus, that this particular 
section, embracing parts of the present Coun- 
ties of Cabarrus, Rowan and Stanly, came to 
be so rapidly settled, and almost exclusively by 
Germans. Bv the time of tlie revolution, the 



xliv 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



" Dutch side" of old Mecklenburg was its most 
densely peopled portion. 

I here propose to correct a partial error, into 
which many have fallen (at one time nij'self,) 
in regard to the distinctive nationality of 
these first German settlers. They are often 
supposed to have come from the central and 
northern parts of Germany, and sometimes 
from the low countries of Europe. But I now 
have ample proof that they came from the 
upper or Castle Rhine regions — Wiirtemburg, 
Baden, Bavaria, and the ancient Palatinate — 
so mei'cilessl}' wasted by that grand ogre of 
France — miscalled Louis the Great. It was 
the fiercest and bloodiest of persecutions that 
then desolated all this jtart of Southern Ger- 
many, and scattered its honest, liberty loving, 
intelligent, industrious Protestants to everv 
quarter of the globe. And I am able to state 
from positive knowledge, that the common 
German names of this section, so numerous 
amongst us to-day, are all now found in the 
upper Rhine region, referred to, notably in 
and around the skirts of the Black Forest and 
its borders. 

Our familiar name of Blackwelder (German, 
Schwartzwalder) means not black wood, but a 
Black Forester. So the names of Barnhart, 
Barrier, Bost, Dry, Misenheisner, Pi'opst, Sides, 
Bosheimer, Barringer, and hundreds of others 
are there to-day. No doubt the emigrants, 
and especially those escaping under the guise 
of apiirenticcships or as indentured servants, 
often stopped over in the countries through 
which they passed, working their way along. 
And it may liave served their purpose occas- 
ionally, to hail from the Continental domin- 
ions of the (Jcorges of England. But this 
much is certain, very few of them were Dutch 
proper, or natives of the low countries, or even 
the level parts of (_Termauy. Onr first (^lerman 
settlers, nearly all built their liouses on I'each- 
ing here, on the high grounds, and often on 



the tops of the hills, aftei' the castle times of > 
their own rugged country-. Their removal to 
the level lands and bottoms was afterwards. 
But be that as it may, they came ; they came 
to stay ; and that they did so, is fully proved 
by the immense numbers of their descendants 
here to-day, and the vast regions the "Dutcli 
Side" has peopled elsewhere. They were a 
hardy, healthful, handy race, self-reliant, self- 
helpful, and they have made their mark 
wlierever the^^ have struck. 

The intellectual and religious cpuilities of 
such a people were almost sure to be marked 
and enduring. .Many of them had fought in 
the battles of Europe ; others had left home 
and country for conscience sake ; all had en- 
dured toil, sufi:'ering and sorrow for the free- 
dom they came so far to find. They learned 
to live almost entirely within themselves. 
Their wants were few and simple. Onl_y two 
things seemed absolute essentials: (1.) In all 
their wanderings — in shipwreck at sea, and in 
storm on land ; in serfdom and in voluntaiy 
slavery ; under the iron lieel of Power in 
Europe, and in the boundless freedom of Amer- 
ica — they clung to their Luther Bibles. With- 
out any distinctive notions of formal creeds, 
and profoundly indift'erent to the mere forms 
of religion, they grasped the fundamentals of 
the Bible as taught by Luther, and so they 
lived and died. (2.) They tolerated no idlers 
— no drones in either the Church, the State, or 
the family. In fact, however, the family was 
everything. With a proper start in the family, 
all government was simple and easy. There 
was an intense regard for all lawful authority. 
The husband and father felt his responsibility 
both to God and the powers that be. The 
wife and mother was, indeed a help-meet, and 
shared alike the joys and sorrows of the hus- 
band. The young all worked, and grew up 
trained and skilled in every ordinary labor and 
handicraft. Both sexes were strong and act- 



GERMANS IN CABAERUS. 



xlv 



ive — monilly, mentally, and physically. The 
men were manly, and the women matronly. 
When trials and tioiihles canie, such people 
knew lunv to meet thorn. They had, at last 
found ik'liyhtful homes, and tasted the sweet 
freedom they had so much loiiged for. And 
when, therefore, they were summoned to de- 
fend those homes and to vindicate the rights 
and privileges they had secured, no people 
ever responded more heroically. 

I am ahle to show that these German sett Icrs 
paiticipated in almost every expedition against 
the Indians, and that they took a very active 
part in the forced march of General Ruther- 
ford against the Cherokees in 1776. A young 
German was one of the very few killed in ac- 
tion on that expedition." 

It is not generally known that the settlers 
of this section were ever disturbed by the 
French enemy on our distant frontiers. But I 
have here (holding it up,) a petition in 1756 
to Grovernor Dobhs, from the Rowan and An- 
son settlers, complaining (among other thmgs) 
of the dangers that threaten them from the 
"savage Indians in the interest of their French 
allies." Also a curiously carved powder-horn 
that was worn by Archibald Woodsides of 
Coddle Creek, in one of the long and hazardous 
marches against Fort Diiquesne. It has on it 
a good description of '' Fort Pitt " and its pic- 
turesque surroundings. The history of this 
singular memorial of our early wars is, that the 
owner chanced to meet in one of his marches 
with German soldiers from this settlement, 
and they persuaded him to return with them. 

But I come now^ and chiefly to speak ot the 
revolutionary services of the German fathers. 
Here the evidence is full and complete. But, 
unfortunately, it is only in old musty army 
roUs, not accessible to the general public; and 
no one has been found to tell the story of their 

•Matthias Barriuger of the Catawba family. 



deeds. But this was then the most populous 
part of old Mecklenburg; and it was, fromiirst 
to last, true, indeed, entirely unanimous in its 
fidelity to the great cause of freedom and in- 
dependence. 

That the Germans do not figure iirominently 
in the famous meetings at Charlotte, .May 20, 
177.5, is not strange. Their settlement lay 
mainly in the extreme limits of the old County, 
with numerous intervening streams, and scarce- 
ly any roads. They spoke a different language, 
and uearl}' all their trade and travel was in 
other directions — with Salisbury on the north, 
with Cross-creek (now Fayetteville) on the 
east, and Cheraw Hills and Camden, South 
Carolina, to the south — the three last thriving 
points at the head of navigation, on theii- re- 
spective rivers, then a matter of vast import- 
ance. But as a mere truth, the hopes of the 
German settlement, then centered in one 
leader, Lt. -Col. John Phifer. He was a Swi.ss 
by descent. But all his ties and associations 
were Gei-man. His mother was a Blackwelder 
and his wife a Barringer. He was an un- 
usually bright and promising man and soldier. 
The meetings were held at the Phifer Red 
Hill, three miles west of Concord. He was 
their delegate to the immortal convention that 
declared Independence, and his name so ap- 
pears. But he died early in the struggle, and 
in his youthful grave at the Red Hill seemed 
to perish the hopes of his people. But not so. 
Old and young continued to go forth to swell 
the ranks of both the regular and irregular 
forces. I have examined the Muster Rolls and 
have extracts from them, and they clearly 
show that in proportion to population the 
Germans were very largely represented. On 
the Pension Rolls for Cabarrus County in 1835, 
of 21 revolutionary soldiers still drawing pen- 
sions, 12 were Germans. And old men now 
present will remember that when the "heroes 
of 1776 " used to parade together at the 20th 



xlvi 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



of May and -ith of July celebrations, the 
"Dutch Side " was always strong. At the last 
of these parades in 1839, 5 out of 8 of those 
present were of German blood. The Black- 
welder family alone furnished eight tried sol- 
diers to the cause. 

The silence, therefore, of the Charlotte meet- 
ings, and the absence of co-temporaneous his- 
tory, as to the Dutch Side, is nothing against 
it. 

There is a story, too, which shows that the 
Dutch had some other reason for not attempt- 
ing to make an}' display in the Queen City. 
It is, that on some military occasion, a Dutch 
captain took his company over there, and, giv- 
ing his commands in most emphatic Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch, the Scotch-Irish laughed at him. 
His company vowed to stand by their Captain, 
and refused both collectively and individually 
ever to go back to Charlotte again. In con- 
firmation of this story I have here an old Mus- 
ter Roll, and sure enough "Martin Fifer" is 
the Captain ! Certain it is, too, that at a ver}' 
early day the Dutch demanded a new County, 
and at the first election, after Cabarrus was 
cut off, Caleb Phifer (the son of Martin) and 
John Paul Barringer were its highly honored 
Commoners. So, probably, the creation of 
tliis County is also due to the German element. 

But there is another aspect of the Revolu- 
tionary struggle, decidedly complimentary to 
the Germans of old Mecklenburg, and adds a 
new laurel to her crown. 

The Dutch Side, from their isolated and re- 
mote situation, might have easily stood aloof 
from the conflict, and so, po.ssibly, have escaped 
the losses and sufferings I am about to describe. 
But they chose otherwise; and then, their 
very location and seclusion exposed them to 
the fiercest ravages of war. 

Remember, then, the surroundings of this 
German settlement. On its east the Scotch 
Highlanders of the Cape Fear and Pee Dee 



country, nearly all Loyalists, enabled the Brit- 
ish to extend the royal rule up to the Narrows 
of the Yadkin. On its south, at Cheraw and 
Camden, were British posts. North of it? 
across the Yadkin, Faiming and his infernal 
crew roamed almost unmolested. While in 
the Forks of the Yadkin, just above, the able 
Toiy leader, Col. Samuel Bryan, held a well 
organized regiment of 800 men. And then' 
on several occasions the British army lay at 
Charlotte (twice) and at Salisbury (once). 
Now history shows just what might be ex- 
pected in such a situation as this. While in. 
deed, no great armies traversed this region, 
it was greatly exposed because of its remote- 
ness and isolation, to the more frightful depre- 
dations of irregular and lawless bands of ma- 
rauders and other desperadoes, passing to and 
fro. It is a historical fact, that Col. Bryan 
marched his whole Tory Regiment of 800 men 
through the eastern end of this settlement, to 
Cheraw, S. C, spreading fear and desolation 
in all directions. It is equally true, that when 
the British occupied Salisbury, several parties 
of Tories and Royalists, from the east of Yad- 
kin, sought to join Cornwallis, but were driven 
back, mainly by Home Militia. 

But the one expedition that still lives in 
the memory of the Dutch Side, and never 
fails to fire the German blood, even to this day, 
was that organized by the Fanning men east 
of the Yadkin; and crossing the river, swept 
this German settlement in its whole length, 
up and down the two Dutch Buffalos, and 
thence on to the British post at Camden. S. C. 
They robbed hundreds of Whigs,destroyed much 
property in purest wantonness, and seized and 
carried off to British prison, under most brutal 
circumstances, more than twenty leading citi- 
zens. In this number was Major James Smith, 
of the then County of Rowan, (now Davidson,) 
a regular officer at home, wounded, and Caleb 
Blackwelder and his son-in-law, Jno. Paul 



GERMANS IN CABARRUS. 



xlvii 



Barringer, both old men — far past the military 
age. Smith and several others died in prison 
of small pox. Blackwelder and Barringer were 
promised their release provided some mem- 
ber of their families would come in person, 
and make certain pledges as to their conduct. 
No male of either family could risk the venture 
when old Mrs. Blackwelder mounted her horse 
and went herself to Camden, on the hopeless 
errand. She failed in her object, and m its 
stead, was the innocent means, through her 
clothing, of spreading the small pox all over 
the countr}' she passed, and far and near among 
her friends at home. I need not tell this au- 
dience, that these terrible events drew the 
lines, once and for all, between Whig and 
Tor}' in the whole Dutch settlement. Up to 
that time, there had been no division what- 
ever; no man who had ever taken protection, or 
given the eneni}- any sort of aid or' comfort, 
could stay on the Dutch side and live. Now 
two individuals were charged with bad faith 
or infidelity. One of them, Rufus Johnson, 
who was no German, simply disappeared. The 
other, Jacob Agner, was run out of the coun- 
try and his valuable property — the present 
House Mill — was confiscated. Of one or two 
others there were vague suspicions of disloyalty, 
or mean cringing in the hour of trial; and to 
this day, their names are mentioned with bated 
breath. 

Such, ray friends, is the proud record of our 
German ancestry. 

I am glad of the occasion to paj' this just trib- 
ute to their noble memory. Especially am I 
happy to do so, on this day commemorative of 
the immortal Luther. His fame belongs to all 
mankind. But in its simple strength and en- 
during might, it is strikingly reflected by the 
unpretending life, and elasticity of German 
character. And we here draw a most instruc- 
tive and useful lesson. It marks the myster- 
ious workings of an allwise Providence. 



These people came here as poor, persecuted, 
wandering exiles. But in all their wanderings, 
they were an honest, sober, industrious, faith- 
ful, jieaeeful, law-abiding. God-fearing, God- 
serving and God-loving people. Against the 
early Protestant peasantry of Southern Ger- 
many scarcely aught has ever been said. Re- 
specting just authority, and rendering proper 
obedience themselves, they have everywhere 
and under all circumstances, secured confidence 
and consideration. Here, in this distant land, 
and this secluded section, they are able to de- 
velope" without contact Avith Um,t effeminate 
degeneracies of the outside world, or the 
dangerous tendencies of modern civilization. 
You see the result in an enduring, expanding, 
wide-spreading, self-reliant, and ever advanc- 
ing community. They had, too, their sports 
and amusements, their holidays and gala-days, 
their Easter fun and Kris-Kingle frolics; but 
under all, life had a serious, an intensely earn- 
est aspect. Even their sports and amusements 
partook rather of skill and labor, than dissipa- 
tion and debauchery, such as quiltings, spin- 
ning matches,corn-shucking, log-rolling, house- 
raisings and the like; all tending to manly 
vigor and modest woman-hood. In their out- 
door hunts and games we discern the same 
harmless tendencies. In an old unprinted 
diary I have before me, kept by a sort of 
trader and traveller of the revolutionary era, 
I find the fox and deer skins came mainly from 
tlie English and Irish, while the Dutch are 
death on coons ! 

In the family, especially, each and all felt the 
responsibilities resting upon them. Old and 
young had their assigned spheres and duties. 
Male and female learned some test of skill, art 
or handiwork. Life was not all one strain at 
display, nor one round of frivolity and frolic. 
There was in their family government a won- 
derful combination of duty, devotion, and dis- 
cipline, with proper rest and recreation. In a 



xlviii 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



word, the faniily with them, combined tlie all— seem to me to pander too much— greatly 

State', the Church, and the School. And the too much— to the false sentimentalism of the 

training was more in the family than in the day. 

school. Again, see the result. They bought mv. is all sensation and pretense. Relig- 

hut little, and sold nnich. They made no debts i,jn, morality, and the simple virtues of truth 

or contracts they did not expect to pay or ex- and honesty are powerfully preached; but their 

ccute. They scorned to live on the labor or fa- yjc'c/Zcr is much more doubtful. 

vor of others. And as a consequence, they ^^.^j, ^^ .^^^j^| j^ ,,^, ^,j,^, means, imply that the 

were a gallant, brave, and public-spirited com- ^i^.g^,e„aants of the early settlers of the "Dutch 

munity. They and their descendants have ever j^j.^^,, j^.^^^ j^^ ,,,^y ^^^^.^ declined or deteriora- 



stood to the front in the time of trial and 
danger. In the war of 1812, in the .Mexican 
war, and in the great Confederate conflict, 
they rallied to the bugle-blast, in hundreds 
and thousands. They have imt only main- 
tained their ground at home, but they almost 
peopled the regions round about them, and set- 
tled, in turn, whole sections in distant States 
and Territories. I honestly and tirraly believe 
that much of this success and great pmspenty, 
is eminently due to the sound, civil, religious, 
and family training of the early fathers; and 
that, under the providence of God, it has its 
power and strength in their deei) devotion to 
to the simple Protestant faith, as taught by 
Luther. 

But let it not be supposed, my friends, that 
I have lost faith in our modern civilization, 
and that I would live only in the past. On the 
contrary, I believe implicitly in the progress 



ted. On the contrary, while Germans are, 
usually, not pretentious, or aml>itious of place 
or position, these people have always and every- 
where held their ground. And as a striking 
fact, they have ever managed to get their full 
share of the best land in the country. And I 
am happy to learn from others, the evidence 
of your good faith, energy and industry. A 
distinguished judge, who has often ridden all 
over the State, pronounces the tillage and 
thiift of Mt. Pleasant region the best in North 
Carolina. And a prominent Gentile physician 
says the Dutch Side is still the best paying 
people we have. My prayer is, that you may 
go on m well-doing. Neither individuals or 
communities can hope to prosper without these 
virtues. And, withal, may you never cease 
to cherish the memory of the Fathers, and 
[iractice, as they did, the precepts of the pure 
and lowly Jesus, as preached by the mighty 



of human society. There is <M,ly one thing I j^^^^j^^^,^ ^^^^^ thunders are still shaking prin 

dread: There is too much liberty-too much ^^^^^-^^^ kingdoms and crowns, and subduing 

license and licentiousness. The home, the school, commonwealths and continents, 
society, the State, and the Church — each and 



^^^^^^^^^^^^^S^^^^^y^^ 



I)K. EDWAia) WARKEN (BEY] 



A BllHiHAl'HICAL tSKKTCU OF Dk. EhWAUK WaKHKN (Bey). 



The eiiiiiieiuH' in his protVseion attained hy 
Dr. Edward Warren (Boy) and the [ininii- 
ncnce he has accjuired in tlie two hemispheres, 
eonunends the following;- nmst interesting sketch 
to the readers oY these Jiciniiiisi-iiins of Eiiiincut 
N<rrtlt Curolinians, we make the following ex- 
tract from the Medical Journal of North Caro- 
lina; it has been enlarged and continued to date 
of this puMiration, and is eminently tit to l)e 
[(reserved in tliis foiin. • 

Dr. Edward Warren (Bey) was horn in 
Tyrrell County, North Carolina, on the 22nd 
of January, 1828, of parents who emigrated 
from Virginia, and who belonged to two of 
the oldest and most distinguished families of 
that State. His father, Dr. Wm. C. Warren, 
was also a physician of eminence and a man of 
unusual intelligence and purity of character. 

When the subject of this sketch was only 
four years of age, his father removed him with 
his family to Edenton, North Carolina, where 
the son was educated up to his sixteenth year, 
when he was sent to the Fairfax Institute, 
near Alexandria, Virginia; and two years af- 
terwards to the University of Virginia. In 
the latter institution he greatl}' distinguished 
himself, having securg^ honors and diplomas 
in many of its Academic Schools, aud having 
graduated after a single course in its Medical 
Department. In 1850 he delivered the vale- 
dictory oration before the Jeflerson Society, 
which was then esteemed the. /amor of the Col- 
lege. 

In 1851 he graduated in the Jefferson Medi- 
cal College of Philadelphia, and whilst pursuing 
Ids studies in that cit^, conceived the idea ofinjectin/j 
'( solution of morphia under the s/dn for the relief 
(f pain, using for the purpose a lancet-puncture,and 
Anel's sifringe. In this mode of medication, he was 
thirefore, four ijcars in advance of the inventor of 
the htjpodermic stjringe. 



This device was made the subject of a tliesis 
prep;ired for presentation to the Faculty upon 
applying for his degree, but one of tlie Pro- 
fessors, to whom he had confided the idea, so 
forcibly expressed the opinion that it was l)oth 
chimerii'al and dangerous, that the tliosis was 
witheld and another .substituted in its place. 

Dr. Warren, however, soon after his grad 
nation, found occasion to put ins idea into prac- 
tical operation. 

During the years of 1854 and 1855 he studied 
medicine in Paris, where he formed an inti- 
mate friendshiji with some of the leading 
medical men of France, and occu[iied iiimself 
by corresponding with Tltc Aim rii-an Jimnial 
of M'dical Sciences, and other leading American 
Medical Journals. 

Returning to America in the summer oi' 
1855, he settled as a practitioner in Edenton, 
X. C, where he soon accpiired an extended 
reputation, both as a physician and as a sur- 
geon. In 1856 he delivered the annual address 
before the State Medical Society, which was 
most favorably received, and also obtained 
the "Fiske Fund Prize" for an essay on the 
"Effects of Pregnancy on the Development of 
Tuberculosis," which was subsequently pub- 
lished in book form, and has ever since been 
regarded as a leading work on the subject. 

In 1857 he was elected editor of the Med- 
ical Journal of North Carolina; made a mem- 
ber of the Gynaecological Society of Boston ; 
and chosen a delegate from the American Med- 
ical Society of Paris to the American Medical 
Association. 

On the 16th of November of the same year, 
he married Miss Elizabeth Cotten Johnstone, 
of Edenton, a lady of rare beauty and most 
lovely character. By referring to Wheela-'s Eis- 
tori/ of North Carolina, it will also be seen that 
the Johnstones are directly descended tVom 



1 



WHEELER'S REMESriSCENCES. 



two Royal Governors of the Colonj- , Gabriel 
and Saml. Johnstone, who were cousins and the 
representatives of the Cadet branch of the 
family of Annandale in the Peerage of Scotland. 

In 1860 he was elected Professor of Materia 
Medica and Therapeutics in the University of 
Maryland; first Vice-President of the Conven- 
tion to revise the Pharmacopcea of the United 
States; and a member of the Committee on 
Literature of the American Medical Associa- 
tion. He at once acquired an enviable reputa- 
tion in the city of Baltimore as a graceful, 
fluent and able lecturer. 

In 1861 he joined his fortunes with those of 
the South, and was, successively. Chief Sur- 
geon of the Navy of North Carolina: a mem- 
ber of the Board to examine candidates for ad- 
mission into the Medical Staft' of the Confed- 
erate Army; Medical Director of the Depart- 
ment of the Cape Fear; Chief Medical Inspec- 
tor of the Department of Northern Virginia 
(Gen Lee's Army;) and Surgeon-General of 
the State of North Carolina. 

Two of these positions were conferred upon 
him on the field of battle as rewards for per- 
sonal courage and professional work. At the 
battle of New Berne, although at that time on 
medical board duty at Goldsborough, Dr. 
Warren volunteered his services and remained 
under fire with the wounded, under circum- 
stances of peculiar difiiculty and danger. For 
this he was made Medical Director of the De- 
partment of Cape Fear. 

Upon the battle-field of Mechanicsville, in 
1862, while again acting as volunteer surgeon, 
he was verbally appointed by Gen. Lee, Med- 
ical Director of the Army of Northern Vir- 
ginia; but knowing that Surgeon Guild, who 
ranked him, was but a few rods distant, Dr. 
"Warren called the General's attention to the 
fact, and Surgeon Guild was made Medical 
Director, and upon his immediate suggestion 
Dr Warren was retained as Medical Inspector. 



By a special act of the Legislature of North 
Carolina his rank as chief medical officer of the 
State was raised from that of ''Colonel" to that 
of "Brigadier-General;" for "devoted and effi- 
cient services rendered to the sick and wound- 
ed." He tvas also chosen by the Legislature one 
of the Trustees of the University of North Car- 
olina. 

During the war he wrote a work entitled 
"Surgery for Field and Hospital," which passed 
through two editions. Auiong many other 
valuable suggestions ^hich this book contained, 
was that for the treatment of "retracting flaps 
and conical stump," by means of extension 
with "adhesive strap, with cord and weight"- 
a procedure which is now vei'y widely adopted, 
and the origination of which, after much dis- 
cussion in the journals, both at home and 
abroad, has been finally conceded to Dr. War- 
ren. 

This method was put into practical opera- 
tion in the hospital of the University of Vir- 
ginia, as early as August, 1861, whereas Dr. 
Hodges, of St. Louis, who alone seriously dis- 
puted the priority, finally and very courteously 
acknowledged Dr. Warren's claim, stating that 
his own first use of the method was in 1863. 

Subsequently, in a controversy conducted 
in the London Lancet, the claims were again 
settled in Dr. Warren's favor, by the publica- 
tion of an extract upon the .subject taken from 
the book which had been published during the 
war. 

In the summer of 1865, Dr. Warren re*- 
turned to Baltimore, ruined in fortune by the 
results of the war, and expecting to resume his 
Professorship in the University of Maryland. 
A refusal to return the chair to Dr. Warren 
furnished sufficient ground for legal proceedings 
by mandamus or quo warranto, but in view of 
the ruined fortunes of the contestants and of 
the financial and social influence of the Fac- 
ulty, the suit promised to oe a protracted one. 



t>R. EDWARD WAEREN (BEY). 



U 



and as the practical benefits to be gained in 
the event of success were so small, it was con- 
cluded not to resort to the Courts but to leave 
the issue to public opinion, which it was 
thought fully sustained Dr. Warren. 
1; Then came one of the most brilliant efforts 

in the life of the subject of our sketch. Under 
his direction the Washington University Med- 
ical School was revived, rising like a phcenix, 
putting itself at once on a plane with the old 
University, which in the effort to maintain its 
lead made fundamental changes in its man- 
agement and in the pcrsoiuui of its Faculty. 

Dr. Warren filled the chair of Surgery in 
the Washington College with great brilliancy , 
and became the idol of the large number of stu- 
dents who resorted annually to the school. 

When a law was passed creating a board 
for the examination and registration of the 
physicians of the State, he was made a mem- 
ber of it. He was also elected Vice-Presi- 
dent of the Medico-Chirvirgical Society of 
Maryland. In 1868 he established The Med- 
ical Bulleti7i^a journal which obtained an ex- 
tensive circulation. 

In 1872 he appeared as principal medical ex- 
pert for the defense in the celebrated Whar- 
ton trial. The circumstances of this trial were 
full of absorbing interest, it being characterized 
by great divergence of professional opinion 
among the physicians and chemists engaged in 

it. 

General Ketchum was an eccentric old bach- 
elor who died in the house of his friend, Mrs. 
Wharton, a lady of wealth and high social po- 
sition. He was attended during his short ill- 
ness by a physician whose line of treatment 
was somewhat varied, but who, although he 
did not arrive at a positive diagnosis, for some 
cause requested that an autopsy should be per- 
mitted. A thorough examination was not 
made of the rachidean and cranial cavities, and 
some of the abdominal viscera^^was submitted 



to an antiquated chemist, who, after a very 
slovenly analysis, pronounced the presence of 
antimony, and upon this an indictment was 
found against Mrs. Wharton. Dr. Warren was 
then requested, "in the interest of truth and 
justice," to examine the medical testimony 
taken by the grand jury, and he promptly de- 
clared that the symptoms described by the at- 
tending physicians and nurses were more typ- 
ical of a certain form of cerebro-spinal menin- 
gitis than of antimonial poisoning. Resting 
upon this, and upon the evidence of tlic in- 
sufficiency of the chemical analysis, the de- 
fense went to trial, with the result of a prompt 
verdict in favor of the accused. 

Dr. Warren acquitted himself with great dis- 
tinction on the witness stand, receiving con • 
gratulations and moral support from a host of 
medical men both at home and abroad ; and 
although he had opposed to him a number of 
gentlemen of recognized professional ability, it 
was conceded on all sides that he came off with 
the advantage, his testimony — which was bril- 
liant in the opportunity for retorts afforded by 
the cross-examination — losing none of its force 
from the assaults of the experts for the prose- 
cution. This is fully borne out by letters and 
telegrams spontaneously sent to Dr. Warren, 
after the trial, by Dr. Fordyce Barker, of New 
York, Dr. Stevenson, of London, and many 
other prominent medical men, and even by the 
Hon. A. K, Syester, Attorney-General for the 
State of Maryland, who personally conducted 
the prosecution of the case. Support, so un- 
solicited, and from such unbiassed sources, 
speaks volumes for the acumen and ability of 
Dr. Warren. Those from the medical men are 
all uniform in declaring that Gen. Ketchum's 
symptoms could not have been caused by tar- 
tar emeticjbut more resembled those of cerebro- 
spinal meningitis; and the letters received 
from chemists declare that the chemical evi- 
dence for the State utteriy "broke down. 



Hi 



WHEELER'S REMmiSCENCES. 



While the limits of this sketch do not permit 
the publication of these comninnications, it 
seems appro))riate to reproduce the following 
extract from a letter from Professor Fordyce 
Barker, who is so favorably known for his high 
personal character and great professional learn- 
ing and ability: 

"In all my long experience I have never met with 
anything which displayed move thorough research 
and sounder logical reasoning than tlie testimony 
wliicli you have just given in the W'haiton-Ketcliuni 
case; aiid I am sure that iulelligent, tliinkiug men, 
both in and out ot tlie profession, will agree witli me 
in Ihis (i]iinic>n. When 1 read the evidence given by 
the ine(li<al attendants during the sickness of Gen- 
eral l\elclium, 1 said that it was absurd to ascribe his 
deatli to poisiiniug from JW)-/ : Aiitiiiuniii. 1 came to 
tiie cunelusiou, siuiif (/((//••-■ lic/iiir jlou yarc jiuiiy Ictiti- 
HiojK/, that he died of ceiel>ro-S])inal meningitis, and 
espi'essed that conviction whenever the case was the 
subject of conversation." 

One incident in this case attracted a good 
deal of attention and Ijrought many compli- 
ments from the daily press : itwasa rencountre 
between the Attorney-General, Mr. Syester, 
and the witness, and is given here as extracted 
from the phonographical reports in the New 
York newspapers : 

AtUyriiiii-GincraL — "Where will this lead to, 
Dr. Warren ?" 

Doctor Warren. — "It is impossible to tell, as 
the h}i:)Othesis itself is absurd." 

Attornei/-Gt'Hir'il. — " J3ut you medical men 
ought to know all about these medical matters.^' 

Doctor fVarrcti. — "We know, at least, as 
much idjout these m(dical matters as //(*// law- 
yers." 

Attor)ie//-Ge)ier(il. — (Sjjringing from his seat, 
and with great emphasis.) "Bat i/oti doctors 
li(ir( the adra)itajii- of ax ; ijoa harji i/oar mistakes 
innhr the mrtli." 

Doctor Warren. — " Yes, but yon lawyers hany 
your mistakes in the ear.'''' 

This reply "brought down the house" to 
such an extent that the judges had to adjourn 
Court for a quarter of an hour so as to give the 
officers an opportunity to restore order. 

In attestation of the impression made upon 



the Attorney-General, the following letter 
was written by that gentleman to Dr. Warren 
upon the eve of his departure for Egypt, a 
short time after the trial : 
From the Attoniey-CrCiieral of the State of Marytantl. 

State ot Maryland, 
Office of Attorney-General. 

Hagerstow^n, March 25, 1873. 
My Deai! Doctor: — I cannot describe the unfeigned 
regret I experience in y(Uir loss to us all, es])ecially to 
me; for althnugli I have licit seen and lieen with you 
as niiuh as I desired — 1 always looked forward with 
jdeasure to soiiietiiue when our engagements would 
permit a closer acciuaintance, and lieioine wanned into 
a liiiiier and mioic fervid friendship. I dare not in- 
dulge the hope of hearing I nun yon in your new posi- 
tion, but not many things wcnild jirove more agiee- 
alile to me. Present my coiniiliinents to your wife. 
That you and she may ever be contented and happy 
in life, that y<ni may lie as prosperous as your great 
talent and uneiiualfed acquirements so richly de- 
serve, is the earnest hope of 

Your humble, but undeviating friend, 
A. K. SYESTER. 

In 1872, Dr. Wtirren was chosen Chair- 
man of the Section of Surgery of the Ameri- 
can Medical Association, and presented to 
that body a new "Splint for Fractures of the 
Clavical," which attracted much attention, and 
really is an apparatus of great utility. Whilst 
it retains the fragments in opposition and gives 
no inconvenience to the patient, it permits all 
the normal movements of the forearm. Hav- 
ing retired from the faculty of the Washing- 
ton University, he then devoted himself to the 
organization of the Col/eye of Pliysieians and 
Saryeom, wliich has finally absorbed the former, 
and attracts classes as large as those of any 
.school_in Baltimore. The institution has wisely 
retained Dr. Warren's name at the head of tlie 
list of Professors, as Eaieritas Professor of Sur- 

Having become dissatisfied in Baltimore on 
account of a severe domestic affliction, he de- 
termined to remove elsewhere. His first idea 
was to procure a professorship in the Univer- 
sity of a neighboring city, and with that end 
in view he presented to its Faculty, testimo- 
nials of recommendation from a number of the 



I)H. EDWARD WARREN (BEY). 



liii 



most prominent physicians in tlie United 
States. Amonji the letters sc>nt to tlic Doctor 
for use in this connection, there were several, 
which, from the distinijuished reputation of 
their authors, and the enthusiastic manner in 
which they indorsed Dr. Warren, seem espe- 
cially to deserve a reproduction here- space 
will, however, oidy permit the puhlication <^f 
the following : — 

Fi-o)ii Professor S. 1). Urosn. 

Phh.adelphi.v May 8th, 1S73. 

My Dear Dr. Warren :— It is ditticnlt fur nit- to s:i.v 
anytliing respecting one who is .so will kiioun throii^li- 
out tlie cotuitvv asa geiitleiuaii, a practitioiic r, and a 
teat-Iiei- of iiiedii'iiie. Any medical scliool oUf;lit, I am 
.sure, to lie piond to fxive you a place \n Us Faculty. 
As a teaclicr of surgery— olt-liaiid. ready, and even 
brilliant— there is no one in the country tluit surjiasses 
you. As an operator and a general -piactitioner. youi 
ability lias long been everywhere lecoKuizcd. Vour 
success as a popular lecturer has been remarkably 
great. Asa journalist you have wiebled a ready and 
graceful pen". Some of your operations reflect great 
credit upon vour Judgment and skill. Of your moial 
character, I have never heard anything but what was 
good and lionorable, . . . 

I hope witli all inv heart you may obtain a position 
in one of the New York Schools. Your great popu- 
larity in the Southern States could not fail to be of 
service in drawing Southern Students. My only re- 
gret is that we have no place to offer you m Philadel- 
phia. 

Wishing you eveiy possible success, I am, dear doc- 
tor, very truly your friend, nun^ju 

Professor of Surgery, Jefferson Medical Colletje. 
Professor Edward Warren, 
Baltimore, Md. 

From Professor Hunter McOuire. 

Richmond Va., May 10///, 1873. 
Gentlemen:— I beg leave to state that Dr. Wanen 
enjoys a most enviable reputation both as a phy.sician 
and as a gentleman, and from all I know and have 
heard of him, I have no doubt he would prove a most 
valuable addition to anv college. Dr. Warren held a 
prominent position in the Medical Department of the 
Confederate Arniv, and eiijovcd the respect and con- 
tidence of all wlio associated wilh hiui. He has re- 
centlv resigned the chair in one of the nudii'al schools 
of Baltimore. He tilhd this chair with great ability 
and attracted to the schocd a large number of students, 
especially from his native State, Xonh Carolina, 
Very respectfully, etc., 
HUNTER McGUIRE, M. D. 
Professor of Surijery. Medieal College of Virifniiu. 

To the Trustees of the 

University of New York. 

From Hon. E. J. Henkle. 

15ALTIMORE May 15th, 1873. 
Dear Sir: — I have been informed that my fiiend. 
Prof. Edward Warren, recently Professor of Surgery 



in tlie Washington University in this place, is an ap- 
plicant for the same position in the University of New 
Voik. 

I have known Dr. Warren tor many years past ; first, 
jirevioiis to the war, when Professor of Mateiia .Med- 
ica in the University of Maryland, which )iositi.ui to 
my peisonal knowledge, he Idled in a most accejitable 
manner to both faculty and students. 
Since tlio war and the rcoi gaiiizal ion of the Washing- 
ton Uni\<rsitv, he has residicl in lialtiinore and tilled 
the Chair of Snigery. In the capacity of President 
of the Hoard of Trnstccs of thai Institution, I have 
been thrown in I rccpieiit and iiilim.ite intercourse with 
him, and I take jih'asari' in Icstitv iiig to liisgreat zeal 
andability, and to lii^ success asa li-ctiircr and teacher. 
Dr. Warri-n has alwa\s bctn regarded in ISaltimore as 
a most iiopular and ellicieiil le<turer, exceedingly 
popularwilh the st udents, and untinng in his elforts 
to iironiotc the success of the institnti(Ui with which 
he has been idenlilied. 1 have no doubt that Uie Uni- 
versity of New ^ ork would be most fortunate in se- 
curing his valuable services. Very truly yours, 
E. J. IIENKLE, 
President of the Board nf Trustees of 
Washint/lon I'nirersity, M. l>. 

Prof. Henry Draper, New York City. 
From Profexsor IF. //. Mcdiiffey, of the University oj 
Virijinia. 

U. OK Va., May I8th, 1873. 

TO THE lUlILTY OF THK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL 
COLLEGE OF NEW YORK. 

Gentlemen :— It gives me great pleasure to recom- 
mend to your favorable consideration Dr. Edward 
Warren. 

1 have known Dr. Warren from his boyhood, and 
can testify to his excellent cliaracter, fine talents, in- 
domiuitable perseverence in the pursuit of knowledge 
and the discharge of iiridVs-ional duty. 

Dr. Warren's attainments are id a high orderin gen- 
uine scholar.shii). He made unusual proficiency in 
Moral Pliilosoidiy, and graduated also with distinc- 
tion in other srhools in the University, Va. 

Of his juofessional attainments I am not competent 
to Judge, but I know that he has been successful when 
coiiipetition was intense, and I learn from others, 
couipeteat to Judge, that he has every qualification to 
ensure success in the Chair of Surgery, and the place 
which I learn he seeks in your institution. 
Very respectfully, &c., 

W. H. McGUFFEY, 

Prof. Moral Philosojihy, U. of Va. 

Unfortunatel}' no vacancy existed at tlie 
time, and his efforts in this regard proved ahor- 
tive In 1873 he accepted a position in the 
service of the Khfedive and removed to Egypt, 
having heen urgently recommended for it by 
Greneral R. E. Lee, General Sherman, General 
G. W. Smith, General Hancock, Governor Z. B. 
Vance, Hon. M. C. Butler, General Gary, and 
other leading gentlemen in the United States, 

As soon as the President of the American 
Medical Association heard of his intended de- 



Uv 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



partiire,he sent him a commission as a Delegate 
to all the Medical Societies of Europe ; Drs. 
Gross, Pancoast and other prominent Ameri- 
can physicians gave him kind and most flatter- 
ing letters of introduction to the leading med- 
ical men in Europe ; and on the evening before 
he left Baltimore, a number of its first citizens 
tendered him a public dinner at Barnums' 
which was one of the most successful and bril- 
liant aiiairs of its kind that ever came off in 
that city. 

His career in Eg_ypt, though rendered brief 
by an attack of opthalmia, was signally brilliant^ 

Having been appointed Chief Surgeon of the 
General Staff, he soon had an opportunity of 
treatmg successfuU}' the Minister of War for 
strangulated hernia, who immediately officially 
requested the KhtJdive to h»nor Dr. WaiTen 
with the Decoration of the Medjdic and the 
title of Bey — which, when conferred, as it was 
in tills instance, by royal charter, ennol)les its 
possessor and his family; and in less than a 
year from his arrival in the country, he suc- 
ceeded in reaching the highest medical posi- 
tion known in the service of the Khedive, that 
of Surgeon in Chief of the Egyptian Army. 

The incident connected with his treatment 
of Kassim Pasha, who was the Minister of War, 
shows so well the moral force which enabled 
Dr. Warren to perform his duty in the face of 
discouraging circumstances, and serves to illus- 
trate in such an interesting way, certain phases 
of his life in Egypt, that it is given in full as 
related by the doctor. 

" Kassim Pasha was over 60 years old, and very fat, 
and had direct inguinal hernia, which the surgeons 
of Cairo failed to reduce after laboring over it three 
days. After he had been abandoned to die and the 
prepai'ations for his funeral were progressing, I was 
permitted to see the case. Finding that stcrcoraceous 
voniitiiig liad ^iist begun, and pcrsiuidcd I hat tlic pro- 
fciuiid depression which others niistiidk for tlie I'llects 
of till' lUscaso, was mainly due to the injections of an 
infusion of t()lia<c(> wliich they had employed to in- 
duce relaxation, I dcclaied the case not a hopelessone 
and undertook to treat it. Having stimulated the 
Pasha freely with brandy and water — wliicli the na- 
tives consider unholy treatment— I had the gratifica- 
tion of seeing some reaction established ; and deter- 



mined to administer chloroform, and either to reduce 
the tumor by taxis, or to perform herniotomy, if neces- 
sary. I found however, very great difHculty in getting 
any medical man to assist me. They all retired and 
said that they would have 'nothing to do with the 
murder of the Pasha.' The Harem, through its repre- 
sentative, the Chief Eunuch, declared that I should 
not proceed until the private physician of the Kliedive 
— a Frenchman — had given his consent. He was ac- 
cordingly sent for and asked what he thought of the 
measure which I proposed He replied that he be- 
lieved the Pasha would die inevitably, but he was in 
favor of permitting me to proceed, as every man was 
entitled to his chance. I tlien requested him to aid 
me to the extent of administering chloroform. This 
he agreed to do on condition that I would assume all 
the responsibility of the case, and give him time to 
dispatch a messenger to the Khedive, informing him 
upon what terras he had consented to aid me. In the 
presence of .ill the principal Pashas and Beys of the 
country, and the highest officials of the Court, the 
Minister was removed from his bed and placed upon 
a mattress in the middle of the room. None of the 
female portion of the household were present ; but 
they were represented by the Chief Eunuch, wlio stood 
at tlie feet of the invalid, slioiuing Allah ! Allah ! ! 
Allah ! ! ! whilst from tlie latticed H.arem in the rear 
there came continually that peculiar wail which seems 
to form the principal feature in the mourning 
of the East. With the exception of the French 
physician, above referred to, all the surgeons had 
deserted the chamber, and stood in the little gar- 
den outside of the house, some praying that the sick 
man might be saved, but the majority cursing the 
stranger who had the temerity to undertake that 
which they had pronounced impossible. 

" At this moment the Chief of the Staif took me 
.aside and said : 'Dr. Warren, consider well what you 
are undertaking; success means honor and fortune in 
this country, whilst /(li/i/rc means ruin to you and in- 
jury to those who are identilied with you. ' I replied: 
' 1 thank you for your caution ; but I was taught by 
my father to disregard all personal considerations in 
the practice of medicine and to think only of the in- 
terests of my patients. I sliall therefore do what my 
profes.sional duty recxuires tor tlie sick man and let 
the consequences take care of themselves.' Having 
made all the preperations necessary to perform /icch;'- 
otomy, should that operation become necessary, I 
boldiv administered chloroform, although the patient 
was still in a state of great depression. To my delight 
anfethesia was |)rompti.v developed, while the circula- 
tion improved with every inspiration — just as I have 
seen it improve in some cases of shock upon the battle- 
field. Confiding then the administration of the chlo- 
roform to the French physician, above referred to, I 
proceeded to examine the tumor and attempt its re- 
duction. I found an immense hydrocele and by the 
side of it a hernia of no unusual dimensions — which by 
rather a forcible maniiiulation I completely reduced, 
after a few moments of effort. By this time tlie sur- 
geons, unable to restrain their curiosity, had entered 
the room and crowded around me, anxiously awaiting 
the failnri' wliicli tliey liad so blatantly predicted. 
Turning to Meliemet-Ali-liey— the Profe.s8or of Sur- 
gery in the Medical School of Cairo — I said to him: 
' The hernia is reduced, as you can see by pushing 
your linger into the external ring.' ' Excuse me,' said 
lie, in the most supercilious manner, 'you have under- 
taken to cure Kassim Pasha and 1 can give you no 
help in the matter.' My French friend imraediatelv 
introduced his finger into the ring and said: 'Gentle- 
men, he needs no help from anyone; the hernia is re- 
duced and the Pasha is saved.' The doctors slunk 
away utterly discomtitted ; the Eunuchs, Pashas, Beys, 



DR. EDWARD WARREN (BEY). 



Ir 



ami officers uttered loml cries of 'Ilanulallali ! Ilani- 
dallali ! I Kismet ! Kismet ! ! Kismet ! ! ! ' (Tliaiik 
God ! Thank God ! ! It is fate ! It it fate ! ! ) and tlio 
Harem in tlio rear, calchinj; tlic ins|»ir;\tiiin of tlin 
scene, sent np a slioiit ofjoy wliidi smiiiili'il like tlie 
war-liooji of a wliole trtir of Indians. In a moment I 
was Seized Uy tlie Chief Kiinurh, einhiaced in the most 
impressive manner and kissed n|>(in eitiuM elieek — an 
example which was immediately f^'llowed by a num- 
ber ol those i)r<sent ;— and 1 fiiiind myself "suddoidy 
the most famoMs man in theconiilry. Tho I'asha at 
once liad a letter addressed to the Ivhedivo narratins 
wliat I had done for him, and askinjr that [ mi^lit bo 
decorated and made a Bey. His llijrhness sent for me, 
thaidced me warmly for having saved the life of his 
favorite Minister, and said h(> was happy to honorouo 
■wlio had done so well for him ; the Ilarem of the pa- 
tient presented me with a beautifnl gold waleh and 
eiiain ; my house was thronged afterwards with the 
hipliest dignitaries of the ''(Mintiy who came to thank 
and congratulate me ; and I immediately secured an 
immense practice among the natives — including nearly 
every incurable case iu Cairo. 



Tho spectacle of a stranger in a strange land 
without support, undertaking duties which had 
deeu declined by others, and boldly pushing 
forward, in spite of the jealous mutterings 
which fell upon his ears, has something of true 
sublimity in it, and should make us appreciate 
the benignant nature of that moral and ethical 
code under whose guidance the subject of our 
sketch acquired that devotion to duty which 
enabled him to dare and do. For, behold the 
alternative, which, surely, he must have recog- 
nised :-had he failed, and had the Pasha died, 
his audacity would have wrought his ruin, 
and he would have been driven from the land 
in disgrace. 

As it was, however this signal triumph re- 
sulted in Dr. Warren being made the "Chief 
Surgeon of the Egyptian Army." Colonel 
William McE. C. Dye-formely an officer in the 
United States Army and late a Colonel of the 
Egyptian Staff- in his interesting book qi\- 
tiileA.," Moslem Egypt and Christian Abyssinia," 
refers iu the following terms to Dr. Warren's 
career in Egypt: "Dr. Edward Warren, Chief 
Surgeon of the Staft", by performing a surgical 
operation on the Minister of War for a com- 
plaint that had baffled the skill and courage of 
the other Cairo surgeons, and by his energy 
m the erection of hospitals and his faithful 



discharge of other duties, established a repu- 
tation which soon lifted him into place as Sur- 
geon-in-Chief of the Army;" and the London 
Lnnccl chronicled his success and advancement 
in these terms: "vVo understand that M. Ed- 
ward Warren of Cairo lias been promoted by 
his Highness tho Kliedive of Egypt to the po- 
sition of Chief Surgeon of the Egyptian Army. 
Mr. Warren's promotion in the East has been 
exceptionally rapid." 

In 1876, having obtained a furlough for six 
months, he visited Paris for the purpose of se- 
curing proper troitraont for his eyes, and, oa 
being informed by tho leading occulists that a 
longer residence in Egypt would involve tho 
loss of his left eye, he obtained an honorable 
discharge from the service of the Khedive 
who, in view of the services which Dr. War- 
ren had rendered in Egypt, treated him with 
great consideration and kindness. 

Through the influence of his own well-es- 
tablished reputation, aided by the cordial en- 
dorsement of his friends, Drs. Charcot and 
Ricord, of Paris ; Sir James Paget, Alfred, 
Swain Taylor, and Dr. Stevenson, of London ; 
Drs. Fordyce Barker and J. J. Crane, of New 
York; Professors Gross and Pancoast, of Phil- 
adelphia, he was soon able to commence the 
practice of medicine in Paris as a Licentiate of 
the University of France, a very great compli- 
ment in itself, and one rarely paid to a for- 
eigner. 

Dr. Warren's success in Paris has been ex- 
ceptionally rapid and brilliant. Practice and 
honors have flowed in an unbroken stream 
upon him. Foreigners of all nationlaities and 
of the highest titles have been as ready to 
avail themselves of his professional skill as 
have been his fellow-countrymen. The Lon- 
don Lancet promptly secured him as its "Spe- 
cial Correspondent." The Ottoman Govern- 
ment confided to him the delicate task of se- 
lecting surgeons and raising contributions for 



Ivi 



WHEELEK'S REMINISCENCES. 



the wounded in tlie recent wnrwitli Russia. Tic 
received a special invitation to participate in 
the International Medical Congress which re- 
cently asserahled in Philadelphia,heing the only 
American residing ahroad who was thus hon- 
» ored. The College of Physcians and Sui-gcuns 
of Baltimore made him a Muster of Sdn/ci'i/ at 
a late commencement. The Governor of North 
Carolina made him a 'Special Commissioner" 
to the Paris Exposition ; while the Commis- 
sioner-General of the United States appointed 
him the Medical Officer of his Commission, 
jind the French Government awarded him a 
"medal of merit" for the services which he 
rendered in these regards. The Spanish Gov- 
crment, in 1877, created him a Knight of the 
Order of Isahella the Catholic, as a reward for 
tlie professional skill displayed in the success- 
ful treatment of a Spaniard of high jiosition. 
The French Government, in 1879, created him 
a Chevalier of the National Order of the Le. 
gion of Honor, as a special mark of distinction 
for his professional devotion and work in 
France. The Egyptian Government, in 1882^ 
made him a "Commander of the Imperial 
Order of the Osmanlie," for "valuable and 
important services rendered in Egypt and for 
great Medical skill displayed in Paris." He 
has recently been made an Officer of the Order 
of the redemption of the Holy Sepulchre, an 
Officer of the Ro^-al Order of the Samaritan of 
Geneva— all as rewards for professional services 
and successes. He was also selected by the 
American Medical Association as one of its 
delegates to the International Medical Con- 
gress which recently assembled in London and 
lias been made a member of the Historical So- 
ciety of Virginia and of the American Insti- 
tute of Christian Philosophj-, respectively, and 
the University of North Carolina at the last 
Commencement, conferred upon him the title 
of Doctor of Laws (LL. D.) 



The following letter announces the accession 
of this honor. 

Univkrsity of Nokth Carolina, 

Chapel Hill, N. C, June •20th 1884. 
Dr. Edwaui) Wakrkn (Bev). 

Sir: — In lecoffuitiou of your distinguished ability 
and learniufr, and .^^ervices to humanity, tlie Board of 
Trustet's and the Faculty of the University of North 
Carolina have unanimously conferred on you the hon- 
orary detrree ot Doctor of Laws. [LL. D,] 

They liojje that you will accept this evidence of the 
regard of the University of your native State. 
I have the honor to be, your obedient servant. 

KEMP F. BATTLE, FreMtnt 

Wliile space does not [lermit the publication 
ill this connection of the ninltitndinons essays, 
reports, lectures, letters, addresses, etc., which 
have emanated from his proline pen and ac- 
ti\e brain, enough has been said of Dr. War- 
ren to justify thestatement with which a distin- 
guished American surgeon (Professor S. D. 
(Tross, of Philadelphia) concludes a letter in 
regard to liim--viz. : "from these facts it is 
plain that he (Dr. Warren) has performed a 
great deal of work, that he is a man of indom- 
itable energy; that he po.ssesses great and varied 
talents; and that he has enjoyed a large share 
of professional and public confidence." Surely, 
no North Carolinian has had a more brilliant 
and remarkable record, or one which the State 
has a greater right to regard with pride -and 
admiration. 

Dr. Warren's general culture and his great 
literary ability are widely known. His prose 
writings are lucid and chaste, though suf- 
ficiently ornate to be very attractive. His far- 
flights into the domain of poesy attest a rich 
imagination, and considerable knowledge of 
rh^'thiu and versification. 

In politics the Warren family were old line 
Whigs, and the Doctor's affiliation brought 
him into intimate relations with North Caro- 
lina's great war Governor, Zebulon B. Vance, 
which time has only served to ripen into an 
afl'ectiouate and endm'ing friendship. 



THE BLOUNT FAMILY 



Ivii 







Q/ameyS 



aii/n 



t 



Genealogy of the Blount Family. 



The late Gov. Henrj^ T. Clark considered 
this the oldest ofNorth Carolina families. No 
family, he believed, whose name is still extant 
as a family-name in North Carolina, came into 
the Province so early as James Blount, who 
settled in Chowan in 1669. This James 
Blount is said to have been a younger son of 
Sir Walter Blount, of Sodington, Worcester- 
shire, England, and a Captain m Charles I's 
Life Guards. His Coat of Arms engraved on 
a copper plate, which he brought with him, 
was in the possession of his descendants until 
about the year 1840, when it was destroyed 
by its possessor, the late James B. She'pard of 
Raleigh. A cut of it is given above, taken 
from an impression of the original plate. 

For convenience, the family may be divided 
into two branches; the descendants of James, 
the Chowan Blounts, and the descendants of 
his younger brother who settled about Choc- 
owinity in Beaufort County, the Taw River 

"To be read iu counectiou with pages 130-133. 



Blounts. The latter is much the more numer- 
ous branch of the family, and has become too 
extensively spread throughout the Southern 
and South-Western States, to be fully traced 
here. This brief genealogy is complied chief- 
ly from the family Bible of the Edenton fam- 
ily of Blounts. and from a Manuscript l)y the 
late Thomas H. Blount of Beaufort, and is a.s 
accurate as such accounts can ordinarily be 
made. 

THE CnOWAX BLOl'NTS. 

James Blount, who settled in Chowan in 
1(»69, on a tract of land which remained in 
the possession of liis descendants until the 
death of Clement Hall Blount in 1842, was a 
man of some prominence in his day. He is 
spoken of in contemporary documents as a 
member of the Governor's Council, as one of 
the Burgesses of Chowan, and as a leading 
character in the infant and very disorderU' 
Colony. He left one son, .lohn. 

This John Blount (I) born 1669: died 1725, 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Iviii 

left ten children, six daughters and four sons. 
Three of the daughters married and left de- 
scendants in Hyde County and about Roanoke 
Island. They are the Worleys, Midgets and 
Manns.' The sons were— 

I. .John (II) born 170G, married and left 
three sons and two daughters: 

(a) James Blount, who married Ann Hall and 
and left three children: Clement Hall Blount 
(died unmarried in 1842) ; Sarah, left no issue; 
and Frederick Blount, his eldest sou who nuir- 
ricd Rachel Bryan, (nee Herritage) and left 
among others, Frederick S. Blount, who moved 
to Alabama and became the father ^ of a large 
family, Alexander Clement Blount, and 
Herritage Wistar Blount of Lenoir County. 

(b) Wilson Blount. 

(c) Fredrick Blount, whose daughter Mary 
(died 1856) married Wm. Shepard of New 
Berne and bore him Wm. B., Charles B., and 
James B. Shepard, Mrs. John H. Bryan, of 
Raleigh, Mrs. Ebeuezer Pettigrew, and several 
others. 

(d)Eiizabeth, married J. B. Beasley. 

(e) Mary married Rev. Charles Pettigrew 
1st Bishop (elect) of N. C. and left two 
sons, one of whom, Ebeuezer became a mem- 
ber of Congress; married Ann Shepard of 
New Berne, and left several children: the Rev. 
William S. Pettigrew, General James John- 
ston Pettigrew, Charles L. Pettigrew and two 
daughters. 

n. Thomas born 1709, left one daughter 
Winifred, who married Hon. Whitmel Hill 
of Martin. Among their numerous descendants 
are Thomas Blount Hill Esq. of Hillsboro' and 
the family of the late Whitmel J. Hill of Scot- 
land Neck. 

III. James, born 1710, left two daughters; 
(a) Nancy married Dempsey Connor (son of 
Dempsey Connor and Mary Pendleton, great- 
granddaughter of Governor Archdale) and left 



one daughter Frances Clark Pollock Connor, 
married 1st, Joseph Blount (III) and 2nd, 
Wm. Hill, late Secretary of State of North 
Carolina; and (b) Betsy who was married to 
Jeremiah Vail. 

IV. Joseph (I) born 1715, died 1777, who 
married Ist, Sarah Durant, born 1718, died 
1751, (a descendant of George Uurant, the first 
known English settler in N. C.) and left only 
one child Sarah, (born 1747, died 1807,) who 
married in 1771, William Littlejohn,by whom 
she became the mother of a large family, well 
known in this and other Southern States. Alter 
the death of his fi rst wi fe, Joseph B loun t ( I) mar- 
ried, (1752) Elizabeth Scarboro, by whom he 
had(be8idesone son, Leauiel Edwards, drowned 
at sea in 1778) one son: 

Joseph Blount (II) born 1755, died 1794, 
who married Ist, (1775) Lydia Bonner, and 
left two children: 

(a) John Bonner Blount, l)orn 1777, married 
Mary Mutter: they wei'C the parents of Thomas 
M. Blount, late of Washington city (whose son, 
Maj. Thomas M. Blount was Icilled at Malvern 
Hill), of Mrs. Thomas H. Blount, Mrs. Henry 
Hoyt and Mrs. James Treadwell of Washing- 
ton N. C. "and of Mrs. Henry M. Daniel, of 
Tenn. His sons Joseph and John died with- 
out issue. 

(b) Mary born 1779, married William T. 
.\luse,and had two sons, (I) William T.Muse, late 
of the U. S. and C. S. Navy, who mar- 
ried and left issue; (2) John B. .Mviso,died un- 
married. 

For a second wife Joseph Blount (H) m 
1782, married Ann Gray(boni 1757, died 1814,) 
daughter of Wm. Gray of Bertie, and left issue. 

(c) Joseph Blount (III) born 1785, died 
1822, who married (1808) Frances Clark Pol- 
lock Connor, and left one son Josei)h Blount 
(IV) who died unmarried. 

(d) Frances Lee married Henderson Stamlin. 
left one son, William II. Standin. 



THE 15L0UNT FAMILY. 



lix 



(o) Sarah Elizalietli married Tlioinas Mor- 
gan but left no issiK>. 

(f) Klizabeth Ann, (horn 1790, died 1861),) 
iiiaiiied in (181:2) John Cheshire (horn 17(19, 
died 1830,) and left issue the IJev. .loseph 
Blount Chesiiire, 1). D., Mrs.E. I). .\huuair,of 
Tawboro, and Mrs. .fames Webl) of Iliilsboro. 

(iC) Eleanor Gray, married John Cox, loft 



IV. Thomas Blount,born 1759, died 1812;-^ 

V. Jacob Blount, born 1760, died . 

By his wife, Hannah SaltHjr, he left: 

VI. Willie Blount, born l7l>4L died 1835. 

VII. Sharp Blount, boiii 177l/>T«d 1810. 
Of these William, .lohn Gray/ 

Thomas and Willie became prominent and dis- 
tinguished men; among the most eminent in 



one daughter, Ann B. P., married Willie J. North Carolina and Tennessee for their high 

talents, public spirit, enterprise and wealth. 
Their marriages and descendants were as fol- 
lows: 



Epps of Halifax. 

THK TAW KIVER BLOUNTS. 

A younger brother of James Blount of Cho- 
wan, is thought to have settled on Taw or 
Pamplico River about 167.3. He left six sous 



I. William Blount, (born 1749, died 1800,) a 
Member of Congress in 1782 and 1786: of the 



Thomas, John, .James, Benjamin, Jacob and Constitutional Convention of 1787, was de- 
Esau, the last two being twins. The Tusca- Seated for the U. S. Senate by Benjamin 
rora Chief, King Blount, a valualde allv of the Hawkins, on the adoption of the Federal Con- 
whites in the Indian war of 1711, is said to stitution in 1789; appointed by Washington in 
have assumed that name from his attachment l'''^'^ Governor of the Territory south of the 
to one of these brothers. Nothing is known Ohio; removed to Tennessee and founded 
definitely of the deseer.dants of any of the six ^lie city of Knoxville ;wa8 elK)sen one of the iirst 
except the eldest, Thomas. Senators from Tennessee. In 1797, he was ex- 

This Thomas Bloimt married Ann Reading pelled by a vote of the Senate,and subsequently 
and left four sons, Reading, James, John and in>peached by the House of Representatives, 
Jacob. All of these left families, and from ^o'' alleged treasonable practices in endeavor- 
*hem are descended, no doubt, many persons of i"g to incite the Indian tribes on our South- 
this name in Beaufort and the adjacent Count- western frontier to hostilities against Spain, 
ies ; l)Ut we can trace the descendants of the The articles of impeachment were after ai-gu- 
pist named only. ment rpiashed in the Senate. On his return 

Jacob Blount (l)orn 1726, died 1789) was to Knoxville the Speaker of the State Senate 
an officer under Gov. Tryon in the battle of resigned, and William Blount was unani- 
Alamance; a member of the Assembly fre- mously chosen by the people to succeed him 
quently, and of the Halifax Congress of 1776; '" ^'^6* Senate, and by that body to succeed 
married 1st, (1748) Barbara Gray, of Bertie, him in the Chair, as an expression of popular 
sister to William Gray, mentioned in the ge- confidence and affection. His death early in 
nealogy of the Chowan Blounts; 2nd, Mrs. the year 1800, alone prevented him from 
Hannah; Baker (nee Salter); 3rd, Mrs. Marv l>eing elected Governor of Tennessee. He mar- 
Adams. By his last wife he had no children; "®*1 (1778) Mary Grainger, daughter of Col. 
by his wife, Barbara Gray, he left among Caleb Grainger, of Wilmington, and left issue: 
others — I. Ann married 1st, Henry I. Toole (II) of 

I. William Blount, born 1749, died 1800. Edgecombe, to whom she l)ore Henry I. Toole 

II. John Gray Blount, born 1752, died 1833. (Ill), and Mary Eliza, married Dr. Joseph 

III. Reading Blount, born 1757, died 1807. Lawrence: she married 2nd, Weeks Hadley,of 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Edgecombe, by whom she liacl several child- 
ren. 

■2. Mary Louisa, married (1801) Pleasant M. 
Miller and left a large family; one of her 
daughters, Barbara, married Hon.Wm. H. Ste- 
phens, late of Memphis, now of Los Angelos, 
California. 

3. William Grainger Blount, member of 
Congress from Tennessee; he died unmarried 
in 1827. 

4. Richard Blackledge Blount, married and 
left I'hildren in Tennessee. 

5. Barbara married Geii. E. P. Gaines, left 
one son, Edmund Gaines of Washington city, 
D. C. 

6. Eliza married Dr. Edwin Wiatt and left 
two sons and one daughter. 

II. John Gray Blount (I), born 1752, died 
1833, in his youth a companion of Daniel Boone 
in the early explorations of Kentucky, but set- 
tled permanently in Washington, N". C. He 
was frequently a member of the Assembly, and 
though not ambitious of political office, prob- 
ably the most influential man in his section of 
the State. He is said to have been the largest 
land-owner in North Carolina. He married 
(1778), Mary Harvey, daughter of Col. Miles 
Harvey of Perquimans, and left issue: 

1. Thomas Harvey Blount, (born 1781, died 
1850,) who married 1st: (1810) Ellen Brown, 
by whom he liad no children, 2nd, (1827) 
Elizabeth M. daughter of Jno. Bonner Blount, 
of Edenton, and left issue, three sons and 
three daughters: Elizaiielh M. (Geer), Polly 
Ann (Hatton), John Gray Blount (III), Mary 
Bonner (Willard), Thomas Harvey Blount 
and Dr. Wm. Augustus Blount. 

2. John Gray Blount (II), born 1785, died 
1828, married Sally lla^'wood but left no 
issue. 

3. Polly Ann, (born 1787, died 1821,) mar- 
ried Wm. Rodman and left issue: William 
Blount Rodman, late a Judge of the Supreme 



Court of North Carolina, Mary Marcia Blount, 
and Mary Olivia Blount who married J. G. B. 
Myers. 

4. William Augustus Blount, married 1st 
Nancy Haywood and 2nd Nancy Littlejohn: 
For him and his family see post, page 11, 
under Beaufort County. 

5. Lucy Olivia (born 1799, died 18-54,) mar- 
ried Bryan Grimes, and left, issue: Mary, 
Annie, Olivia, and John Gray Blount Grimes. 

i-i Patsy Baker, born 1802, still living unmar- 
ried. 

III. Reading Blount, (born 1757, died 
1807,) a Major in the Revolutionary War; 
married Lucy Harvey, daughter of Col. Miles 
Harvey, and left five children: 

1. Polly who married John Myers and left 
a large family in Washington, N. C. 

2. Louisa, married Jos. W. Worthington, of 
Maryland. 

3. Willie Blount, married Delia Blakemore 
of Tennessee. 

4. Caroline Jones, married Benjamin Run- 
yan. 

5. Reading Blount, married Polly Ann 
Clark, and left one son, Reading Blount. 

IV. Thomas Blount (born 1759, died 
1812), an officer of distinction in the Revolu- 
tion, Major in Col. Buncombe's Regiment. Set- 
tled at Tawboro; was frequently a member of 
the Assembly from Edgecombe; a member of 
Congress for several sessions, and died in 
Washington City in 1812. He married .1st 
Patsy Baker; ^nd Jacky Sumner (afterwards 
known as Mrs. Mary Sumner Blount) daughter 
of Gen. Jethro Sumner of Warren. He had 
no children by either marriage. 

V. Jacob Blount, (born 1760 died ,) 

married 1st (1789) Ann Collins, daughter of 
Josiah Collins of Edenton, by whom he had 
two daughters, (a) Ann; and (b) Elizabeth, who 
married Jno. W. Littlejohn, of Edenton. He 
afterwards married Mrs, Augustus Harvey; 



THE BLOUNT FAMILY. 



liut liiul 11(1 cliildreii by the second niarriage. 

VL Willie Blount (born 1768: died 1835); 
went to Tennessee in 1790 as private Secre 
tarj to his eldest brother Gov. William Blount ; 
was elected Judge of the Supreme Court in 
1796; Governor from 1809 to 1815. He raised 
on his private credit the money with which to 
equip the three Tennessee regiments sent 
under Andrew .lackson to the defense of New 
Orleans during the war of 1812. In recog- 
nition of his eminent public services, the 
State of Tennessee in 1877 erected a mon- 
ument to his memory in Clarksville, Ten- 
nessee, lie married Lucinda Baker, and left 
two daughters, Mrs. Dabney and Mrs. Ddrtch, 
of Tennessee. For his second wife he mar- 
ried the widow of Judge Hugh Lawson 
White. 

VIL Sharp Blount (born 1771; died 1810,) 
married Penelope Little, daughter of Col. 
Geoi-ge Little of Hertford, and left three sons. 
(a) William Little Blount, (b) Jacob Blount, 



(c) George Little Blount. The first two died 
without issue. George Little Blount married 
a Miss Cannon of Pitt, and resided at Blount 
Hall in Pitt County, the seat of his grand- 
father Jacob Blount. 

It has been impossible to give moi'e than a 
summary of the genealogy of this extensive 
family. It is hoped that the above is sutH- 
cient to enable any one to trace the t'onnec- 
tioiis of its principal branches. 

It may ])e added that WiHiaiu and Willie 
Blount were both, in all probaliility, born 
at Blount Hall in Pitt County, and not in Ber- 
tie, as is sometimes stated, and as is inscribed 
on the monument ei-ectedliy the State of Ten- 
nessee to the memory of the latter. There is 
no reason to suppose that their father, Jacob 
Blount, ever lived in Bertie. Also the story 
of the absurd mscription on the stone on Mrs. 
Mary Sumner Blount's grave in Tawboro, is 
entirely untrue. 



Genealogy of the Barringer Family. 



John Paul Barringer, born in German}- 1721, 
came to America 1743; settled in Pennsylva- 
nia, where he married { 1 ) Ann Elizabeth Tseman 
called Ain lis; came to Mecklenburg Co. N. C. 
about 1746, and there married (2) Catherine 
Blackwelder. He died in 1807. 

Issue: I. Catherine married Ist to John Phifer, 
one of the signers of (20ch of May 1775) Dec- 
laration of Independence: Issue (a) Paul, who 
married Jane Alexander and had George, Mar- 
tin, John N., Nelson and Caleb; (b) Margaret 
married to John Simianer; she (Catherine) 
married a second time to George Savage and 
had (a) Catherine, who married Noah Partee, 
and Mary, who married Richard Harris. 



II. John (Mt. Pleasant family.) 

IIL Paul, born 1778, died 1844; married Eliz 
abeth Brandon, born 1783, died 1844; issue: 
(a) Daniel Moreau, born 1806, died 1873; in 
legislature 1829 to '34; '39, '54; Member of 
Congress 1843 to 1849; IT. S. Envoy to Spain, 
1849; in Peace Congress of 1861; married Kliz- 
abeth Withered, of Baltimore, and had(l)Lew- 
iu, born 1850; University of Virginia; married 
Miss Miles; (2) Daniel .\I., born I860; (b) .Mar- 
garet, married 1st to John Boyd; 2nd to An- 
drew Grier ; ( c ) Paul, married Carson ; ( d ) Mary, 
married C. W. Harris; (e) Matthew; (f) Wil- 
liam, married Alston, and had John. Paul. Wil- 
liam, Charles, Victor and Ella; (g) Elizabeth, 



Ixii 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



married Edwin R.Harris; (h) Alfred; (i) Rufus, 
Brig. Gen. C. S. A., married 1st Eugenia Mor- 
rison, and Iiad Anna and l^aul; 2nd, Rosalie 
Chunn, and had Rufus; 3rd, Margaret Long, 
and had Osmond ; (k) Catherine, married Gen. 
W". C. Means. Issue: Paul, Robert, James, 
William, Bettie, George and A^ictor; (1) A^ic- 
tor, legislature of I860; Judge of International 
Court in Egypt; married Maria Massie. 

IV.Mattliias; V. Martin; VI. Elizabeth, mar- 
ried to 1st, George Pitts; 2nd, to John Boon, 



of Guilford; VII. Sarah, married to .Jacob 
Brem, of Lincolnton; A^III. Esther, married to 
Thomas ("'larke, of Tennessee; IX. Daniel L. 
Barringer, born 1788; died 18.52; legislature 
1813-'19-'23; in Congre.s8 1826 to 1835; mar- 

ried Miss White, granddaughter of 

Governor Caswell; removed to Tennessee, and 
was Speaker of the House; X. Jacob, married 
Mary Ury; XL Leah, married 1st David Hol- 
ton, 2nd Jacob Smith; XII. Marv, married to 
Wesley Harris, of Tennessee. 



Genealogy of the Clark Family. 



Christopher Clark, a sea-captain, and mer- 
chant in Edenton, came from North of England 
about 1760. After sonic years removed to Ber- 
tie County, near the niontli of Salmon Creek. 

He nuxrried 1st, Elizaltetli , by whom 

he had Elizabeth, Mary and Sarah. 

I. Elizabeth C'iark married Judge Blake Ba- 
ker, of Tarboi'o', and left no issue. 

If. Mary Clark married George West; liorn 
1758, died 1810, and left issue: [a] Robert 
West, who married Ann Dortcli, liy wliom he 
had Isaac D., Rol)ert, George Clark. Martha, 
married W. B. Johnson; Mary, married Chas. 
Minor; Arabella, married Q. C. Atkinson; Ann; 
Laura, married Robert McClure; Elizabeth and 
Sarah. 

[b] Mary West, married Judge P. W. Hum- 
phrey, and left Judge West II. Humphrey, 
married Pillow; Elizabeth, married Baylis; 
Georgianna, nuirried Powell; Charles and 
Robert. 

[c] George West married Ann Lytle, and 
left Robert, George, Ann, married Gillespie. 

ni. Sarah Clark married William Clements, 
and left: 

[a] Sarah; [b] Arabella, married C. Bay- 
lis; [c] Mary, married R. Collier; [d] Dr. 
Christopher C; [e] John II., and [f] Robert W. 



After the death of his tirst wife, Christopher 
Clark married about 1778 or 1779, Hannah Tur- 
ner, of Bertie, daughter of Thomas Turner, and 
left: 

IV. James West Clark, born 1769, died 1845, 
who married Arabella E. Toole, born 1781, died 
1860, daughter of Henry I. Toole, of Edge- 
combe, and left issue: 

[a] Henry Toole Clark, born 1808, died 1874, 
University of North Carolina, 1826; North Car- 
olina Senate, 1859-'60 ; Governor, 1861 ; he mar- 
ried, 1850, .Mrs. Mary Weeks Hargrove [ncc 
Parker] daughter of Theophilus Parker, of Tar- 
boro', and left the following children: Laura 
P., Haywood, Henry Irwin, Maria T. and Ara- 
bella T. 

[b] Maria Toole, born 1813, died 1859; mar- 
ried, 1852, Matt. Waddell; left no issue. 

[c] Laura Placidia, born 1816, died 1864; 
married, 1832, John W. Gotten, and left Mar- 
garet E., married -T. A. Englehard; Araliella 
C, married Wm. I). Barnes; Florida, married 
Wm. L. Saunders, and John AV., married Eliz- 
abeth Frick. 

[d] Mai'y Sumner, born 1817, married Dr. 
Wm. George Thomas, and have issue: George 
G., Arabella and Jordan T. 



THE HAYWOOD FAMILY. 



Ixiii 



-^'>^^i^^^^^^^h^^;S^'^^^ 



Genealogy of the Haywood Family 



Joliii Ilaywodd, the fouiider of the family 
ill North Carolina, was bmn in Christ Church 
Parish, near 8t. Michael's, in the Island of 
Barbadoes. He was the son of John Haywood, 
a younger brother of Sir ITeniy Haywood a 
Kniglit and magistrate in the old country and 
must liave been a man of some note as Evelyn 
in his iMemoirs speaks of having met him at 
court and was not favorably impressed with 
his arrogant manner. He settled in 1730 at 
the mouth of Coneeanarie in Halifax, then a 
part of the great county of Edgecombe. He 
was Treasurer of the nortliern counties of the 
Province from 17;i2, until his death in 1758. 

He married .Mary Lo vet t, by whom he had 
six children. 

I. Elizabeth married .Jesse Hare, she died in 
1774 and had issue: [a] Ann married Isaac 
Croom and his son Isaac married Sarah Pear- 
son; [b] .Mary married, first Richard Croom 
and second to Hicks. 

II. Mary Haywood nuu'ried to tlie Kev. 
Thomas Burgess, 17G1, whose son Lovett, mar- 
ried first Elizabeth Irwin, sec(md l^riscilla Mon- 
nie, third Mrs. Black; to tlie last named 
were born [a] Maiy married to Alston, 1824, 
[!)] Elizabth married, 1.S12, to Alston, of Bed- 
ford county, "S'irginia; [c] Melissa married to 
(Jen. William Williams, whose daughter, Me- 
lissa, married to Col. Joseph John Long and 
their daughter, Ellen married to Gen. Junius 
Daniel, who was killed at Chancellorsville; — 
[d] John married Martha Alston and [e] 



Thomas, a distinguished lawyei' in Halifax, 
wlio left no i.ssue. 

III. Deborah married to .John Hardy but 
liad no issue. 

IV. Col. William Haywood, of Edgecombe, 
married Charity Hare; he died in 1779, and 
had ten children. [1] Jemima, married to 
John Whitfield of Lenoir, died 1837, with 
following issue; [a] William II. twice married 
and left seven children; [b] Constantine, left 
five children; [c] Sherwood, unmarried; [d] 
John Walter, left three children; [e] Jemima, 
left six children, married first to Middleton, 
second to Willams; [f] Mary Ruft'in; [g] Kiz- 
iah Arabella, had three children; [b] Racliel 
Daniel, married John Jones and had five chil- 
dren; [i] George Washington, not married. 

[2] John Haywood, State Treasurer for forty 
years; married 1st Sarali Leigh, and 2nd Eliza, 
daughter of John Pugh Williams and had issue; 
by last marriage [a] John, unmarried; [b] Geo. 
Washington, unmarried; [c] Thomas Burgess, 
unmarried, [d] Dr .fabius Julius, mari'ied Mar- 
tha Whitaker by whom he had issue; Fabius J., 
John Pugh, Joseph and Mary, married to Judge 
Daniel G. Fowle; [e] Eliza Eagles, unmarried, 
[f] Rebecca married to Alljert G. Hall, of 
Xew Hanover County; [g] Frances, unniar- 
ried; [h] Edmund Burke, who niai'ried Lucy 
Williams, and had issue; E l>urke, Alfred, 
Dr. Hubert, Ernest, Edgar, .b.hn and Eliza 
Eagles, married to Preston Bridgers. [3] Ann, 
born 17G0, died 1842; married to Dr. Robert 



Ixiv 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Williams, Burgeon iu tbe Continental Army, 
and bad issue; [a] Eliza, married to Rev. John 
Singletary, issue; three sons: Col. George B. 
killed in batMe, Col. Richard, and Col. Thomas. 
[b] Dr. Robert Williams jr., who left issue; 
[4] Chanty married to Col. Lawrence of Ala- 
bama and had three children; [5] Mary mar- 
ried to Etheldred RutRn, and had issue; [a] 
Sarah, married to Dr. Henry Haywood; [b] 
Henry J. G. Ruffin who married Miss Tart and 
was the father of Col. Sam. and also of Col. 
Thomas Ruffin, who fell at Hamilton Crossing, 
in Virginia. 

[(j] Sherwood, born 1762, died 1829; mar- 
ried Eleanor Hawkins, Ijorn in 177(J, died in 
1855, issue; [a] Ann, who married Wm. A 
Blount; their issue were Major Wm. A. Blount 
jr. of Raleigh and Ann, widow of Gen. L. 0' 
B. Branch, to the last named were born Susan 
0' Bryan, married to Robert H. Jones; Will- 
iam A. B.; Ann married to Armistead Jones; 
Josephine married to Kerr Craige of Salisbury, 
[b] Sarah married first to John Gray Blount, 
and second to Gavin Hogg, she left no issue; [c] 
Delia, married lirst to Gen. William Williams, 
and second to Hon. George E. Badger, issue 
to the first marriage Col. Joseph John Will- 
iams of Tallahassee, Florida, and to the second 
marriage: [1] Mary married to P. M. Hale; 
[2] George, fS] Major Richard Cogdell, [4] 
Thomas, [5] Sherwood, [6] Edward Stanley 
[7] Ann, married first to Bryan, second to 
Col. Paul Faison; [d] Dr. Rufus Haywood, died 
unmarried; [e] Lucy, married to John S. 
Bryan and had issue: [1] Mrs. Basil Manly, 
[2] Mrs. Thomas Badger, [3] Mrs. Wm. H. 
Young, and [4] John S. Bryan of Salisbury. 

[f] Francis P., married first Ann Farrall, 
second Mrs. Martha Austin, daughter of Col. 
Andrew Joyner of Halifax; 

[g] Robert W. married Mary White and 
left one child, Mary; 

[h] Maria T. unmarried. 



[i] Dr. Richard B., married Julia Hicks, 
issue: [1] Sherwood, [2] Graham, [3] Effie, 
married to Col. Carl A. Woodruff, U. S. A., 
[4] Lavinia, [5] Howard, [6] Marshall, [7] 
Eleanor, [8] Marian. 

[7J Elizabeth, born 1758, died 1832; married 
Henry Irwin Toole, [I] born 1750, died 1791, 
of Edgecombe, and left issue: Henry I. Toole 
[II] born 1778, died 1816; Arabella, born 1782, 
died 1860, and Mary, born 1787, died 1858. 

Henry I. Toole [II] married Ann Blount, 
daughter of Gov. Wm. Blount, of Tenn.; and 
left issue: [a] Henry I. Toole [HI] born 1810, 
died 1850; marrie.d Margaret Telfair ; [b] Mary 
Eliza, l)orn 1812, died ; married Dr. Jo- 
seph J. Lawrence, of Tawboro'. 

Arabella Toole, married to the Hon. James 
West Clark. For their descendants see the 
Clark Genealog}', page Ixii. 

Mary Toole, nuirried Theophilus Parker, born 
1775, died 1849, of Tawboro', and had issue: 
[a] the Rev. John Haywood Parker, born 1813, 
died "'858; [b] Catharine C, born 1817, mar- 
ried 1st John Ilargrave, 2nd Rev, Robert B. 
Drane, D. D.; [c] Elizabeth T., born 1820, mar- 
ried Rev. Joseph Blount Cheshire, D. D.; [d] 
Mary W., born 1822, married 1st Frank liar- 
grave, 2nd Gov. Henry T. Clark; [e] Col. Fran- 
cis M. Parker, and [f] Araljella C. Parker. 

[8] Wm. Henry, born 1770,died 1857, mar- 
ried Anne Shepherd, issue; [1] Hon. Wm. II. 
Haywood, born 1801; U. S. Senator, who mar- 
ried Jane Graham, had issue: Wm. H. killed at 
the Wilderness, Duncan Cameron, killed at 
ColdHarbor; Edward G.; Minerva, married to 

Baker; Jane, married to Hon. Sion H. 

Rogers; Ann married to Samuel Ruffin; Mar- 
garet married to Cameron; Gertrude married 
to George Trapier; Elizabeth unmarried. [2] 
Charity, daughter of Wm. Henry Haywood 
married Governor Charles Manly, and left issue: 
Col. John IL, married Caroline Henry; Langdon 
C. ; Cora, married to Col. George B. Singletary; 



HAYWOOD FAMILY 



Ixv 



Helen married to John Oriines; Julia, married 
to Col. McDowell, who was killed in battle; 
Sophia married to Harding; Ida married to Dr 
Jos. Baker of Tarhoro, and Basil, commander 
of Manly's Battery, married Lucy Bryan. 

[9] Stephen born 177-2. died 1824, married, 
first MissLane 1798, by wiium he had Dr. John 
Leigh Haywood and Benjaman Franklin Tlay- 
wood; married second Delia Hawkins 1809, by 
whom he had Wm. Dallas,married Mary Cannon^ 
Margaret Craven married to George Little, Lu- 
einda, married to Sasser; and Sarah; and Phil- 
emon H. Haywood, U. S. Navy. 

[10] Elizabeth, married to Governor Dud- 
ley, died 1840, and had issue: Edward B.; Wra 
Henry, married Baker; Christopher; ElizaAnn, 
married toPurnell; Jane, married to Johnson, 
Margaret married Col. Mcllhenny. 

V. Sherwood [son of John Haywood of Con. 
ecanarie,] married Hannah Gra^' and had Adara 
John, who married his cousin, Sarah the daugh- 
ter of Egbert, issue: one daughtt"; Mai-garet, 
(died 1874,) who l)ecarae the wife of Hon. 
Louis D. Henry, horn 1788, died 1840^ and had 
Virginia, married to Col. Duncan K McRae ; Car- 
oline married to Col. John H. Manly; Augusta, 
wife of R. P. Waring; Margaret, married to Col. 
Ed. G. Haywood; Mary, married to Matt. P. 
Taylor; Malvina^to Douglas Bell, and Louis D.^ 
married Virginia Massenburg. 

Since the afore.sai<l sketch of the Haywood faiuily 
had been put in "forms," a note from Dr. E. Burke 
Haywood, of RalciKh, was receiveil, in which he col- 
lects the sketch in tliese paiticnlars: The cliildven of 
John Haywood, the founder of tiie family in North 
Carolina,' slionld be sketched in the followinfr order: 

I. William Haywood, of EdKec4)nil)e: II. Sherwood; 
III. Mary, wife of Rev. Thomas Buruess: IV. Eliza- 
betli. wife of Jesse Hare; V. Deahora; VI. Egbert. 
and VII. John, who died unmarried. 



VI. Egbert, the sixth child of John Hay- 
wood, died ISOl, married Sarah Ware and had 
issue: [aj Sarah, married Adam John Hay- 
wood, [b] .fohn, a Judge in North Carolina and 
in Tennessee, the historian, died in 1820; [c] 
Dr. Henry, who married Sarah Ruffin, [d] 
Mary married Robert Bell, and had [1] Mar- 
garet, married to Duffy, [2] Dr. E. If. Bell. 
[3] Col W. H. Bell, [4] Admiral Henry H. 
Bell U. S. Navy, [e] Betsy married to AVill- 
iam Shepperd and had issue: [1] Sarah married 
to Hon. Wm. B Grove of Fayetteville, a 
Member of Congress, 1791-1802; [4] Betsy 
married Col. Saml. Ashe, born 1763 died 1835, 
and to the last named were born Betsy, mar- 
ried to Owen Holmes; Mary Porter married to 
Dr. S. G. Moses of St. Louis; Hon* John B. 
Ashe, Member of Congress from Tennessee, 
married his cousin Eliza Hay, and moved to , 
Texas; Hon. Wm. S., married Sarah Ann 
Green; Thomas married Rosa Hill; Richard 
Porter of San Francisco, married Lina Loyal ; 
Susan married to her cousin David Grove; 
Sarah married Judge Samuel Hall of Georgia. 

[8] Susan Shepperd married David Hay; 

[4] Mary married Samuel P. Ashe of Halifax ; 

[5] Margaret married Dr. John Rogers; 

[G] William, [7] ?:gl)ert and [8] Henry. 

[See ante page :^3G.] 

VII. John, who died unmarried. 

The children of John Haywood, (State Treasurer for 
forty years, after wlioni Huywood County and the 
towii of Haywood were named,) the second child of 
William anil Charity Hare, should be named in the 
following order: „, , 

[a] Eliza Eades; [l.].Iohn Steele; Icl (George \\ ash ■ 
inglon; :dl FaUius Julius; [e] Alfred Moore; [H 'I'hos. 
Burgess; [g] Reliecca; [h] William D.ivie; ,il He.i.ia- 
niiu Rush; [k] Frances Ann; Ul Sarah Wool; [m] Ed- 
mund Burke. 



Ixvi 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 




Genealogy of the Phifer Family. 



Tlie name PfeifFer is an old and honored 
one in G(*iinany. Very many of -the name 
have held high and honored positions in the 
management of the Civil and Military affairs 
o-tLthe Enqiire. A copy of the records of State, 
together with information sufKcient to estab- 
lish the identity of the American branch of the 
house has been elicited by a recent correspon. 
dence with branches of the family at Berne, 
Switzerland, and in Breslau, German}'. 

The two brothers, John and Martin PfeifFer 
who came to America, were descendants from 
the family of "Pfeiffers of PfeifJ'ersburgh." 

The rerords show the family to lie ''Pfeiffer 
of Pfeiffersburgh, knights of the order of 
Hereditary Austrian Knighthood; with armo- 
rial bearings as follows: Shield, lengthwise 
divi''ed; the right in silver, with a black, 
crowned Eagle looking to the right; the left 
in blue, from lower part of quarter ascending 
a white rock, with five summits, over the cen- 
ter one an eight-pointed star jiendant. (Schild 
der Lange getheilt; rechts in Silber ein 
rechtsselhender, gekronter, Schwarz Adler 
und links in Blau ein auc dem Feldesfusse 
aufsteigender, Weisser Fels niit funf Spitzen 
uber desen mittlerer ein achtstahliger, gold- 
ener Stern Schwebt.) They were desoeuded 



from Pfeiffer Von Heisselburgh. A diploma 
(patent,) of nobility was issued to .Martin 
Caspar Pfeiffer and Mathias Pfeiffer in 1590, 
with armorial bearings of Knights of Ileis- 
selburg order tif Nobility of the Empire. 
Johnu Baptist Pfeiffer Von Pfeiffcrsburg, 
Knight, -with avmorLu bearings as above stated 
was descendant of Knights of Heisselburgh and 
hereditary heir of Pfeiffersburgh; Achenranian 
Mining and Smelting works; with exclusive 
privilege granted by th'^ Crown, to trade in 
the "Brass of Achenrain and Copper of Schwatz. 
A diploma was issued to him May 10th, 17iil. 
He received an increase of arms on the 4th 
of March 1785, (right field and second helmet. ) 
The pedigree flourished, and a great-grand- 
son of Johnu Baptist Pfeiffer, Knight of Pfeiff- 
crsburg; Leopold Maria, Knight of Pfeiffers- 
burgh, born 1785,po.sses8or of llannsburg, coun- 
ty Ilallein. was matriculated into the nobility 
of the Kingdom of Bavaria after the invest- 
DLent of the same." 

" Caspar Pfeiffer Yon Pfeiffersburg, Knight, 
second brother to Jolinn Baptist Pfeiffer. 
Knight of Pfeiffersburg, possessor of Trecher- 
witz, County Oels, Gernumy, lived in the year 
1713 on his estates. In 1725 he pennanentlr 
located in Berne, Switzerland, and had con- 



THE PITIP'^ER FAMn.Y. 



Ixvii 



trol of the sale of brass and copper from the 
Aeheiiraiiian mines, lie had two sons to come 
to America in the spring of the year 1737. 
Jolm Pfeiftcr and Martin Pfeiifer." 

.Martin Pfeitt'er carried on quite an extensive 
correspondence with his rehitives in Berne 
and in Germany. All these letters, together 
with an immense (puuitity of his son's( Martin 
Phifer Jr.) correspondence with the family 
in P)crnc and elsewhere; and all the records 
which Martin Pfeiffer and all his sons placed 
so much value upon and which had been so 
carefully preserved b}' the first mend)ors of the 
family, seem to have fallen into disfavor with 
John Phifer (born 177i>.) They were packed 
away in truidcs and kept up in the garret at 
the " Black Jacks. " 

All the mendjers of the f inily had spoken 
German np to the time of John Phifer (1779.) 
He never spoke German to any of his children. 
It was with him the change in spelling the 
name to Phifer occurred. 

The papers were consequently unknown to 
any of the various children who, when at play 
in the large old garret, saw- them. These pa- 
pers were all destroyed bj' the burning of 
George Locke Phifer's house. 

An Old gold watch set around with diamonds, 
and thought to bear the arms of the family, 
together with various old trinkets, were also 
destroyed. 

The sketch of this family is writtsn from 
knowledge communicated by different mem- 
bers of the famil}-. 

The will of Martin Pfeiifer, sr., was kept until 
the year 1865, when it was lost. Some of the Bi- 
bles of the family have also been lost. The pres- 
ent history however is accurate and can be relied 
upon in every respect. The information in 
regard to tlie family in Germany lias lieen oli- 
tained by recent correspondence with a branch 
of the famih' in Berne,Switzerland and in Bres- 
lau, Germany. Great pains have been taken 



that every thing should be exact, and in many 
instances, the preparation of this paper has 
been delayed for months tliat a date should be 
correct. To the sketch of the life of John Phi- 
fer, the first son of Martin Pfeifter, sr., a great 
deal of valuable aid was afforded by >.!r. Victor 
C. Barringer. 

The Phifer family has been for five genera- 
tions the most wealthy and prominent in Ca- 
barrus County. For many successive years they 
have been appointed to places of honor and 
responsibility by the people of the Counties of 
Cabarrus and Mecklenburg, some in each gen- 
eration have occupied pi'ominent positions in 
the legislative halls of the State. Their'love 
for truth, honor and justice, their liberality of 
opinion and their sterling qualitiesof mind and 
of heart have necessarily made them leaders of 
the people for generations. They have exercised 
great influence in directing the political and 
social development of their county and State. 
Not one single instance can be found of a fam- 
ily quarrel, the contesting of a W'ill or any 
i)ankrupt proceeding by which the name could 
suffer. The men have all been nolde men, the 
women have all been good and pure, and have 
well sustained the good and ancient name. 

Martin Pfeiffer was an educated man, and 
must have come to America rather well pro- 
vided with money, as he immediately became 
possessed of large tracts of land; and became a 
prominent and influential man, a very short 
time after he settled in the State. The prom- 
inent place taken by his son John, as a leader, 
and as an orator in the early days also goes to 
show that his father must have been a man of 
unusual ability and distinction. 

John Pfeiff"er the younger of the two 
brothers who came to America in 1738, from 
Berne, settled in what is now known as Row- 
an County, N. C. Very little is known of his 
life. lie died some years before his brother 
Martin Pfeifter. He left his home in the up- 



Ixviii 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



per portion of Rowan county, to come down 
and visit his brother; after he had been gone 
for a week his family became alarmed about 
him and a messenger was sent to Martin Pfei- 
ffer's. It was found that he had not reached 
that point. The neighborhood was aroused 
and seaich was made for him. His body was 
found a da}' or so afterwards near the main 
road in an advanced state of decomposition, 
lie is supposed to have become ill, to have 
fallen tVom his horse and died, as no marks of 
violence were found on his person. He had 
it is supposed, only two children; a son Math- 
ias and a daughter who married a Mr. Webb' 
Matbias I'feitier jr. had one child, Paul, who 
was a Baptist preacher and had one daughter 
whose name ie now unknown. 

The above is all the information available 
as to this l)ranch of the family. Their off- 
spring does not seem to have been very num- 
erous, and the two branches appear to have 
di'ifted a[iart. 

Martin I'feitfer, born October ISth, 1720, 

in Switzerland, died Janiuiiy 18th, 1701, at 

"Cold Water," Cabarrus county, N. C. Reached 

Anicrica in 1738; in Legislature of 1777 from 

Mecklenburg county; married 1745, Margaret 

Blackwelder, wlio was Ijorn 1722, died 1803. 

Issue three sons: (I) John; (II) Caleb; (III) 

Martin 

I. 

John l)orn at -'Cold Water," March 22nd. 
1747; died at "Red Hill," 1778; married 1768 
Catherine, daughter of Paul Barringei', (who 
was born 1750, died 1829; after John Phifer's 
death she married Savage ef Rowan county,) 
as a member of the Charlotte convention, 
John Phifer signed the Declaration of May 
20th, 1775; member of Provincial Assembly 
at Hillsbon.), August 21st, 1775, and at Ilali-- 
fax April 4th, 1776, and of the Constitu- 
tional Convention of November 12th, 1776; 
commissioned Lieutenant Colonel, in Colonel 



Griffith Rutherford's Regiment December 21st, 
1776; served in the campaign against the Cher- 
okee Indians and the Scovelite Tories. Bro- 
ken down by exposure and his own tireless 
enei'gy, he fell an early sacrifice in the cause 
of freed<im. 

A man of distinguished character and super- 
ior attainments, and appears to have been one 
of the most conspicuous of the i-emai'kable men 
who figured in the foreground of the move- 
ment which resulted in the independence. His 
burning and fervid eloquence did much to ig- 
nite the flames of indignation against the usur- 
pations of the mother countrj-. He left the fol- 
lowing issue: (A) Paul, born at Red Hill, Nov. 
14th, 1770; died May 20th, 1801; educated at 
"Queen's Museum" afterwards "Liberty Hall" 
in Charlotte; married 1799 Jane Alexander, 
born 1750, who, after his death married Mr. 
Means of Mecklenburg. 

Issue: (I) Martin jr., liorn 1792, died in 
childhood, (II) George Alexander, born'1794, 
died 1868; at the University; in 1835 moved to 
Bedford county, Tennessee, then to Union 
county, Arkansas, where he died. Four of 
his sons were killed in the battle of Shiloh. 
In 1820 he married Elizabeth Beard of Burke 
county, N. C. Issue: (a)George; (b) Margaret 
married to Mr. Pool; (c) Andrew Beard ;(d) 
William; (e) Locke; (f) John: (g) Paul; (h) 
xMary Locke. 

(Ill) John N., born March 19th 1795, died 
September 7th, 1856, married (June 10th 1822) 
Ann Phifer, the daughter of Caleb Phifer; 
moved to Tennessee, then to CofFeeville, Miss- 
issippi, where he died. Issue: (a)Paul,died in 
youth; (b) Caleb same; (c) Barbara Ann, who 
married Dr. Phillips of Alabama; (d) Sarah 
Jane; (e) Charles W., at the University: grad- 
uated at West Point Military Academy; com- 
missioned Lieutenant of Dragoons and sent to 
Texas. Entered C. S. Army as a Captain, pro- 
moted, for gallantry at Shiloh, to be Colonel; 



THE PHIFER FAMILY. 



Ixix 



in 1864 made Brigadier General; the young- 
est General officer of the Confederac}-; (f) 
Josephine, 

(IV) Nelson born December 1797. 

[B ] Margaret, born 1772, died 1806, second 
child of John I'hifer; she married Joim Sim- 
ianer, who for many years was Clerk of the 
Court, they had one child, Mary, who mar- 
ried Adolphus Erwin of Burke County and 
to them were liorn ijcven children; (1) Sim- 
ianer, (2) Bulow married and had a family ^ 
(3)Matilda; (4) Alfred; (5) Mary Ann; (6) 
Harriet, married to Colonel J. B. Kankin 
and lia.-i a family; (7) Louisa, married James 
W. Wilson, and has a family. 
II. 

Caleb, born at Cold Water, April 8tb, 1749; 
died July 3rd, 1811; in legislature 1778 to 
1792 from Mecklenburg; Senator from Ca- 
l)arrus 1793 to 1801 Colonel in the Revolu- 
tionary War, served with distinction, married 
Barbara Fulenweider, born 1754; died 1815. 
Issue; seven daughters and one son: (A) E.sthcr, 
married April 10, 1793,to Nathaniel Alexander^ 
issue ten children: (1) Margaret, married 
Robert Smith and had only one child, Sarah 
who married AVm. F. Phifer, and they had only 
one child, Sarah, who married John Morehead 
and had Aiuiie, Margaret, William, Louisa and 
John. (2) Caleb, married Lunda Chisholni; 
moved to West Tennesse and there died. They 
had Chai'les and John, both now dead; (3) 
Jane, married 1st to Geo. F. Graham, and had 
one child, Ann Eliza, who married to Col. 
\Vm. Johiison; 2nd to Dr. Stanhope Harris 
and had Sarah, who married Jno. Moss; Jane 
married to Dr. Bingham, and Henrietta mar- 
ried to Caldwell. 

(4) Eliza married lirst, February 19th, 1821, 
to James A. .Means and 2nd, to Dr. Elim Harris, 

(5.) Sarah married ( 1825) to Francis Locke 
moved to Montgomery Co. N. C, issue to them : 
Caroline, married to Dr. Ingram; James killed 



in the civil war; Elizabeth married to Under- 
wood and has a family. 

(6) Mary, married to Dr. Elim Harris, 
removed to Missouri, and there both died. 

(7) Nancy, born 1810, married 1833 to John 
Moss, of .Montgomery County, N. C, issue: 
Esther, wife of Adolphus Gib.son; Mary, wife 
of D. F. Cannon; Margaret, wife of James 
Erwin; Edward; John. 

(8) Esther, married to Dr. James Gilmer. 

(9) Charles, moved to Memphis, Tenn., and 
acquired great wealth, died unmarried. 

(10) John moved to Tenn., but died in 
Cuba. 

(B) Margaret, second child of Calel), born 
Nov. 14, 1777, died Aug. 14, 1799; married in 
[1794] to Matthew Locke of Rowan Co., had 
one son, John, who married Miss lk)uchclle, 
but left no issue. 

[C] Elizabeth, burn 1781, married [1802,] 
to Dr. Wm. M. Moore, Salisbury; on his death 
moved to Bedford Co., Tenn., then to Mar- 
shall Co., Miss., there died in 1845. Issue [1] 
Abigail died in infancy; (2) Moses W., l)orn 
Jan. 7, 1807, died 1851; married Rebecca Mc- 
Keuzie, [1840,] moved to Washington Co.? 
Texas. Issue: William; Sarah, who married to 
I)r Ferrill,of Anderson, Texas; they had three 
children, Bertie; Elizabeth and Robert;[3] Mar- 
garet E., born at Salisbury, Feb. 14, 1809, mar- 
ried 1824, to Edward Cross, who was born at 
Chestnut Hill, Penn., 1804, died 1833; moved 
to LaFayette Co., Tenn. Issue; seven child ren^ 
(a) Caroline V., born 1826, married 1849 to 
Wm.Sledge of Pauolacounty,. Mississippi, moved 
to Washington county, Texas in 1851, then to 
.Memphis, Tennessee in 1872. They had Win. 
M. born 1850: Margaret E.,born 1853 and Ed- 
ward C. born 1854. 

(b) Elizabeth .M., born at Salisbury, 1827; 
married (1843) Samuel P. Badhget, died in 
Texas in 1866; issue: Uphclia,died in infancy 



]xx 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



(c) Daniel F.,died in infancy, as did(tI)Susan- 
nah. 

(e) Edward born April 1st, 1833, lives in 
Austin, Texas: 

(f) Mary An s born 1835 in Lafayette county, 
Tennessee, married first, 185(J, to Leonidas B. 
Lemay of Wake county ,N.G. ; in 1862 to Col. Al- 
len Lewis of Maine, who was lost at sea in 
1870. Issue: Ida, Elizalieth, Mary Ann who 
are dead; Leonidas B. Leniay, liorn January 
21st, 1857 and Allen Lewis,who are living in 
Memphis, Tennessee. 

(D.) Sarah, the fom-tli cliihl of Caleb Plii- 
fer, married Dr. Wra. Houston of Mecklenburg, 
a successful practitioner of great wealth. They 
moved to Bedford County, Tennessee. Issue: 
Lydia married 1823 to Dr. Wm. Rhoan, they 
moved to Tennessee and reared a large family; 
Caleb married and has a family, lives at Shel- 
by ville, Tennessee; Wm. married Miss Steele 
and has a family; Louisa married and has a 
family. 

(E.) Barbara born 1770, died 1810; married 
(1809) Abram C. McRee of Cal)arriis. Issue: 
(1) Cornelius, nuirried .Margaret Means and 
moved to Alabama, where they reared a fam- 
ily ;( 2) Mary Ann married to Dr. Robert 
Means, and had one child, Poindexter, tliey 
live in Alabama; (o)Margaret, and (4) Phifer 
who married Miss Burt of Alabama and has 
a family. 

(F) Mary, married Dr. Robert McKenzic, 
an eminent [)hysician of Charlotte; removed 
to Bedford county, Tennessee, then to Mis- 
sissippi, Lousiana and finally settled in Grimes 
count}', Texas, where they died and were 
buried on the same day. Issue: (1) Rebecca, 
wife of Dr. Moses W. .Moore (see ante page 
Ixix.) (2) Joseph, unmarried; (3) John, mar- 
ried and has three children;(4) Mary, died in 
infancy; (5) Lucy married Pinkston, living in 
Grimes county, Texas, has a family of tour 
children. 



(G) Ann, as has been stated became the 
wife of John N. Phifer. 

(II.) John Kulenwider, born 17^0, died 
1826; educated at Dr. Robertson's school, at 
Poplar Tent; entered the University; married 
Louisa .Morrison of Lancaster S. C. Issue: a son 
and a daughter, who died in infancy, and 
Caleb, born 1825, died 1844, distinguished for 
scholarship at school, and afterwards at Pnnce 
ton; then read law with Judge Pearson. So 
young and full of high promises of usefulness, 
he died in his 19th year, and so the Caleb 
Phifer branch of the f.imily became extinct, as 
he was the last male mendier of that branch 

III. 

Martin jr. born at "Cold Water," March 
25th, 1756, died at the "Blaek Jacks," Nov- 
ember 12th, 1837; married (1778) Elizabeth 
Locke, who was born 1758, died 1791; he was 
Colonel of a Regiment of horse, on duty at 
Philadelphia, and was distinguislied forgallan- 
trj' in the field. And received high mention 
for his personal bravei'y in the papers of State. 
He was the largest land-owner in the State, 
and had a great number of slaves. Had issue: 
John, George, .Mary, Ahirgaret and Ann. 

Issue:(A) John, horn at Cold Water, Sept- 
ember Ist, 1779; died October 18th, 1845; en- 
tei'ed at Dr. .McCorckle's school at Thytira 
church in Rowan C( unty: at the University in 
the first year of that institution, graduated in 
1799, with first honors; married August 27, 
1805, Esther Fulenwidcr, a daughter of John 
Fnlenwider of "High Shoals," Lincoln county 
N. C, who was born 1784, died 1846. 
Member of the Legislature 1803 to 1806; in 
House of Commons 1810 to 1819; and in the 
Senate in 1824. Defeated l)y Forney for Con- 
gress by twenty-five majiu'ity. "lie lived a 
blessing, and his name will ever remain an 
honor to his family, his county and his State." 

He was one of the most intellectual and 
highly cultivated men of his time. His speeches 



TIIK PHIPER FAMILY. 



in the House and Senate show r(Mnark!il>le abil- 
ity. His public career, which iiroiuised ti) be 
one of unusual brilliancy, was cut oft' by the 
failure of hise3'e-sight. lie became almost to- 
tally blind in the latter part of his life. lie 
was noted for his .wonderful pojiularity, his 
great decision of character, and his eloquence 
as a speaker. 

Had issue: .Martin, John Fulonwider, Calel>, 
Elizabeth, Mary Simianer, George Locke, Sarah 
Ann, Margaret Locke, Esther Louisa, Mary 
Burton. (1) ALartin, born December 30th, 
1806, died September 11th, 1852; married Eliza, 
daughter of Jacob Kamseur, of Lincolnton, N. 
C; had no issue. (2) John Fulen wider, born 
August 13, 180S, died January 10, 1850; edu- 
cated by Dr. Wilson near Rocky River church; 
a merchant and planter, died unmarried. (3) 
Calel), born June 10, 1810; died .March 11, 1878; 
educated at Dr. Wilson's, most iirominent in 
financial and manufactui'ing schemes; director 
of N. C.li. R. for years. .Member of House of 
Commons in 1S44; and of ronstitulional Con- 
vention of 1X61-62. lie was a student all dur- 
ing his life, and was well posted in both the 
scientiticand current literature of the day. He 
married [1838] Mary Adeline, third child of 
David Ramsenr, of liincohitoii, who was liorn 
Aug. oth. 1817, died Sept. 20th, 1881. Issue: 
[a] EstliGr, born December 23,1840, died Sep- 
tendier 5th, 1857; [b] David Ramseur. born, 
April 14th, 1839; a graduate of Davidson and 
of William and Mary in Virginia; served in 
the C. S. Army; became a merchant in New- 
beri'v; married Sarah Whitmire; had issue: 
Mary, Henry, Mai'tin and Elizabeth. 

[d] John Locke, born October 28th, 1842, 
died January 26th, 1880: was educated in 
Philadelphia; served in 20th, N. C. Vols.; 
liacame a most sucessful merchant; [e] Char- 
les Henry, born September 28th 1847; served 
in the Confederate Artillery; then graduated 
at Davidson College (1866); a civil engineer 



by education. Now successful as a merchant; 
[f] Robert Kulenwider, born Novemlier 17th, 
184!); graduate of Davidson [1866J successful 
as a planter and cotton buyer; [g] Martin, 
born .Imie 26th, 1855, died .March 10th 1881; 
[h] Sarah Wilfong, born February 26th, 1859, 
married [1883] to Marshall N. Williamson in 
Winston. 

[4J Elizabeth, fourt ; child of John Phi- 
fer born April 20th, 181 2, married Dr. Edmund 
R. (Til)son at the '-Black Jacks," February 25th, 
1835. Dr. Gibson was born July Oth, 1809, 
died May 28th, 1872, in Rowan County, an 
eminent ph3'8ician, of large estate. Issue: 
[a] Esther Margaret, born 1836, died an infant; 
[b] WiUiam Henry borti June 2nd, 1837, kill- 
ed at Gettysburg, 1863; [c] John Phifer born 
January 5th, 1839; served as Lieutenant in 
the civil war; married Martha M. Kirkpatrick, 
[1804,] and had .Mary Grace. Now a mer- 
chant of Concord; [d] .Tames Cimningliam, 
born November 10th, 1840, served in the Con- 
federate Army, also Clerk of Court; married 
Elizabeth Puryear [1876] and has Elizabeth, 
William Henry, Richard Puryear and Jennie 
Marshall; [e] George Locke, born March 15tli, 
1844, died 1877;[f] Robert Erwin, born March 
15th, 1844, married [1876] Emily Magruderof 
AVinchester, Virginia, issue: Emily .Magruder 
and RoI)ert Magruder; successful merchant in 
( 'Oncord. 

(5) Mary Simianer, tifth child of .John Phi 
fer, born December 7th, 1814, died an infant. 

[0] George Locke, sixth child; born June 
7th, 1817, died June Oth, 1879; entered the 
school of Robert I. McDowell, and then at 
Greensboro; a planter; married [1847] Rosa 
Allen Peunick, daughter of Rev. Daniel Pen- 
nick,of the Virginia Presbytery; issue: [a] Ag- 
nes Tinsley l)orn August 24th, 1850, married 
[1876]to Albert Heilig of Rowan, had George 

[b] Esther Louisa born May 24th, 1852. 

[c] Sarah Maria born July 25th, 1854. 



Ixxii 



WIIEELEtl'S REMINISCENCES. 



[d] Annie Kosa boni March 29th, 1857. 

[e] Ma]7 Elizabeth born July 11th, 1859, 
died August 25th, 1882 married [1881] Will- 
Ramseur of Newton. 

[f] Daniel I^ennick born Decemljer 14th, 
1861. 

[g] John Young, born June 5th, 1864. 

[h] George Willis born February Ist, 1868. 

[i] Emma Garland, liorn September 4th, 
1869. 

[7] Sarah Ann, born October 23rd, 1819; 
married May 31st, 1842, to Robert W. Allison 
of Cabarrus, who was born April 24th, 1806, 
a man of prominence, chairman of CQunty Com- 
missioners, in legislature of 1865-66; delegate 
to Convention of 1875. 

Issue: [a] Esther Phifer, born November 27th 
1843, married [1866] Samuel White of York 
county S. C, Capt. 7th N. C. Vols., C. S. A. 
issue: four children, Grace Allison, the only 
one living. 

[b] Joseph Young, born July IGth, 1846, 
educated at the University of- Virginia; read 
law with Chief Justice Pearson, became apres- 
byterian clergyman, married [1876] Sarah Cave 
Durant. 

[c] .John Phi fer, born August 22d, 1848; a 
merchant in Concord: married [1880] Annie 
Erwin, daughter of Hon. Burton Craige. 

[d] Mary Louisa, born March 27th, 1850, 
died 1878. 

[e] Elizabeth Adeline, born March 26th, 
1852, married [1875] to John M White of 
Fort Mills, S. C; he was Colonel 6th S. C. 
Vols. C. S. A., and died 1877. She lives near 
Fort Mills, 

[f] William Henry, born February 26th, 
1854, died in infancy as did the three follow- 
ing. 

[g] Caroline Jane, born October 23d, 1855. 
[h] Annie Susan, born December 16th 

l.S'57. [i] Robert Washington born March 15th 
1862. 



[8] Margaret Locke, eighth child of John 
Phifer, born December 7th, 1821, died in in- 
fancy. 

[9] Esther Louisa, born May 31st, 1824; 
married to Robert Young of Cabarrus, Capt. 
C. S. A.; killed July 1864, she died July 9tli, 
1865; had John Young, Capt C. S. A., killed 
at Chancellorsville, May 3d, 1863, 

[10] Mary Burton, tenth child of John Phi- 
fer, born November 10th, 1826; educated in 
Philadelphia, married [1850] John A. Brad- 
shaw of Rowan, now lives in New York. Is- 
sue: Harriet Ellis, Mary Grace, Annie, Eliza- 
beth, John who died 1866. 

[B] Ge^orge, second child of Martin Phifer, 
jr., was born February 24th, 1782, died Jan- 
uary 23d, 1819; merchant and planter; Clerk 
of the Court; married [1808] Sarah, daugh- 
ter of John Fulenwider of High Shoals, 
Lincoln county, N. C. She was born 1786, and 
and after the death of George Phifer married 
.Joseph Young,whom she survived, and died 
-January 24th, 1868, at Hon. J. H. Wilson's 
house in Charlotte. 

Issue to George and Sarah Phifer: [a] Will- 
iam Fulenwider, born February 13th, 1809; 
graduate of Hampden-Sidney College; mer- 
chant at Concord; married [1833] Sarah Smith, 
and had Sarah, wife of John Morehead; who 
had Annie, Margaret, William, Louisa and 
John. On the death of liis wife, William [a] 
removed to Lownds County, Alabama; cotton 
planter there; returned to North Carolina and 
married [1849] Martba White, issue: [1] Wil- 
hani; [2] Robert Smith, educated in Germany; 
remarkable musical talent,he married Bella Mc. 
Ghee of Caswell county, and has Wilhelmine, 
Thomas Mc. Ghee and Robert; [3] George; 
[4] Mary married [1882] to M. C. Quinn; 
[5] Cordelia; [6] Josephine married [1880] 
William G. Durant of Fort Mills, S. C, they 
have Mary and William Gilmore; [7] Edward. 



THE PHIFER FAMH^Y. 



Ixxiii 



[b] John Fulemvider, born May 1st, ISIO, 
married [1839] Elizabeth Caroline, a duugh tor 
of David Ramseur, she was born l!^10; re- 
moved to Lownds county, Alal)ania; roturned 
to Lincolnton. Issue: [1] George, born Febru- 
ary 10th, 1841; educated at Davidson; served 
with distinction as Captain in the line, [C. S 
Army,] and afterwards on General R. F. lloke's 
staff; married [1879] Martha Avery of Burke 
county; issue: John; Monlton; George; Edward; 
Isaac; Walton; Maud; \Yaightstill. lie is a 
cotton manufacturer at Lincolnton; [2] Will- 
iam Locke, born February ITth, 1843, killed 
at Chickamauga, Tennessee, September 20th, 
1863; [3] Edward born May 8th 1844; Cap- 
tain C. S. Vols. He died from wounds received 
before Petersburg, June 18th, 1864; [4] Mary 
Wilfong born December 2.5th, 1856, married 
[1881] to Stephen Smith of Livingston, Ala- 
bama, has one child Stephen. 

[c] Mary Louisa, born December 3d, 1814: 
married [1846] to Hon. Joseph Harvey Wil- 

•Wecopy fi 1)111 the RnU-iqh iVeit'S-Oterrcr, of Sei)t- 
embcrlStli, 1884, tlie fullowiiiK notice of Hon. Joseph 
Harvey Wilson, wlio was born in the comity of 
Mecklenburg. His fatlier, the Rev. Jolui Mc- 
Kiiniev Wilson, was a Scotch Presbyterian, ami a di- 
vine of considerable influence in that section of the 
State. The son inherited the talcnt.s and sterlinsrqua'- 
ities of the father, and was early imbued with the fa- 
ther's piety and he had been since his early manhood 
a consistent lucnilier of the Presbyterian church 

He was admitted to the bar and began the practice 
of the law in ('Ijailotte soon after he Ix'came of age, 
and for about titty years he enjoyed a large and luci-a- 
tive practice in Meckleiiliiug and the surronuding 
counties. After the retiienient ot William Julius Alex- 
ander and the death of his r(iiit<'ni|)i)raiies of :a past 
generation, Mr. Wilson an<l the late Judge (Jsborne, 
who were nearly of the same age au<l always fiieuds, 
contested the le'adersliip otthe inofcssion in Meeklen- 
biirg, though Mr. Wilsmi, on acronni of his jiaiiistak- 
ing industr}!-, always commanded a larger sliaie of the 
routine and remunerative liu-siness of the county. He 
never found it advisable to take au extended circuit 
as was the rule among the lawyers before the war; 
but in Union. Cabarrus an<l Gaston counties he en- 
joyed a leading business and was generally on one 
side or the other of every important case. Kver dili- 
gent and careful in the i)reparatiou of his cases, and 
eminently faithful to the interests of his clients, of 
sound judgment and thoroughly versed in the prin- 
ciples of the law, that he was a v ery successful prac- 
tioner is not remarkable. Probably no lawyer of his 
day reaped larger rewar<ls lu the legitimate proseca- 
tion of the legal profession in the State; and being 
ecnomical in the proper sense of the term, while lie 
was at the same time liberal when calls upon his charity 



son*; issue: [1] George married Bessie Wither- 
spoon of Sumter, S. C, who have Mary Louise, 
Hamilton, and Annie Witherspoon. He grad- 
uated at Davidson and at the University of 
Vii'ginia; [2] Mary married Charles E. John- 
ston, who have Mary AVilson and Charles. 

[d] Elizabeth Ann, the twin sister of Mary 
Louisa; educated at Hillsboro; married [1837] 
to E. Jones Erwin of Burke, who died in 1871. 
Issue: Phifer married [1875] Corrinna More- 
head Avery; and have Annie Phifer; Corrinna 
Morehead and Addie Avery; [2] Mary Jones 
married (1874)to .Mitchell Rogers and have 
one child Francis; [3] Sallie married [1882] to 
Dr. Moran and have one child, Annie Rankin. 

[e] Martin Locke born January 25th, 1818, 
died March 9th, 1853; educated at Bingham's 
school; removed to Lownds county, Alabama; 
a planter. Returned to N. C. [1848] married 
Sarah C. Hojle of Gaston county .Left no issue 

[C] Mary Phifer, third child of Martin Phi- 
fer, jr., born December 1st, 1774; died 1860, 

pud public spirit commended themselves to his judg- 
ment, he succeeded in accumulatiug a coosiderable 
fortune, of which he continued in possession to his 
death. In his success in his profession, as the result 
of patient, honest, faithful work, without any of the 
shiuini: qualities of the genius, Mr. Wilson is one of 
the best e.xamides to the younger members of the bar. 
He proved to the satisfaction of all who knew hini 
that a lawyer can be a good Christian and at tiie same 
time a successful business man. While he ever took 
a lively and patriotic interest in public attairs, he 
could never be seduced from tho jirosecution of his 
profession by the otter of political phiee or office, and 
he persistently refused even to oerve his people in the 
State legislature until he was forced [by a sense 9t 
public duty] to represent his county in the Senate m 
1866-67 when he was elected president of that body, 
a rare compliment to one who had never before ser- 
ved in a legislative body. It showed the very high 
esteem in which he was held in the State. . 

Mr. Wilson was twice married, his first wife being 
Miss Pattou t>f Buncombe, and the second. Miss Phifer 
of Cabarrus, who survives him, and he leaves three 
children of the tirst marriage and two of the second, one 
of whom, (ieorge E. Wilson Esq., was hispartner at the 
bar, and an other is the wife of our esteemed neigh- 
bor, Mr. Charles E. Johnson, of this city. Besides Ins 
widow aud children, a large circle of loving tTieuds 
mourn his departure. He died September 13th, \fm, 
ill the fullness of years and maturity of time, tUe 
loss of but few citizens in the State could create a 
more profound sensation in the communities iu 
which they respectively live than did the death of 
this good and honored man in the couut.v of Meck- 
lenburg. Tlie whole community were his friends; wa 
doubt if he left an enemy. 



Ixxiv 



WHEELER'S REMIKISCENCES. 



and is buried at Tuscaloosa, Ala. Married 
[1803] to William Crawford, of Lauca-^ter, S. 
C. Issue: Elizabeth and William. After Mr. 
Crawford's death she married dame^ Childers, 
of N. C, and moved to Tusealooj^a. Issue: 

(a) Elizalieth Crawford married John Dobv, 
and had [1] Joseph, who married Margaret 
Harris and has a fanuly; [2] .Martin married 
SaUie Grier, and liad one rhild; on lier death 
he married Sallie Sadler; [-i] James married 
Mary Walker and has a family; [4] William 
married Altonia (irier, and had rhildren. 

(b) William Crawford married Lncretia Mull, 
and had [1] Thomas, nuirried 1st Mary I'riee, 
2nd Mrs. Klutz, and has a family; [2] WiUiam 
married Miss Smith, and has a family; [?>] 
James married Sallie Ileilig, and have chiMi'en; 
[4] Robert married Miss Crawford, and tliev 
have ehildren; [f)] Lee married .Miss reedeu, 
and has children. 

(c) Ann Childers married to Walker; 

issue: (1) Mary; (2) ;(3) Martin; (4) . 

(d) Susan Childers married Read, but lias no 
issue. 

(e) Jas Childers, married, and has a family. 
(D) Margaret, fourth child of Martin Phifer, 

jr., born December 7th, 178G; married [January 
7th, 1808,] James Erwin of Burke, Co.,X. C. Is- 
sue, seven children: [1] William, married Ma- 
tilda Walton, and they had five children; mer- 
chant in Morgan ton; his second wife was Mrs. 
Gaston, but had no issue; after her death he 
married Kate lIappoldt,and to them were born 
two children. Ilis children are [a] Clara, mar- 
ried to Mclntyre, and has a fandly, the oldest 
named Matilda; [b] Anna, married Robert Me- 
Connehey, and they have children ; [c] Laura , 
married to M.Jones, but had no issue; [d] Hen- 
rietta, married to Gray Bynum; [e] Ella mar- 
ried George Greene, and they have three child- 
ren. By his third wife he had [f] Margaret 
and (g, Evelyn. 

(2) Joseph Erwin; married Elvira Ilolt. He 



has been in the Legislature several terms, and 
once serveil as clerkof the court. Issue: Mary 
L.; .Matilda; Margaret, married to Lawrence 
Holt, of Company Shops, and have five child- 
ren; Cora, married John Gi'aut, of Alamance 
Co. [3] Martin, married Jane Huie, of Salisbury, 
issue: five children; then to Miss Blackmaiin; 
issue: th"ee children; moved to .Maury Co., 
Tenii., and there died. (4] (George, married 
.Margaret Hiiison, of Burke Co., moved to 
Tenn.; they have nine children. 

(•3) Elizabeth, married Hon. Burton Craige, 
of Salisbury; i^sue: [:i] Jamos; [li] Kerr, a 
prominent lawyer, in Legislature from Rowan, 
declined nomination foi' (^ingress; married .lo- 
se[)hine, daugbt(M-or (J(>n. L. O'B. IJratiob, and 
their children are Nanni(\ Bui'ton, Branch, Jo- 
sephine, Bessie an<l Kerr; [cj Frank, married 
[1877]'' Fannie Williams, (jf Williamsport, 
Tenn., ba\e three children; [d] Mary Eliza- 
beth, married Alfred Young, of Cabarrus, and 
have Lizzie, Fannie, Annie and .Mary; [e] An- 
nie, married to John 1'. Allison, of Conc(jrd. 

(7) Alexander. 

(ti) Sarah, married John McDowell, of 
Burke; they have seven children, noneof whom 
are married; James E , Margaret, dolm, Wil- 
li;\ni, Fraid< ]']lizal)eth and Kate. 

[E] Ann, the fifth and last child of Martin 
Phifer, jr., born March 8th, 1788, died at 
Lancaster, S. C, .luly 1st, 1855; married John 
Crawford, of Lancaster, brother of William, 
who married her sister .Mary. 

Lssue: [1] Martin married Alice ILirris, tliey 
ha<l four children: Charles Harris, married Sa- 
die Baskins; Anne, James and John. 

[2] Elizabeth, married George Witherspoon, 
a lawyer of Lancaster, S. C, where they live, 
they have four children: John, who married 
Addie White, of Rock Hill, S. C; James, An- 
nie and George. 

[8] Robert, married Malivia Massey, and 
have three children: Martin, Robert and Ella. 
They live in Lancaster, S. C. 



CIIAITER I. 



M::^ 



ALAMANCE COUNTY. 



Ijinj^HIS COUXTY preserves the nu'inories printed." These principles were deridi'd !)y 

^^^ of the first conflict of arms between tiie imperious Tryon, and terminated in open 

'il^^f the Hoyal Troojis of Enghuid, [16th conflict of arms. The lleguiators were van- 

f\ May, 1771,] and tiie people of the quisliod hy sn|>erior force and discipline, but 

Colonies. Then and there was the the ijroat germs of right and liberty were 

g first blood of tlie Colonists spilled in the firmly planted in their minds, and a few years 

i United States, in resistance to the oppres- hiter bore the fruits of victory and independ- 

sions of the English Government and the ence. Had this battle terminated differently, 

exactions of its unscrupulous agents. Tryon, (and underskilful leaders,and at a laterperiod, 

the Royal Governor of the Province of North this would have been the case,) the banks of 

Carolina, exhibited in his administration the the Alamance would have rivaled Bunker 

bloodthirsty temper of " the great wolf," as he Hill and Lexington; and the name of Hus- 

was so aiipropriatcly termed by the Indians of bands, Merrill and Cildwell would have ranked 

the State. with the Warrens and Piitnams of a later 

The officers of the Government, by exactions day. 
in the shape of fees and taxes, grieviously op- A writer on North Carolina History, as to 
pressed an industrious and needy people. The this revolt, states that " the cause of tiie Reg- 
people bore these exactions with patience; re- ulators lias been the subject of much unmerited 
inonstrating in their public meetings, in re- obloquy, clouded as it has been by the heavy 
spectful hut decided terms. This simple-minded pages of Williamson an<l Martin, and the ig- 
people, without aid from much learning or norant disquisitions of untutored scribblers. 
books, knew and laid down the great funda- Altliough on the occasion they were over- 
mental principles of good government, "that thrown, their principles were intimately con- 
taxation and representation should go together, iiected with the chain of events that directly 
that the people had the right to resist taxa- led to the Revolution, and struck out that 
tion when not imposed by their legal repre- spark of independence which soon blazed from 
sentatives. and also the right to know for what Ma.ssa(diusetts to Georgia." (Jos. Seawell 
purpose taxes were imposed, and how appro- Jones' Defence of North Carolina.) 



2 _ WIIEELEirS UEMINISCEXCES. 

For Time at last sets all things even, -. They never fail who die 

And if we do but watch the hour, I" •' gi"e»t cause: 

There never yet was human power, Elapse, and oli^^ shaTas da^' a doom. 

That could evade if unforgiven, They but augment the deep and sweeping thoughts 

The patient search, the vigil long, iy?"*^'^ overi)ower all otliers. and conduct 

^f,. , , *' The world at last to freedom. '"— 

Of him who treasures up a wrong. r Byron 1 

I copied from the Rolls Office when iti Eng- This comity was long the residence of 
land, a dispatch from tlie Royal Governor of Thomas Ruffin. [Born 1787— Died 1870.] 
North Carolina, (Martin) dated nillsboro, On entering the Supreme Court room of 
30th August, 1772, never before published, ^"orth Carolina, now more than fifty years 
The Governor describes his journey to the -''&") '^^'e observed on the bench of this exalted 
western part of North Carolina, through the tribunal the conmianding person of Thomas 
Moravian settlements, which he pronounces Kuffiu, for twenty years one of the Justices of 
" models of industry," to Salisbury. He that Court, and for many years its Chief Jus- 
passed through the region of the late disturb- ticc. During this long period he was called 
ances. He records: " My eyes have been opened ^^P"" to decide questions involving (he life and 
in regard to these commotions. These people interest of individuals, and complicated and 
have been provoked by the insolence and intricate points of constitutional, common and 
cruel advantages takeu of their ignorance by statute law. The able opinions delivered by 
mercenary, tricking attorneys, clerks, and other him have established his reputation as one of 
little officers, who have practiced upon them the first jurists of his age in this or any other 
every sort of rapine and extortion. The re- country. His opinions are models of learning 
sentment of the Government was craftily a"d 'ogio, and are quoted as authority not only 
worked up against the oppressed; protection '" our own courts but in those of other coun- - 
denied to them, when they expected to tries. Recently one of the Justices of the 
find it, and drove them to desperation, which Supreme Court of the United States, on read- 
ended in bloodshed. My indignation is not i"S one of Judge Ruffin's opinions, pronounced 
ly disarmed, but converted into pity." him " one of the ablest common law-jurists in 



on 



Thus by the highest cotemporaneous au- America." 

thority are the acts and principles of the Reo-- I" his ministration of the law he was by 

ulators fully justified. These acts were but con- ^ome considered stringent and at times severe, 

necting links in the chain of events which led ''Ut he was always conscientious and inflexibly 

to the Revolution. Soon followed the events J"*^t. 

on the Cape Fear in 177:2-73 and 74, then the ^^^ ""'S i"'t demonstrative in his feelings, 

Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of hut was cautious in his words and acts, select 

20th May, 1775, then the actual conflict of arms ''^"^^ sincere in his friendships, and steadfast in 

at Moore's Creek in February, 177G. All acts his attachments. 

done in North Carolina, with few exceptions, I" his finances he was prudent even to rigid 

before any similar events had occurred else- economy. This he adopted as a principle, not 

where in this country-. How bright are such believing in wastefulness or extravagance, 

glorious records and how proud are we of the ^^^^ house was open to his friends and was well 

memories of the people who present them to known as the abode of unstinted hospitality, 

coming posterity ! He was exact and precise in his engagements, 

and punctual in performance. 

In person he was spare, uniform and neat in 



ALAMANCE COUNl'Y. '^ ~ 3 

his dress, of a presence at once striking, com- Court the served his fellow citizens us presiding 

niaiiding and venerable. To many who knew Judge of the county court. In the Spring of 

them both, he resembled, not only in mental 18(11, he attended that barren convention at 

qualifications but in person, Thomas Jefferson; Washington, "The Peace Congress," with 

both highly educated; both of the same profes- John M. Morehead, David S. Keid, Daniel M. 

8ion;both of thesame political faith;both, in all TJarringer, and George Davis as colleagues. 

the domestic relations of life, devoted and af- " The judicial ermine so long and so worthily 

fectionate,aud both natives of the same State; worn," says Mrs. Spencer, " not only Bbielded 

and in person about same height, same colored him, but absolutely forbade all active partici- 

hair, and the same expression of countenance, pation in party politics." T5ut he was no idle 

iiidicatinggreat energy, re;5olution anddecision or unititerosted spectator of the current of 

of character. events. He was opposed to nuUitication in 

Not only as a jurist was .Judge Ruffin dis- 1832, and did not believe in the rights of se- 

tinguished, but as an able financier, and skilful cession in 1860. In private circles he combatted 

and successful as an agriculturist. both heresies with all that" inexorable logic" 

lie was born in King and (^ueen county, which the fjondon 7'')n('5 declared to be charac- 

Virginia, 17th November, 1787, the eldest son teristic of his judicial opinions, lie declared 

of Sterling and Alice Euffin. lie graduated " the sacred right of revolution " as the remedy 

at Princeton, 1805. Read law with David for the redress of our grievances. 

Robinson, an eminent lawyer in Petersburg, But the cloud in the political horizon grew 

in same office at the same time with AYinfield thicker and heavier. When the State took 

Scott. He came to North Carolina in 1807 the final stop of secession, he felt it to be a 

with his father and settled at Qillsboro, where duty to follow her fortunes, 

he married on 7th December, 1809, Ann, eldest He was elected to the State Convention at 

daughter of William Kirkland, by whom he Raleigh, and voted for the Ordinance of Se- 

had a large family of thirteen children, cession. Then was his last public service, 

among them was William Kirkland, (recently He was a communicant of the Episcopal 

deceased;) Sterling; Peter Brown; Thomas; Church, and warmly attached to that mode and 

John, doctor; Mrs. Roulhac; Ann, who mar- form of worship; but liberal and tolerant to 

ried Paul C. Cameron; Alice died unmarried; the worth and virtues of other denominations, 

Mrs. Brodnax; Mrs. Edmund Ruffin; Patty, and in the consolations of Christian faith and 

(unmarried;) Sally married Upton B.Gynn, Jr. hopes of its promises, in the full possession of 

He was elected to the Legislature from his mental faculties, in charity and peace with 

Hillsboro in 1813, 1815 and 1816; the latter all, he died on 15th January, 1870, at Ilills- 

year he was chosen Speaker; and the same year boro, loved and lamented by all who knew 

elected Judge of the Superior Court, which him. 

after two years' service he resigned. In 1825 sure the end of the good luan is peace, 

v,„ ,.. .„ „„„;„ „i„„f„,i T,,^i ,,, ,,^A ;., 1UOO ,.,,„ How cahu hia exit ! Nisht dews 

he was agam elected Judge, and m 1829 was j.^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ge,,t,y ^^ ^,,^ „^.,^^,,^^i 

elected one of the Justices of the Supreme Nor weary, worn out winds expire more soft. 
Court, to till the vacancy occasioned by the Rufus Yancy McAden represented Ala- 
death of Judge Taylor, which in 1852 he re- niance County in 1865, and was elected Speaker 
signed. He was again elected in 1850, and of the House. 

again resigned in 1858. For several years after He graduated at Wake Forest College, 

bis retiring from the bench of the Supreme studicvl law and achieved prominence and posi- 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



tion at the bar; liut liis fame rest3 cliiefly on 
his reputation as a skilful financier. He is the 
grandson of the distinguislied statesman and 
orator, Bartlet Yancy, and inherits much of 
the ability of his distinguished ancestor. 

Thomas Michael Holt was bom in Orange 
Count}', now Alamance County, on 17th Octo- 
ber, 1855; is by occupation a farmer and a man- 
ufacturer. 

He is the President of the State Agricultural 
Society since 1872. He is the princii)al owner 
of the "Haw Eiver Mills," which lias done 
much to encourage the cotton manufactories 



in the South. They are an ornament to tlie 
State. He was elected President of tlie 
North Carolina Railroad in 1874; and sena- 
tor from Alamance and Orange in Novem- 
ber, 187G. He is by all acknowledged to be 
afarmer of unequalled success; a manufacturer 
of great skill, and a friend and patron of in- 
ternal improvement, believing with the poet 
that — 

Art, commerce and fair science, three, 

And sisters linked in love, 
They traverse sky, land and sea. 

Protected from above. 



CHAPTER II. 
ANSON COUNTY. 



Anson at one time [1740] comprehended 
the whole western part of tlie State. Its early 
history is full of incident, of the sturdy oppo- 
sition of her sons to oppression, and .sympathy 
with the Regulators of Orange County against 
the unrighteous exactions of the administra- 
tion of the Government officers, which rose to 
such a height that the people in 1768 entered 
the court liouse and by force violently expelled 
the officers of the court, and each took an oath 
of self-defence and mutual protection. 

I copied from the Rolls Office in England 
the oath prescribed, transmitted to the Earl 
of Hillsboro by Gov. Tryon, in a disjiatcli 
dated 

" Brunswick, 24^/( Dec, 17G8. 
"I do solemnly swear that if awy officer or 
any other person do make distress of any goods 
or any other estate of any person sworne here- 
in, being a subscriber, for non-payment of 



taxes, that I will, with sufficient assistance, go 
and take, if in my power, the goods or other 
property thus distressed, and restore the same 
to the party from whom the same was taken. 
And in case anyone concerned herein should 
be imprisoned, or under arrest, I will immedi- 
ately do my best endeavours to raise as many 
of the said subscribers as will be a force suffi- 
cient to set said person and his estate at lib- 
erty. If any of our company for such acts be 
put to any expense or confinement, I will bear 
an e<iual share to make up the losses to the 
sufferer. 

"All those I do promise, and subscribe my 
name." 

This paper has never before been published. 

In a memorial of the people,of Anson County 
to Gov. Tryon, they comi)lain of the conduct 
of " Col." Samuel Spencer, the clerk and mem- 
ber of the county, who purchased his office of 
Col. Frohawk, and gave £150 for it, and they 
allege that the people should not be taxed but 
by consent of themselves or their delegates, 



ANSON COUKTY 



aiul ihey recoiiiuioiKl that: the niagistratos, 
ck'ik. and ."heriffshoulil he elected bi/ the people." 

What an earl\- and rapid stride did those 
patriuiic men take, at this early day, in tlio 
right of tlio [leoplo to ,<;overn themselves, and 
deciarj a priiiciple that fifty years after hecamo 
tlie law of the land! 

I find anions^ the early reci)rds the name 
Jame-- Cctten, and from curiosity more than a 
liope tiiat the memory of such a man may be 
i;sei"r.!, wo piesent his infamous eoiidnct. "We 
could wisli in describing the men of onr State, 
to present only the patriotic, the virtuous, and 
t!ic gc;od; and, like tlio motto of the Roman 
snii-dial — 

" !Xon nuiHero horas, nisi Serenas.'" 

But truth demands that we should present 
facts. Such men as Gotten, in these perilous 
times, were only 

" Vermin gendered on the Lien's mane— " 
whose acts consign them to contempt. 

Am.ong the Colonial records in London, I 
find the following letter: 

" Cruiskr Sloop of War, 

" 21 Juh/, 1775. 
" I have received your letter of the 15th 
inst., by Mr. Cunningliam, and highly approve 
of your proper and spirited conduct, while I 
cannot sufficiently express my indignation and 
contempt of the proceedings of Captain-Gen- 
eral Spencer and his unworthy confederates. 
Yon and other friends of the Government 
have only to stand yonr ground lirndy ! 

'• Major Snead may be assured ol' my atten- 
tions to all his wishes. 

'• T l;og my compliments may be piresented 
to Colonel MacDonald. 
'■ I am, Sir, 

" Yourhumlde servant, 

"Jo. M.^RTIN. 

" To Lt. Col. James Gotten, 

" Anson Co., N. C." 

I found, also, among the Colonial records in 
London, the deposition of James Gotten, 



* For copy of this memorial, sec Wheeler's History 
of N. C. 11:2.1. 



taken 14th Aug., 1775, on boai'd of IlisMajes- 
ty'ssloop of war, the " Cruiser," wbei'c he had 
heen for succor and for safety. Anson County 
had becon:e ratlicr too hot for him, which 
proves the determined spirits of the patriots, 
and whose names should he cherished in his- 
tory. Tbis deposition states->- 

" I was called before tlie committee for 
Anson C'OUnty; and Samuel S[>encer, thv; chair- 
man, stated that they had sent for me as fine 
of the luirgcsses of the county, to know if I 
would sign and approve of the resolves of the 
Continental C-ongiess, wliich were read to me 
by Mr. Thomas Wade. I refused. They said 
tliat the}' should pi'oceed against me, and gave 
me two weeks to consider. 

•' On the Tuesilay following, David Love, 
accompanied by William Love, Samuel Curtis, 
William Covington, and another, all armed, 
came to my house and took me, nolens volenx, 
towards Mask's Ferry, on the Pedee. 

" I escaped from them, traveling as secretly 
as possible, sleeping in the woods at niglit, 
and reached this \'cssel on Sunday night last." 

Dep)ositi(Mi of Samuel Williams, who es- 
caped with Colonel Gotten, taken at the same 
time and place: 

From dispatch of Gov. Martin, dated — 

" New York, 15//* Sept., 1777. 

" Two vessels have arrived here from North 
(Carolina, bringing refugees. 

"A Mr. James Gotten, of No. Ca., who went 
hence some time ago, will pi'obably have waited 
on your Lordship. 

" He is a man of vulgar life and character, 
and is a native of New England, and I do not 
estimate him very highly." 

We now will bid " Good-bye to James." 
Allusion has been made to Samuel Spencer. 
He was a member of the Colonial Assembly 
at an early day, and in 1774 elected to the 
Provincial Congress at N^ew Lerne, which was 
the first organized movement of the people in 
a legislative capacity in open opposition, and 
independent of the lioyal Govertiment. This 
hody sent delegates to the Continental Gon- 
<rres3 at Philadcl;i!iia. 



6 AYIIEELER'S KEMINISCEXCES. 

It may be interesting for reference, to note ding and the red cap for a challenge to l)at- 

tho Provincial Congresses, the place and time tie, made so violent and unexpected an attack 

+■,. , n J? i. , t/ It 1 • 1 x> 1 ii 0" his Honor, that lie was thrown out of his 

troni the nrst to the hist, which tornicd the . ■ ^i ii t i i- i ,, / 

. . chair on the floor, and before he could get any 

Constitution. assistance, so lieat and bruised him tliat he 

l>t met on 25th August, 1774, Xcw Berne; died in a i'cw days." 

2d met on 4th April, 1775, Now Berne; 3d A Philadelphia paper, at the time, as to this 

met on 21st August, 1775, Ilillsboro; 4th met occurence, makes the foUowingjat iresprU. 

on 12th April, 177G, Halifax: 5th met on 12th t +1 v i„ „ ^ 

^ _' ' ' ' lu this degenerate age, 

Xovember, 1776, Halifax: which latter body What hosts of knaves engage, 

,, 1 X, ,-, . • , T , -r- , And do all they can 

lormed tiie Constitution on 18th December, To fetter liraver men; 

i77(j DreadinR they should be free. 

Leagued willi the scoundrel pack, 

lie was repeatedly elected to the State Even turkey cocks attack 



The red cap of Liberty. 
In this county resides Thomas Samuel Ashe. 



Congresses, and in 1777 was chosen one of the 

three judges of the Suiu^rior Courts, first 

. , , 1 ,, ] ,, ,,, , ,, ,., .. ,-1 one ot the Associate Justices of the Supreme 

elected under the State Constitution, wliich '■ 

, ^ •,. , , , -, ,•, 1 • 1 .1 Court of North Carolina. 

eie\ateil posuion he held until his death. 

TT \ .■ ., .• ^ -Tbe maxim is correct in history as in other 

He was a member ot the convention at ^. •' 

matters, " Vivoilrs voii licet ritimiiim I'ladarc.^'' 

But our Reminiscences of the State would 



Ilillsboro, in July, 1788, to deliberate upon 

the Fedora! Constitution, its able and active 

T ^ -1 ,. I XI . ■. be incomplete witlnnit a sketch of this worthy 

opponent, and contributed greatly to its re- ... . ', 



jection. 

Ot Ills character and career as a judge (sine 



citizen. In doing so, however, the advice of 
Othello will bo observed : 



of iliis early day thci'e do not exist any • Speak of me as I am; 

,. ^," n' • • ,. , , Nothing extenuate, or set down aught in malice, 

reports ot tiie decisions irt the courts) we 

kmnv but little; but fr.im his long exercise There is no name more familiar to tlie peo- 
oi this high office with the approbation and pie of North Carolina, or more highly appreci- 
respect of liis associates, he was esteemed a ated by them, than that of Ashe. In every 
faithful and able jurist. He died in 1794. contest for liberty, from the earliest period of 
The account of the singular cause of his death, o"'" bistory, whether on tlie field of actual bat- 
as stated in my History of North (Carolina, tie or in the conflicts of politics, there is no 
having been doubted, we extract from the peri;>d when persons of this name have not 
Fayetteville G-izcllc of 17;>4 the following: ]>een first ;ind foremost in the defence of our 
" I)ii:u.-At his .seat in Anson County on the country's rights and liberty, and in the prompt 
2oth ulto., the Honorable Samuel Spencer, resistance to oppression. In grateful apipreci- 
L. L. D,, and one of the Judges of the Superior ation, the State has preserved the name of 

Courts of this State. His Honor's health had a 1 1 • •, • -j. i- 1 ^■ 

1 1 1- • r 1 ,. i. , , Ashe, bv inscrilnng it on one ot lier counties 

been declining tor about two years, i)nt he * 

performed the" last circuit three months since, ''^"^^ '^'" two of her m^)st flourishing towns.* 

and we understand intended to have left home Surely, then, none of ns of the present age, 

in:! few days for this town, where the Superior .yh,, have iniierited the rich legacy won bv 

Courtis now sitting, had it not been for the , . „. 1 , • , , 1 ,. 

f )llowing accident Ivliich it is thought hast- *''''i'' ^''^'"''■' ''^"'^ *'''^'"' ^'''""^' '^''" ["}'''''' *^i^' 

ened his death. respect and honor due to their sacrifices and 

" He was sitting on the piazza with a red cap their valor. 

on his hernl, when he attracted the attention of 

a large turktw gobbler. The judge being sleepy 

began to nod; the turkey mistaking the nod- * Asheville and Ashboro. 



AXSOX COUNTY. 7 

The ancestor of tliis naino, Joliii B^.tistii and elsewhere. Wherever tliey have gone 

Ashe, a century and a lialf a,<;-o, [1730,] op- they are respected for their virtues, and es- 

posed the ahiises and usurpations of the Royal teemed for their abilities. They have occn- 

Governor, Bnrrington, by wlioni he was op- pied, in tlieir adopted homes, positions of 

pressed and imprisoned. His eldest son, in honor, trust, and prolit, illustrated and ele- 

the earliest dawn of our Revolution, was the vated such positions, as Jones, in his Defence. 

decided advocate and defender of popular lias expressed ir, " by genius, tnlent. ami ac- 

rights, and the resolute and unyielding oppo- eomplishmcnts." 

nent of tyranny and oiheial abuse. lie was Another son of John I'.aptista Ashe, and 
the daring patriot that -'bearded tlie ]>oug- whose patrononiic the subject of our sketch 
his in his castle," and defied " the wolf of the bears, was his direct ancestor. 
State," Gov. Tryon, to execute tlie infamous Judge Ashe was born in June, 1<S12, at ilaw- 
Stamp Act of his master. He seized, in his fields, then Orange County, now A'amance. 
very presence, the stamp master, and con>- lie received his education from William 15ing- 
pelled him to pledge himself not to execute ham, the elder, and at the University of the 
the odious enactment. It was he that drove State, v>here he graduated with high honors 
the last of the Roya.l Governors from his pal- in 1832, in the s;ime class with Thorn;. s L. 
ace, destroyed his fort, and compelled him to Ciingnum, James C. Dolibin, Jolni Jl. i laugh- 
seek refuge on hoard of the English man-of- ton, Cadwallader Jones, and other.s. Those 
war in the Cape Fear River. For these acts who kn<iw these names, and their splendid en- 
he was denounced by the Government in a dowments, an.l their briliiaut career in life. 
Royal proclamation. In the cause of popular will ai)preciato the honor attained in such 
rights he v/as willing " to spend and be spent," eompotition. He read law with Judge Huflin, 
and did spend his sul)stance, and was ready to with whom he always was a special favorite. 
lay down his life in the cause of the people. After being licensed to practice law, by the 
Uis course and conduct received, as it deserved, Supreme Court, he settled at Wadesboro, 
the support of the people. " They loved him where he now resides. He was elected a 
because he first loved them." " Xone feared member of the House of Commons in 1842, 
to follow where an Ashe led." So far from and a member of the Senate in 18.^4. 
heeding or f^e:irin.g the fuhninations of power. In the troubled times of the civil war, he 
he resigned the commission he had held in the was elected a member of the Confederate 
Royal service, and by pie Iging his estate be Congress, and in 18G4, a member of the Con- 
soon raised a regiment, which he was unani- federate Senate, but never took his seat, 
mously called to command, and rendered im- In 1808, he was nominated to lead a forlorn 
portant services in the Revolutionary Yfar to hope,astheI)emocraticcan(lidateforGovernor, 
the dav of his death. in o[iposition to Governor Ilolden, and made a 

"This family," says .Mr. Davis, in bis ad- gallant, Init unsuccessful, campaign. In i.s72, 

dress at the University, [1855,] '-contributed he received the unexpected and unsolicited 

largely to the cause of the country in the nomimiti on for tiie Congress of the United 

Revolution— every grown mule of the fam- States; and again in 1874. Ho was triuniph- 

ily." Deep, then, should he our gratitude, antly elected, and served faithfully and u.<e- 

They and their descendants have since per- fully. No member of either party stood higher 

vaded our country, from the Cape Fear to the in Congress for integrity, intelligence, and 

mountains; to Teimes.soe, California, Missouri, fidelity to the Constitution. A mendjcr of 



8 WHEELER'? KKMINISOENCES. 

one of til" iiKist iiiiiKirtaut <('niiiiittoes (t'le Biirgwin, niul lias a lari!:e niid interesting fam- 

.Tuiliciavy), liu cniuiaiuled tlio rnniideiH-o and ily. IIo i.s a nienihcr of tho Ei-iscoi-al Clini-eli, 

respeft of his ass-ciatos, and ninny of their and a consistent and sinecre follower of its 

most important re'iiortswere the vesnlts of his saerod tenets. 

aeninon and jiatieiit investigation. Ur was We eonclndc our feeble sketch in the words 

most attentive to these onerous duties; al- of Cardinal Wolsey of Sir Thomas More : 

ways punctual in his attendance, and rendered He is a. leariiea niaii! 

essential service in their delihci ations. May tie continue I.jue; in tlie i.eoi,le\s favor, _ 

Anil do justice for tnitlis salce and Ins conscience; 

After four years' service in Congress, to the Th;it liis lioues, wlien lie lias done his cour.'^e and sleeps 

universal and profound regret of Ins associ- ]i>f.T.y liave'^Uniiirof orp'ians' tears wept over tliem. 

;'tes, he v,-as retired from Congress In tlio 

,. , . t\ ■ , , , [See Aiipendix, CcneaioaT ot the Aslie 

nominatiiiLC convenlnni ot Ins district, and lie , . ^ 

-, , , . ... , . , r Family. 1 

returned to his pi-otession, which was tarmorc • -' 

germane to his tastes ami his talents tlian the Richard Tyler Bennett was liorn near 

iiustle and excitement of political strife. It is Wadeslioro. IR' was prejured for college by 

well rememheicd by the writer of this sketch, the Anson In.stitiite, under the snpeniitend- 

how universal and sincere, in Congress and out ence of Professor Mclver, and was for a time 

of it, wei-o the expressions of regret at his re- a student at the University, llo read law 

tirement. Th.^ prediction was then made under Chief Justice L'earson, and finished his 

whirh soon became pro[iliecy, that "North legal studies at Lebanon College, Tennessee. 

Carolina was too proud of such a son to allow He ardently entered the Confederate service 

him to remain long in retirement; that soon in the Civil War as a private, refusing the po- 

lie would lie called on to occupy other and sition of an otHeer ; but afterwards, from his 

more elevated [lObitions." This prediction has gallantry and usefulness, was promoted to a 

been verified; for. \\-ithout any intimation or colonelcy. He was engaged in sevt-ral battles, 

exertion on bis part, in .Tune, 187S, be was severely wounded, and finally taken prisoner, 

nominated by the State Convention, on the and confined in Fort Delaware until tlie close 

first ballot, as one of the Associate Justices of of tlie war. 

the Supreme Court, in preference to a score of Since the war he has continually resided <it 
the ablest lawyers of the State. Wadosboi-o, and for some years was the part- 
He was triumphantly elected, at the bead ner of Hon. Thomas S. Ashe, 
of the ticket, by the peojile at the ptdls, and lie yvas a member of the Convention of 
we predict, again, that the ermine v.-oru s > 1375, and of tl;e House in 187-j-'7-1:. He was 
long and so gracefully by our Hall, IIe;ider- selected as elector for this [7th] district on 
son, Taylor, Euitin, Daniel, Caston and otliers the Hancock ticket, and was doing yeouian's 
will suffer no detriment from Judge Ashe. service in this position when he was n imi- 
Judge Ashe is now in the meridian of life, iiated as Sup:'rior Court Judge, in [ilace of 
and there are years of strem^tb and iisefu!ne-s Judge Buxton, resigned, in August, 18S0. 
yet to be employed by him in the interest, of " He is," says tlie Charlotte Dcmorrdf, " a 
the people of a State that love and honor him. gifted advocate, and highly esteemed liy the 
He married a daughter of the late George profession." 



BEAUFOirr COUNTY. 

CHAPTER III. 

BEAUFORT COUNTY. 



Beauiokt CoiNTY prcsoi'vcs the n;uiie Henry 
Somerset, Duke of Beaufort, aiul although it 
is not within our proposed project, ytt 
we cannot refrain from recording, in a 
short note, the woi'th and charaeter of this il- 
histrioiis statesman. 

AVe copy from the " (iuntk'man's Maga- 
zine," (Loudon, 1803, vol. 73, S)94,) as a beau- 
tiful description of a model gentleman: 

" Died. — At his seat i'admenton. County of 
Gloucester, on 11 Oct., 1803, in liis 59th year, 
the most noble, Henry Sommerset, Duke of 
Beaufort. 

'•' His Grace will be much lamented Ijy his 
family, friends, and Ins numerous tenantry. 
lie maintained the dignity of liis station 
rather by the noble simjilicity of his manners, 
and his proverbial hospitality, thuii by any at- 
tention to exterior splendor or display of fash- 
ion. It was not his taste to solicit notice by 
any of those attractions at which the public 
gaze with temporary admiration. 

" In politics, he snppnted a tranquil, digui- 
iied iuclependence, and the support ho gener- 
ally gave to His Majesties' ^Ministers, could 
never be attributed to anj- motives but such 
as wereperfecth' consistent with the integrity 
wiiicli distinguished his life." 

He was a distinguished Free Mason; was 
Grand Master of England, and as such com- 
missioned Grand Master Montford, of North 
Carolina, in 1771, to estal)lish lodges in Amer- 
ica, and from whom the Grand Lodge of 
North Carolina holds its charter. He became, 
by purchase of the Duke of Albemarle, pos- 
sessed of the right as one of the Lord's Pro- 
prietors of the Province, which in 1729, re- 
vested in the crown. Worthy is the name 
preserved in our State. 

The capital of Beaufort preserves the name 
{cl'iruin el veneruldc.) of the immortal Wash- 
ington. 

This name has been so frequently the sub- 
ject of eulogy and admiration, that any at- 



tem[)t to enlarge on his character and sersices 
would be ridiculous excess. P>nt we cannot 
refrain I'rom [jrinting and [ireserving the ex- 
(piisite and truthful extract from Mr. JcfiVr- 

sc:n's works: 

J<'J}'crson\'< Character of Waslthiritoi). * 

Letter IVoin Jefferson to Dr. Walter Jones, 
2d Jan., 1814: 

" I think I knew General Washington inti- 
mately and thoroughly. His mind was great 
and powerful without being of the ver\' first 
order; his penetration strong, thougli not so 
acute as that of a Newton, Bacon, or Locke, 
and as far as he saw, no judgment was e\'er 
sounder; it u'as slow in operation, being little 
aided by invention or imagimition, but sure in 
conclusion, hence the (;ommou remark of his 
officers of the ailvantage he derived from 
councils of war, where, hearing all suggestions, 
he selected whatever was best, and certainly 
ii(> General ever planned his battles more ju- 
diciously. But if deranged during the course 
of action, if any member of his plan was dis- 
located by sutldeu circumstances, ho was slow 
in a readjustment. The couse;pieuce was tliat 
he often failed in the tield, as at Monmouth, 
but rarely against an enemy in station, as at 
Boston and York. He Avas incap.d)le of fe.ir, 
meeting [levsonal danger with the calmest un- 
concern. Perhaps the strongest feature in his 
character was 'prudence; never acting until 
every circumstance, every co:isideration, was 
maturely weighed, refraining if he saw a 
doubt; imt, when once decided, going through 
with his purpose whatever obstacles opposed. 
His integrity was most pure; his justice ninst 
inflexible I have never known; no motives of 
interest, or cons:inguinity of friendship or 
hatred, i)cing able to bias his decision. He 
was, indeed, in every sense of the word, a 
wise, a good, and a great man. His temper 
v>-as naturally irritable and high-toned; but 
reflection and I'esolution had obtained a fii'm 
and habitual ascendenc-y over it; if ever, 
however, it brolce its bounds, he was most 

■■'FrdUi the Doniubtic Life of Tlios. Jcllerson, by liis 
!Xran<luii.s;litei- Saral! N. Randolph; New York, Harper 
& Urulhers, 1872, p. 356. 



10 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



tremendous in his wrath. In liis expenses he 
was honorahle, but exact; liberal in contribu- 
tion to whatever promised utility, but frown- 
\u'j: and unyielding on all visionary projects, 
and all unworthy calls on his charity. His 
heart was not warm in its affections; but he 
exactly calculated every man's value and gave 
him solid esteem proportioned to it. His 
presence, you know, was fine; his stature ex- 
actly what one could wish. His deportment 
was easy, erect, and noldc; the best horseman 
of his age, and the most graceful figure that 
could be seen on horseback. 

" Althougli in the circle of. his friends, 
where he might be unreserved in safety, he 
took a free share in conversation, his collo- 
quial talents were not above mediocrity, pos- 
sessing neither copiousness of ideas nor fluency 
of words. In public, when called on for a 
sudden opinion, he was unready, short, and em- 
barrassed; yet he wrote readily, I'athcr dif- 
fusely, in an easy, correct style. This he had 
acquired by conversation with tlie world, for 
his education was merely reading, writing, 
and common arithmetic, to which he added 
surveying at a later day 

" His time was employed in action cluefly, 
reading little, and that only in agricultui'e and 
English history. His correspondence became 
necessarily extensive, and with journalizing 
his agricultural proceedings, occupied most of 
his leisure hours within doors. 

" On the whole, his character was, in its 
mass, perfect; in nothing bad; in a few points 
indifferent, and it may ti-uly be said, that never 
did nature and fortune combine more perfectly 
to make a man great, and to place in the same 
constellation with whatever worthies have 
merited from man an everlasting remembrance, 
for his was the singular destin}' and merit of 
leading the armies of his country successfully 
through an arduous war to the establisnment 
of its inde[)endence; of conducting its coun- 
cils through the birth of a Government, new 
in its forms and principles, until it settled 
down into a quiet and orderly train, and of 
scrupulously obe^'ing the laws through the 
whole of his career, civil and military, of 
which the history of the world furnishes no 
Other example. 

" He has often declared to me that he con- 
sidered our new Constitution as an experiment 
on the practicability of republican govern- 
ment, and with what dose of liberty man could 
be trusted with for his own good; tbat he was 



determined the experiment should have a fair 
trial, and would lose the last drop of his blood 
in support of it." 

To a friend, on one occasion, Mr. Jefferson 
exclaimed, in a burst of enthusiasm, "Wash- 
ington's fame will go on increasing until the 
brightest constellation in yonder heavens shall 
be called l)y his name." 

' His memory sparkles o'er tlie fduntaiu,' 
His iianiLVs inscrilied on loftiest mountain — 
Tlie gciitU' rill, the miffhticst river, 
Rolls niingted with his iiume forever I 

AVashington, like the great patromia of Beau- 
fort, was an enthusiastic Mason. 

In the language of Mr. Knapp, in his admira- 
ble sketch of Judge Gridley, Grand Master 
of Massachusetts — 

" It was fortunate for the Masonic frater- 
nity that a man of such fine elements should 
become engaged at this early period in the 
cause of tlie craft; his weight of character, his 
zeal and his ability to defend and support its 
cause, was imi^ortant, and did much to diffuse 
Masonic light and knowledge. This order of 
benevolence had just been established in this 
new world when he was appointed its Grand 
Master, and he wore its honors unsullied to 
the last hour of his life. His coadjutor in 
planting and cultivating this exuberant vine 
of charity, with whose fruit all nations have 
been blessed, was the sage and patriotic Erank- 
lin, under whose hands, by the smiles of Prov- 
idence, its roots have struck deeper and 
deeper, and its branches spread higher and 
wider; while the fondest hopes of philanthropy 
have been more than realized in the perma- 
nency Slid the prosperity of our country and 
our craft. If their spirits could revisit the earth 
and take note of what is doing here, with 
what joy would they witness the extension and 
progress of every Ijranch of knowledge among 
their descendants; and with what pleasure 
would they count the number of charitable in- 
stitutions which, like the dews of Heaven, so 
gentl}' spread their blissful influences and shed 
their healing balsams upon the wounds of 
life. 

"The history of benevolent and useful iu- 
titutioiis are as valuable to the community as 
are the lives of eminent men. These institu- 
tions are like rivers which spring from remote 
and hidden fountains, and are in their course 



BEAUFORT COUNTY. 



11 



enlarged by a thousand tributary streams, 
wliic'h all uniLo iu one grand current, to swell 
the amount of human happiness and lesson the 
ills wliieh licsh is heir to." 

This trutiiful eulogium may well be applied 
to North Carolina, fcir the men who fought 
for and framed her Constitution were earliest 
and devoted friends to the cause of Free Ma- 
sonry. Among her Grand Masters were Sam- 
uel Johnston, [1788,] Kichard Caswell, [from 
1789 to "92,] Wm. R. Davie, ['92 to 1799,] 
William Polk, [1800 to 1802,] John Louis 
Taylor, [1803,] John Uall, [1801,] Robert 
Strange, [1824,] Edwin G. Reade, [1805,] 
Robert B. Vance, [18(36.] 

These distinguislied men were proud to lay 
aside for a time the sword of the soldier, the 
ermine of the judge, and the laurels of the 
statesman, to labor as fellow-crafts in the 
cause of " Free and Accepted Masons." 

The craft is in a flourishing condition in 
North Carolina. There are now about 400 
Lodges and about 12,000 members, sustaining 
in asylums at Oxford and Mars Hill 134 or- 
phans, and advocated by the Orphans' 
Friend, a periodical. 

An incident worthy of record as to the hu- 
manizing influence of Masonry, even in the 
face of •' grim-visaged war," occurred at the 
battle of Manassas. A gallant Georgia officer 
was shot down as he was forming his company' 
iu line of battle. He refused to be taken from 
the field. His regiment, under an overwhelm- 
ing charge ot the enemy, was compelled to 
fall back, and the poor fellow, unable to move, 
was made prisoner. He was about to be bay- 
oneted, when he gave the Masonic sign of dis- 
tress. The uplifted weapon fell harmless, and 
he was taken up by brotherly hands, his 
wounds attended to, and his sufferings allevi- 
ated. This was Orderly Sergeant O. B. Eve, 
of the Miller Rifles, of Rome, Georgia. 

Many such incidents occurred at other 
times and places, proving the influence and 
value of Masonry. 



The BiiOUNTS of Be.vufokt." 

As early as 1782, General John Gray Blount 
represented the county of Beaufort in the 
Legislature. He was enterprising and success- 
ful in business, and a large land owner. Ilis 
father was Jacob Blount, who was an officer 
at the battle of Alamance and in the Revolu- 
tionar}' War. Jacol) was also the father of 
Governor William Blount, (for .sketch of 
whom see Craven,) who was Governor of Ten- 
nessee, and of Thomas, who was a volunteer 
in the Revolutionary arnu' at the age of six- 
teen, and commanded as major at the battle 
of Eutaw; was a member of Congress in 1793- 
'99 and 180o-'09, and died at Washington 
City 1812. Jacob was also the father of Wil- 
lie Blount, Governor of Tennessee from 1809 
to '1;'). 

General William A. Blount, born 1794, died 
1807, was the son of General John Gray 
Blount, and was well known in North Caro- 
lina, and much esteemed for his genial <iuali- 
ties, his extended and varied abilities, and his 
public services. At the early age of eighteen 
he entered the army of the United States as 
a subaltern, in the war of 1812, and continued 
in the army until the war was over. Such 
were his faithful services that he was promoted 
to the rank of captain. 

On his return from the a'-my he was elected 
major-general of the third division of North 
Carolina militia, a position at that time, in the 
unsettled condition of our aft'airs, of much 
distinction and responsibility. His next pub- 
lic service was as a member of the Legislature 
from Beaufort County, in 1825, and such was 
the acceptabilit}' of his cour.se that he was re- 
elected in 1826 and '27. 

When in the [)ublic councils, he advocated 
the most liljeral system of p)uLlic improve- 



*We present under Craven County a careful and elab- 
orate genealogy of the Blount family, which will, we 
trust, be acceptable for reference and worthy of 
study. 



12 WHEELEirS REMINISCENCES. 

luents, and waw for years a member of the " Bein,<^- thus fathered ami thus husbanded" 

Board of Internal Iiinir(_)veuieiits. He was the is the peerless rival of the Portias of ancient 

devoted friend of public schools, and for a Rome. 

lon<^ time a member t.if the Board of Trustees Mr. Cainbreling, of Xew York, born 178G, 

[ap[)ointed 18"25] of the Universit3'; its steady, died 1862. 

active, and consistent friend. Althougli the public services of Churchill 

lie was intensely southern iu liis whole Caklom Cambreling have redounded to the 

course of life; the active opponent of all pro- fame of another State, j-et lie is a native son of 

tection and class legislation; tlie devoted ad- Nortli Carolina; and w^e believe in the divine 

vocate of free trade and ihe rights of the injunction, to "give unto Caesar the things 

States. His course in the Erce Trade Conveii- that are C;csar's." We interid to claim the 

ti(_)n at i'hiladelphia, one of the ablest bodies merits, character, and services of every son of 

that ever assembled in this country, proves his North Carolina, wherever we can find them, 

ardent devotion to principle. The following is a partial list of the native 

But it was at home, iu the exercise of the sons of North Carolina who have distinguished 

kindly charities of life, tlieatfectionate parent, themselves as citizens of other States: 

the obliging and sympliathizing neighbor, the Allen, William, (Oliio,) born in Chowan 

sincere and uncalculating friend, his o}ien- Count}', 

handed charity— ^ ^«'^®' J'^''" ^•' i^^ T^nn.,) New Hanover. 

Cliarity that feels for another's woes, Bynum, Jesse, (La.,)_ Halifax. 

.*.nd hides the faults that we see;— Benton, Tlios. 11., (of Mo.,) Orange. 

,, , • n 1 1 ii 1-^ 11 .. r Bragg, John, (Ala.,) Warren, 

that specially marke<l the hie and character 01 th 1 i\t-\T .n^ , /-, 

^ •' BiDunts, Wilham, (Tenn.,) Craven. 

General Wilham A. Blount. Willie, (Tenn ,) Bertie. 

None that knew him (and the writer knew 
him long and well) can ever cease to remem- 



Cannon, Newton. (Tenn.,) Guilford. 



,. -.. Daniel, J. B, J., (La.,) Halifax, 

ijer lii.-i gonial manner, Ins commanding pres- r^ / < i \ \ 

. . Dargan, (Ala.,) Anson, 

euce, and his knightly bearing. Darby (Miss.) 

!Iis conversational powers were unrivaled; Dixon, Arcliiliald, (Ky.,) Caswell, 

though often inei.sive, pointed and witty, they Eaton, John II., (Tenn.,) Halifax. 

were never coarse or oifeusive. These quali- Etheridge, (of Tenn.,) Currituck, 

ties made him always a welcome gue.st, and Forney, W. 11., (Ala,,) Lincoln. 

'• tiie flashes of his wit often set the table in /i , .. i-j-i u m 

Gently, Jncreditli 1., lennessee. 

a Toar." Gause, (of Ark.,) Brunswick. 

O;' him may be truly said as Anthony of the Grant, James, (Iowa,) Halifax. 

noble Biutus— Ilawley, J. K., (Conn.,) Richmond. 

— His life was gentle; and the elements Hawks, F. L., (N. Y.,) Craven. 
So iiii.\ed iu him, that nature might stand up Bishoii (Mo ) Craven 

And say to all the world, this was a Man. ' i' v^- "v 

L.Julius Ca^sar, X,r,.] jaekson, Andrew, (Temi.,) Union. 

He was twice married; first to Nancy Hay- Johnson, Andrew, (Tenn.,) W^ake. 

wood, and second to AiissLittlejohn. By the King, Wm. R., (Ala.,) Sampson, 

first he loft a son, Major Wm. A. Blount, ^^j_^^,^^ G-.ihvid, (Ala.) 

and a daughter, Nancy, who still resides at Mosely, W. D., (Fla.,) Lenoir. 

Raleigh, and who married the lamented Gen. piekens, .Israel, (Ala.,) Mecklenburg. 

L. O'B. Branch. Polk, Jas. K., (Tenn.,) Mecklenburg.'" 



I5KAUF0RT CDUXTY. 13 

Kuburn Win., (of Go.>i-!j;iu,) Halifax. Felix Walker of Vir.oinia was a nienilior of 

Steele, J. H., (N. II.,) Uowau. *'- 1^'^'. [l^l'-'^^'l 1«^''- ^^-^l,] and 17th, 

Stoker, MoHtford, (Ark.,) ['21-'23] Congress^. 

Will. B., ('l\'nii.,) Flenry W. Connor, of Viriiiiiia, was a nieiii- 

,,.,., ,r ,, rv \T,.>i,n ber of the 19th, 20lli, 2lst, 2-2d, 2.-M, 24tii, 

WInto, lluiili L., (leiin.,) liedell. , i ? > ; 

Williams, Thomas, ( Miss.,) Surry. 25th, and 26th Congresses. 

Benjamin, (Ala.,) Surry. Al)rani W. Veiiably, of Virginia, was a 

• Marmaduke, (Ala ) Surry. niernb.-r of the 30th, [lS47-'49,] Slst, and 32d, 

Wiley, J. Calebs born in Cabarrus County; ^ '^ 'j ' 

niemlier of Congress from Alabama. Congresses. 

liichard C. Puryear, of Virii'inia, was a luem- 

I„ every portion of our nation may be found ^^^^^ ^ . ^,^^ ^^^^ [i8o3-'55] Congress, 

some native sons of the State, who, although ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^. j,,^^^^^ j^,^^^_^^^ ^^..^^ .^ 

separated, have never eeased to love their ,„,„^,,<.,, „^ t,,, 35th Congress. 

dear old mother; and who cherished to the ,^.^,^,,^^„.^,, ,5^,^.,!^,,,^ ,,f Massachusetts, David 

last an abiding alfection tor her-a love un- j^^,^^^^^^^ ^,,. (3,,;,,. j,,!^,^ r^ peweese,of Arkan- 

surpa.sii!g the K.ve of woman. ^,^^^ .^_^^^ j,^,^i^ j, i^^.^jj^h, of Xew Ilamp..liire, 

We can say with .Kneas to bis ./„/,.. Arha- ^,^_^ „,e,nbcrs of the 40th [18C7 -'G9] C\.n- 

Quis jam locus? ,, . » James C llari'cr, of reniisvlvaiiia was a 

Oil* regis in tenis uostri, non plena laDoris.* ^ ' 

member of the 41st [1871-7--!J Congress. 

iN.u- has Xorth Carolina be.'ii selfish or churl- .^^^^^ ^,|^.^ , .^j, . (H^tinguished wherever they 

ish to those of otlier Stales who have settled ^.^^.^^^^ |^^^. ^,^^^;,. i,,^!.;,,^;^^^ worth, their unobtru- 

aiid made her borders their home. ^j^.^ demeanor, their abhorence of vice and 

Of the members of the Continental Con- i,,^.^ (,f virtue, their tidelity to their promises 

gress Burke was from Ireland; Caswell from ^^,^^, contracts, their obedience and respect to 

Maryland; Hooper from MassachuseLls; Penii j.^^^._ .^,^_j ^^,,,^.,j elevated by a:i aiii)reciative 

from \'irgiiiia; Willi imson from I'ennsylva- j^.oplo, have been always eq-tal to and never 

"i:i- above or below th.; position they oceuiiied, 

Neither of the signers of the Declaration of ^^^^^ aiseliargcd every duty with integiity, in- 

Independeiice for Nortli Carolina was a native t.^iio-once, to the satisfaction, and a[)prob:ition 

of the State, llewes was a native of New ^^^. ''^,^^;,. ,,o„stituteuts, and honor to the 

Jersey: Hooper, of Massachusetts; Penii, of ^.^^mij-rv 

^ ''"J^""'^- To return to our subject: Mr. Cambreling 

l'enn,of Virginia, also signed the Constitu- ^^..^^ .^ member of Congress from New York 

tion as a Delegate from North Carolina. ^^.-^^^^ f,,^,,^^ ;^^^21 to 1839; chairman of the 

Of the 1st Congress, [1789 to 1791,] Samuel (jommitteeof Ways and Means at one time^ 

Johnston was a native of Scotland; Hugh .„,j „f p^oreign Affairs, which important posts 

Williamson, of Pennsylvania. ^^.^^.^ evidence of the higli appreciation of his 

Of the Gth Congress, [1799-1801,] William transcendent ability as a statcBnian. In 1840 

H. Hill was a native of Massachusetts. j^^ ^^,.^^ appointed Minister to Russia. 

Of the 10th Congress, James Turner was a jjj^ ,^.^,^^^ ^^..^^ .lerived from his great- 
native of Virginia, grandfather, Cluircbill Caldom, whose father 

eiune from Sc^otlaiid ami settled on Pamlico 

*Wliat i)l:ice, wliat countrv. on tlie clobe is not full ,.. ,-\ ^\ t , 1 r 1 .1 

of our labors -Vhgill, 4.^ii. liiver. On the maternal line he was the 



•14 



WIIEELEK'S KEMIXISCEXCES. 



graiulsoM of John J'attnii, a gnllant oftifer of 
the Revohition, nuijor of 2d Keoinieiit of the 
X. C. Line in the Continental Armj, and 
was engaged in the liatth'S of Bi'andywine, 
Geniiantown and Monmontli. Tie was horn 
in Washington, ]]eanfort C'>unty, X. C, 
and educated in Xew Berne. From tlie 
situation of liis family, for he ^\■as early 
an or[ihan, he left school hef'.)re his edu- 
cation was con}[ilete, and went into a store as 
a clerk, llenioved in 18i)2 to Xew York, and 
engaged in niereaiitile pursuits with John 
Jacob Astor, and as his confidential clerk trav- 
eled extensively over tlie world. His reports 
in Congress, especially on commerce and navi- 
gation, were models of research and logic, and 
were re[iul)lislied in England. He died at 
West Xeck, Xew York, on 30tli Api'il, ls62. 
(See " Demo. Review," VII, Xo. 14 — '' Laa- 
man'.s Biographical Annals.") 

George K. B. Singletary. — On the Sth June, 
1862, in a skirmish which ensued across Tran- 
ter's Creek, near Washington, in tins county, 
hetween the 44th Xorth Carolina and a heavy 
force of LTnion tr<)0|)s, fell tlu^ gallant com- 
mander of the Xorth Carolina troops, Colonel 
Singletary. 

Colonel Singletary was an experienced and 
gallant ofJicer, and had seen some service in 
the war with Mexico. 

Colonel S. was tlie oldest son of an P^pisco- 
pal clergyman, and much esteemecl for his 
legal ui;quirements and his genial social 
temper. 

He had married Cora, ehlest daughter of 
Governor .Manly. 

He was succeeded by his younger brother in 
command of the regiment. 

Captain John Julius Guthrie who was 
drowned near Xag's Head in Xoveraber, 1877, 
while endeavoring to succor the passengers 
and crew of the U. S. Steamship "Huron," 
was a native of the town of Washington, the 
son of Dr. John W. Guthrie and his wife 



Elizahi'th, daughter of Captain William Mc- 
Daniel. 

Captain Guthrie was no ordinary man, and 
well deserves remembrance for his virtues in 
l)rivate life, and his heoric gallantry. His 
education was conducted by Rev. Dr. Wm, 
MePheeters at Raleigh, and in 1833 he wasj 
appointed a i;adet at West Point; hut prefer- 
ing the adventurous life of a sailor, after one 
year's probation at West Point, his friends 
procured in 1834 a midshipman's warrant in 
tlie Xavy. He served with great acceptability 
at home and abroad, especially in the war 
with Mexico, and in the Anglo-French war 
in China; when our flag was insulted, displayed 
great gallantry and captured Barrier Forts, 
hauling down the Cliina flag, which trophy he 
presented to the State, and for which he re- 
ceived the thanks of the Legislature. 

The following is a copy of th(! letter of the 
Governor, and of the resolutions of the Legis- 
lature: 

Testimony to Gallantry. 

[Cominunicateil to the Xatioual Intelligencer.] 

E.XEcuTivB Department, 
. Rfilcu/h, Atio;. 23, 1859. 

Sir: I have this day received from Capt. A. 
J. Lawrence a Chinese flag, taken by you in 
an assault upon the barrier forts in the Canton 
river in Xovember, 185G, by tlie forces of the 
United States ships "San Jacinto," -'Ports- 
mouth," and "Levant," as a present in your 
name to the State of Xorth Carolina. 

Having been apprised of your desire to 
make this disp!)sition of the flag, the last Gen- 
ei-al Assembly, by resolutions, authorized nie 
to receive it from you in behalf of the State, 
and at the same time to express to you the 
liigh appreciation of that liodv of your gal- 
lantry on the occasion referred to. and of this 
evidence of your veneration for the State of 
your birth. 

Believing that I cannot discharge this pleas- 
ing duty in a more acceptable manner tlian by 
transmitting these highly complimentary reso- 
lutions, I herewith enclose a copy of tiieni as 
transcribed from the statute book. 

These resolutions, I am well assured, are 



BEAUFORT COUNTY. 



lA 



none t!ie less expressive of the ?eiitinieiits of 
the people of the State than of tlieir repre- 
sentatives who enacted tliem; for they have 
ever manifested a lively pleasure at the hon- 
orahle distinctions achieved hy the sons of 
North Carolina in every department of the 
pnhlic service. Every distinguished action of 
the citizens proves useful to the State in the 
example it affords to t!ic youths of the 
countr}', who arc thus apprised of the ixratify- 
ing rewards that ever await a faithful ilis- 
charge of duty. 

This flag, so gallantly taken by you in the 
niaintaiuanoe of the rights and iirotecticn of 
the persons of American citizens in a distant 
land, will he [ilaced among the valued treasures 
of the State, and will he looked upon by 
posterity, impressing all who may see it with 
the sentiments of esteem iti which are held 
the brave conduct of the faithful soldier in 
the service of his country; and to our youths, 
to whom from time to time the story of its 
capture may lie narrated, will bo told that it 
is a tro[)hy for which tliS State is indebted to 
one of her courageous sons who entered the 
service of the country when a mere boy, and 
who, without the aid of fortune or the in- 
fluence of powerful friends, won his way to 
honorable distinction by his own upright 
deportment and gallant spirit. Thus, sir, will 
a valuable lesson be taught them, exciting in 
their l)osoms a laudable ambition to emulate 
like honorable actions. 

Trusting that your career will prove one of 
continued usefulness to the country and dis- 
tinction to yourself, I have the honor to be, 
verv respectful 1\', yours, &c., 

joins' W. ELLIS. 

Lieut. John Jclus Gutiikie, U. S. Xavy. 



Resolutions autliorizins' the Governor of the State 
to receive :i flag tendered to tlie State of North 
Carolina by Lieut. Guthrie, of the U. S. Navy. 

"Whereas John Julius Guthrie, a lieutenant 
in the United States ^'avy and a native of the 
Stat:- of North Carolina, now on ofHcial duty 
at the National Observatory, AVashington, 
D. C, did, on tlie 20( h day of November, 18.')0, 
capture and carry off as a trojdn' of war a 
Chinese flag from the first of four barrier forts 
captured in a combined engagement bj' the 
"San Jacinto," -'I'ortsmouth," and"Levant,"on 
the part of the American naval force, and other 
vessels under the command of Kear Admiral 
Seymore. on the part of the Etiglish, in the 
Canton River: 



.\nd whereas the chastisement inflicted on 
that occasion was in defence of American and 
English citizens residing in that locality, an<l 
had the happy effect of secm-ing to them 
immu;;ity from violence and insult to their 
persons and property: 

And whereas said Lieut. Guthrie has been 
induced by his friends in the city of Raleigh 
and elsewhere to express a willingness to 
tender this flag to his native State, with a 
desire that she would accept it as an humble 
evidence of filial sentiments and atl'ectionatc 
recollection : Therefore — 

R,:s()lval: That the Governor of the State 
be authorized and requested to accept the flag 
thus tendered by Lieut. Guthrie at such time 
and place and in sucli way and manner as may 
appear suitable and proper. 

Rcsolnd finiher: That he bo roiiuested, in 
behalf of this (.ieneral Assembly, to express to 
Lieut. Guthrie its high apiircciation of hi-i 
gallantry on that occasion and tliis evidence 
of his venaration for the State of his birth. 

Resolved tliirJIi/: That the Governor be fur- 
ther requested to nnike such disposition of the 
flag, when received, as he may think this 
trophy of her son deserves. 

Ratified February 16, 1859. 

True copy from the original. 

Gr.\ii.\m Daves, 
Private Sccrciarij. 

Raleigh, August 22, 18.59. 

After service of nearly thirty years, when 
the civil war liroke out, he was under the 
necessity of resigning, and entered into the 
Confederate s-rvicc, where he did efficient 
and a(^tivc duty at New Orleans and elsewhere. 
He was at one time in ommand of the 
"Advance,"running till! blockade hot ween Wil- 
mington and the I>errnn(his. After the war was 
over, ho removed with liis family to I'orts- 
mouth, Va., and in the Fall of 18G5 was 
pardoned by tlie President, (Johnson'.) being 
the first officer of the regular service who bad 
received Executive clemencj". His disabilities 
being removed liy a unanimous reeonmienda- 
tion from the members of Congress, he was ap- 
pointed by Go;ieral Grant to the "Superiu- 
teudciicy of the Life-Saving Stations from 
Cai)0 Henry to Cape llatteras," in the dis- 
charge of the duties of which he lost his life. 



16 



WHEELER'e KExMINISCENCES. 



He left a wife (Louisa, dangliter of Benjiuinn 
Spratly,) ami cisildrcn to mourn his loss. It 
was near tlie dreaded Cajie Ilatteras so often 
Iiefoi'o and since the death-place of the brave, 
did tlie gallant Guthrie meet his death. 

This fearful spot has been beautifully and 
fearfully ih-picted in [loetry by another son of 
North Carolina, now, too, no more: 

II.\TTEKAS. 

The Wind Khig from the North came down. 
iS'or slopiied by river, mount, or town; 
!>ut like a i)oisterous god at play, 
l;c^i^tln^s. Ijouudiu.o; oi: lus Wily, 
lie shook the lake and tore the wood. 
And tlapped his wings in merry mood, 
Nor furleil them, till h(^ sided afar. 
The white caps flash on Ilatteras 15ar, 
Where fleree Atlantic landward bowls. 
O'er treacherous sands and hidden shoals. 

lie paused, tlien wreathed his horn of cloud. 
And blew detiance long and loud; 
•'L'ome upl Come up. thou torrid god, 

'that rul'st the Sonlhern Sea! 
ill)! lighlning-eyed and thunder-shod, 

t'ome wrestle here Avith me! 
As tossct thou tlie tangled cane 
I'll hurl thee o'er the boiling main.'' 

The angry lieavens hung dark and still. 
Like Arctic night on Ilecla's hill; 
The mermaids sporting on the waves. 
Affrighted, fled to coral ca,ves: 
The liillow checl-ed its curling crest. 
And, trembling, sank to hudilen rest; 
All ocean stilled its heaving breast. 
Reflected darkness, weird and dread, 
An iidvy plain the waters spread — 
So motionless, since life was fled! 

Amid this element;'.! lull, 
V\lifn uatui'edied, and death lay dull, 
As though itself were sleeping there- 
Becalmed uiion tliat ilisnial Hood. 
Ten fated vessels iilly stood. 
And not a tindjer creaked! 

■•Come up! Come up, thou torrid god. 
Thou lightning-eyed and thunder-shod. 
And wrestle here v,ith me!" 
Twas heanl and answered: "Lo! I come 

From azure Carribee, 
To drive thee, cowering, to thy home, 
Au'l inelt its walls of frozen foam." 

From every isle and mount;iin dell, 

I'T'om plains of pathless ch;iparral. 

From tide built bars, where sea-birds dwell. 

He drew his lurid legions forth — 

And sprang to meet the v.diite-plumed North 

Can mortal tongue in song convey 
The fury of that fearful frayV 
How ships were splint(^red at a blow — 
Sails shivered into sla'cds of snow— 
And seamen hurled to death below! 
Two gods commingling, liolt and Ijlast, 
';he huge waves on each otlier cast. 



And bellowed o'er the raging waste; 
Then sjied, like harnessed steeds, afar, 
'that drag a shattered liatlle-ear 
Amid the midnight din of war! 
Smile on, smile on, thou watery hell, 
And toss those skulls upon thy shore; 
The failor's widow knows thee well; 
His children beg from door to door. 
And shiver, while they strive to tell 
How thou hast robbed the wretched poor! 

[Jos. W. HOLDEN.] 

This theme has also inspired the pen of lu 
earlier poet: 

«THE PILOT OF HATTERAS. 



[From lh( 



National Gazette, I'hiladelphia. Mondav. 
-Tan nary IG, 1792.] 



In fathoms five, the anchor gone, 

While here Ave furl the sail, 
No longer vainly laboring on 

AgaiiiSt the western gale; 
While here thy bare and barren cliffs. 

O Hatteras, I survey. 
And shallow grounds and liroken reefs; 

\N hat shall amuse my stayV 

The Pilot comes. From yonder sands 

He slioves his banjuc so frail. 
And hurrying on, with busy hands, 

Employs both oar and sail. 
P>eneath this rude, unsettled sky 

Condemn'd to jiass his years; 
No other shores delight his eye. 

No foe alarms his feavs. 

In depths of woods his hut he builds. 

Where ocean round him flows. 
And blooming in the barren wilds 

His simple garden gruws. 
His wedded nymph, of sallow- hue, 

No nungied colors grace. 
For her he toils, to her is true. 

The caiitive of her face. 

Kind nature here, to make him blest. 

No quiet harbor plann'd. 
And i>overty. his constant guest, 

Ke^lrainsthe lurate band. 
His hopes are all in yonder flock 

Or M)me few hives of bees. 
Except, when lioun<l for Ocracock.t 

Some gliding banpie he sees; 

His Marian then he (piits with grief. 

And spreads his tottering .sdls. 
While, waving higli her haialkerchief. 

Her commoilore she hails. 
She grieves, and fears to see no more 

Tlie sail that now forsakes, 
From Ilatteras' sands to banks of Core. 

Such tedious journeys takes. 

Fond nymph! your sighs are breath'd in vain. 

Picstr'ain those idle fears. 
Can you, that should relieve his pain. 

Thus kill him with your tears? 
Can absence thus beget regard, 

Or does it only seem? 
He comes to meet a wandering band 

That seeks fair Ashlevs stream. 



BEvrFoirr county 



]■ 



Tlio"(lisiiii)Oiiit('(l ill his vipws, 

>.'iit joyless will we |iart; 
Xor sliHll the f;()(l of iiiirth refuse 

Thr halsuiu of the he;iit. 
No iii^rSiU'l key sh:ill lock up joy; 

I'll sive liiiii hiilf iiiv store, 
Will he hut h;ilf liis skill eiuphiy 

'I'o guard us from your shore. 

Where western sjales once more awako 

What (lansers will he near. 
AlMs! I see the billows hreak. 

Alas! why came I here? 
With (piartsof rum ami pints of gin, 

<M). pilot, seek the land, 
And drink till you and all your kin 

Can neither sit nor stand. 

SIN HA I). 



* Written off the Cape, .July, 1780, on a voyage to 
South Carolina, being detained sixteen days with strong 
g;iles ahead. 

t All vessels from the northward tha" pass within 
riatteras Shoals, bound for New IJerne and other places 
on Pinilico Sound, commonly, in favorable weather, 
take a Hatteras pilot to conduct them over the danger- 
ous bar of Oenieock. eleven leagues \V. S. W. of the 
Cape. 

Edwafd Stanley represented Ueaut'ort Coun- 
ty in lS-i-l-'46 and "48, ami was often Speaker 
of the House. 

He was elected Attorney-General in 1847, 
and a member of Conij:ress from 1837 to 1843 
and from 1849 to 1853. He removed then 
[1853] to California, to practice his profes- 
sion. 

In 1857 he was tiie Republican candidate 
for Governor, and was defeated, receiving 
21,040 votes to 53,12:^ for the Democratic can- 
didate, AYeller. 

After the capture of ^ew Berne [14th March, 
18(52,] he was appointed by Mr. Lincoln Mili- 
tary Governor of 2sorth Carolina, which, after 
a few months, he resigned, and returned to 
Sau Francisco, where he died, on the 12tli 
July, 1872. 

We would fain tread lightly on the ashes of 
the dead, but faithful history demands, like 
Cromwell of his artist, " Paint me as I am, 
warts and all." 

Mr. Stanley was considered as a decided 
party leader in Congress, and acquired an un- 
happy reputation for an over-indulgence in 
vindictive feelings and ultra denunciation of 
his political opponents. This nnhaiipy trait 



of character, as was to be e.Npcctcd, invtdvcd 
him in tVeijuent didit-nlties, political and per- 
sonal. Perhaps it was constitutional, and a 
fatal iiilueritani'C; for his fathei had, in a 
political ([uarrel, killed Governor Spaigbt, and 
was considered aggressive and \iolent in his 
political conduct. Iidieriting this trait, Mr. 
Stanley had, in Congress, involved himself in a 
violent personal idtercation with his colleague, 
Hon. Thomas L. Clingman; another with 
llini. Mr. Inge, of Alabama, which terminated 
in a duel, and with Govii-nor Wise, of Vir- 
ginia, who aiiplied a i'i(ling-whi[i to his shoul- 
ders. 

His career as Military Governor of North 
Carolina was a failure, not meeting the ap- 
jirobation of those who sent him, and destroy- 
ing his ri'putation with those with whom he 
Was reared, and by whom he had been hon- 
ored. The most notable achievement of his 
mission was his letter to General D. II. Hill, 
of 24th March, 18()2, abounding in bitterness, 
in which he declared that he " preferred serv- 
ing in a bi'igade of negroes " than to belong 
to the troops eoniniatulud by General Hill, 
who then was defending Mr. Stanley's native 
land. 

Wliatever motives influenced Mr. Staidey to 
undertake so hopeless a mission, all his at- 
tempts to compromise the difficulties were 
idle and abortive. The bloody chasm had 

0])ened its ponderous jaws, 
and any endeavt>r to heal the dissensions be- 
tween the excited belligerents only tended to 
bring suspicion from one side, and liatred from 
the other. 

The following letter, from one of the first 
men in point of ability in North Carolina, and 
a near kinsman of Mr. Stanley, shows public 
oiiirnon as to Mr. S.'s course, and the state of 
public afl'airs at the unhaiipy period, and de- 
serves to be preserved. It was written to 
Hon. Alfreil Ely, who was a member of Con- 
gress from New York, and was at the battle 



18 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

of T>ull Run as a s[ioctat(ir. He was taken York was so threatened, what avouM be 3-oar 

prisoner, and at the date of this letter was an feeiin-s and purposes? From these, you may 

inuiate of the Lihby I'rison in Richmond: •^"'c.^Vo h!ok\vith horror at the thought of 

'• Mr.ELY:-Your letter to Mr. Stanley, pro- l^-^^'S -'J^ain "nited in any political connection 

• „ v- 1 :, J. u„,.- 1 +1 „ r r L- './tt • witli t le ^ortii. We would rather, rar, that 

posinsr to him to cheri.^h the leehng ot " Llni- ^,^ ^ , , -, , ^ , ,• ^t^' \ ^ 

■ )5 • A^ J.1 ri .. r t- \ 1, our htate should lie a Colonv or England, or 

onism m Aorth Carolina, came to mv hands p, or- ' .-^ > 

in an unsealed envelope, directed to liiy wife. -^^ ran<-;e> "f feiy-i'i'iii^- 

T + 1-, +1 , i;i .„f„ .+• : ff!,, .. „ .-, ■.;„i,f ,,, . iiie JNorth mav no able (thuUii-h we do not 

i take the libertv ot settuiir you riofht upon a i ,• ■, , , " i , i 

+■ f „, 1 ,),.,„;,■;„ „ ,„ ,„i Tf „ i,.7 ,1 + 1 believe it) to conrpier us, and even to keep us 
lact, and showing vou what a hoijcless task / , -J-. i , , i ^, • '■ , 

YOU have proposed to Mr. Stanley. conquered, and it it shonld he the wise and 

^ "There i.s no Union feelin- in A^n-th Caro- f «'^ pu-pose ot he Almighty' that this sl.ould 

lina, as vou suppose, and is probably supposed '.=^l'f"^"' '^^ «''='" .f/'^^eavor to suffer with pa- 

1 ., (-1,, ^. ., ,,. .ni,, ^v AT ..,fi,„„, ,„ ' tience whatever ills may beiall u-; but a vol- 
liv the generality ot JNorthern men. ^ ^ ^ "^ ■ -..i \\ v ^i 

- ' untaiy return to any union with the iStU'th, 

-There ,/v,s m this State a veiy strong ^^^ cannot, will not, accept on any terms -a 

I nn.ii teelmg— a strong love tor the Union as revival of any Union sentiments is an imi)OS- 

established by our foretathers — but as soon as sil)ilitv. 

Mr. Lincoln's proclamation of Aiiril, 18(11, an- ,, t i i • , .i ■• ii iti. .i , 

pearcd, offering us the altermitive of joining ,l*'"",''-- ^^'^^'''Z' , '^ ^^'^', •>''-" '""'f-^ '''' 

an armed i.iytision of our Southern Siste' well _toadv,se Mr. btanloy to abandon his en- 

States, for their subjugation, or resisting the a u- teipiise. 

thorities .,f the Unified States, our 'p<)siti(m " He a Governor of North Carolina! a (:}ov- 

was taken without a moment's hesitation. A ^nior deriving his authority from a commis 
Convention was promptly called, and instant- 



.sion of Mr. Lincoln! 



I}-, without a dissenting voice, that Conven- " The ver}- title isan insrdt to us. The ver}^ 
tion resolved to take oiir sides witli the al- appointment is the assumption of the rights of 
ready seceded States, and siiare their fate for a conqueror. But we ai'e not yet conquered, 
good or evil. From tliat moment, however And do 3H)u think Mr. Stanle^-'s coming liere, 
we may have differed in other things, there in such a cliaracter, supported by Xortherii 
has not been, and there is not, any difference; bayonets, serves toconimeiHl him to our favor; 
hence our people with one heart s^jrung to to breathe in us the gentle sentiments of amity 
arms. Our people have now nearly si.xty regi- and peace toward himself or those who sent 
nients in the field, (not skeletons, but full him here? Mr, Ely, as you huve opened a 
regiments,) and among them not a single con- correspondence with Mr. Stanley, you had bet- 
script or drafted man. Hence we have taxed ter wi'ite to him yours-df, and say this to him: 
ourselves freely; havjj useil our credit freely " If he wishes tlie honored name of St:inluy 
in making loans to support the war. The" to lieconie a. bye-word and a reproach, and to 
sjiirit which has produced this has never be s[ioken with scorn and hatred by all Xorth 
fl:igged; hut is now as high and active as at Carolinians henceforth and forever, let him 
first. prosecute his present mission. If hs does not 
" .Mr. Ely, think a moment ! We liave been wish this, let liim return whence he came, and 
in\-adcd by an enemy as unrelenting and fe- leave us to fight out the contest as l»est we 
rocious as the hordes under Attilla and Alaric, may, without bis interference, 
wlio overrun tlie Roman Empire; he comes to "George E. r>.U)GEK." 
rol) us; to murder our people; to insult our ,,., ,,,-,, . , ,. , 
women; to enumcipate our slaves, and is now ^^ "^■'^'>'''' ^^''^ ^t'lulcy ever re.'Cived this let- 
preparing to add a n.'W element to this most ter or read it we are not advisjd; but, as al- 
atrocious ag/ression, and involve u.-s in the rendy stated, he soon resigned his post, went 

direful horrors of a civil war. He proiioses , ,-, ,-.• • r i i ^ i 

,, • 1 .ki i.- 1 i i- ,1 to (.'a iiirnia, irom whence be never retuL'ni-(. 

nothing else than our entire destruction ; the 

desolation of our country; universal emanci- Ri't '>^ to Judge Radger, when the finale of 

patiou — not from a love of the slaves, but from the unhap[)V contest was s.Htied, and all the 

hatred to us. 'To crush us;' 'to wipe out hoi)cs, as e.xi.ressed in the foregoing graphic 
the bouth;' to involve us i\\ irremediable , ... . , . ' , 

misery and hopeless ruin. IMqv, were destroyed, his majestic mmd sunk 

" Now, .Mr. Ely, if your own State of New under the Idow. Like some gallant shi[i in her 



BKAUFOHT COL'XTY. 10 

proud career is suddenly tlirowu on liidden AViu. A. Rlduut, wliose liiograjiliy \vc liave 

and perilous roiks, quivers under the disaster, just [iresented. 

and iinally sinks under the overwlielniing He studied law and has attained the highest 

waves to ilarkness and to death. He died soon rank in liis [jrol'ession. His o|iinions as a 

after the war, [IStJti,] paralyzed in hody and Judge of the Supreme Court are considered by 

enfeebled in intellect. many as models of research and learning. To 

The ruins of the noblest man some, however, "that glorious uncertainty" 

That ever lived hi tide of times. g,-, ppoverbial to tlie law, is apparent in his 

Richard Spaight Donnell, born 1820, died rulings. Yet he is much esteemed by the pro- 

1865, represented this county in the Senate in fession as a just and learned jurist. He has 

1858, and in the Commons in IStid, '()2 and never mingled mucli in politics, for, like 

'64; and in the latter two sessions he was Alichuel Angcio of his profession, he tliinks 

elected Speaker. In 1847 he was elected a the law too jealous a mistress to allow an}' 

member of the 30th Congress, at the earlj- age rival in his affections. Like Hooker in his Ec- 

of twenty-seven. clesiastical Polity, he believes " of law there 

He was educated partly at Vale, and gradn- can be no less acknowledged than that her 

atcd at the University of North Carolina in seat is the bosom of Giod; her voice the har- 

1839. ii.ony of the world. All thing-- in heaven and 

He studied law and arose to high distinc- e.irtli do her homage; tin; veiy lea^t, as feel- 

tioii in the profession. He wrote in 18'!3 a ing her care; and the greatest, as not exempt 

letter on " the rebellion," wliich gave him from licr power. Both angels and men and 

mucii reputation as a statesman. creatures of wiiat condition soever, though 

Blest with a competency, if not a super- each in different sort and manner, yet all 
iiuit\' of estate, lie pursued his profession and witli uniform consent admiring her as tlie 
piditics more as an aniusement than forprotit motlier of their peace and joy." 
or promotion. Edward J. Warren lived and died in Beau- 
He was much loved by all who knew iiim fort County. He was a native of the State of 
for bis genial and gentle manners, his modest, Vermont. Came to North Carolina and set- 
un;issuming temper, and high-toned princi- tied in Washington, as a teacher. 
pies. As a man, he was just and faithful; as He read law and attained great eminence in 
a lawyer, of learning and probity, and as a the profession. He represented the county in 
statesman, above all intrigue or reproach. the Senate in 18G2 and 1SG4, and was Speaker 

He died unmarried, and his memoiy is en- of the Senate. He was appointed by Governor 

baluied in the affections of all who knew him. Worth one of the .ludges of the Superior 

"William Blount Kodman,born 29th January Court. 

1817, represented Beaufort County in the He marrie<l Deborah, daughter of Bichai'd 

Convention of 1868. He was elected one of Bonnor. He died in 1878, much esteemed 

the Justices of the Supreme Court, the term and regretted, leaving C'harlesF. Warren, now 

of whicli expired in 1878. at the bar, and Lucy, who mari-icd William 

He was educated at the University of North Rodman Myers. 

Carolina, and graduated in 1836 with the first James Cook, late a captain in the Confed- 

honors. crate Navy, says Dalton, was a native of Beau- 

His mother was the daughter of General fort, Carteret County, N. C. His name should 

John Gray Blount, and the sister of General be preserved among •' the men of North Caro- 



20 WlIEELEi;'3 liEMINlSCKXCES. 

lina." [lis terrific eiigng-cineiit wliiie ooni- daring cliaraeter, and Ins tragic end, make iiis 

inaiidiiig tlic Confederate i^teaiiier " Albe- liiHtory interesting. 

marie" with the Federal fleet, and clearing lie was born in October, 1828, near the sea, 
tlie Soniid and tlie Roanoke river, after the (his father lieing for years collector of customs 
capture of I'lymouth ijy General Robert E. at Oci-aeock Inlet,) and possessed naturally a 
Hoke, who wjs so alilv seconded by Gem-ral love fir the ocean, which became the ruling 
M. W. Ransiun, was a feat unparalleled in the passion of his life, and eventually his grave, 
aniuds of our naval warfare. Never before At the early age of 10, he left home on his 
hail the size of such guns and the weiglit of first voyage, and in 1848, he shiiijied as an 
their crushing missiles been directed against ordinary sailor before the niast,on the United 
any sini:le vessel. Yet she struggled through States steamer " Oregon," on a voyage from 
it, having luid the misfortune to have carried Xew York to San Francisco, via Cape Horn, 
away oue-lialf of one of the two guns she took Ilis diligence, attention, and good conduct, 
into the action. She was literally loaded down were so nurkod that he was make first officer 
liv the en^.'my's shot, and in this condition liad of the ship " Ciilumbia," on the dangjrous and 
to fight to the end, until she gained a [lort of tlic^n unknown coast of Oregon. When s:)me 
refuge. <l:iys at sea, the ship was discovered to lie on fire. 
During the pci'ilous ordeal, Ca[itain Cook She had on board 400 troops, under tho corn- 
was calm and collected; no excitement marked mand of (leneral Wool. The coolness, intre- 
Jiis conduct. Quietly did he give his orders, pidity, and energy of young Tayloe, on this 
and his men partaking his spirit, promptly and perilous (occasion, contributed greatly to the 
rpiietly obeyed. saving of the ship, passengers and crew. This 
Captain Cook was as modest in his deport- was exiiressod in the grateful thanks of tiie 
mcnt as he was brave and fearless in action, passengers l)y resolutions. 

Had such an exj)loit occurred under the Eng- On his return to San Francisco, the war in 

lish flag, Cook would have ranked with the Nicaragua was found to be the exciting ques- 

Nelsons and Wellingt(Uis of his age; but, as it tion of the day, and ottered allurement to the 

is, he sinks into (obscurity, firgotteu, almost, daring. He tendered his services to General 

l)y his 'i.ative State, upon which he \Valker, and was assigned to the command of 

shed such imperishabde honor. He was the fleet of steamers and gunboats on the Lake 

then in very delicate health, and after of Nicaragua. He more readii}' engaged i;i 

this terrible conflict, nevei' completely this expedition of "the gray-eN'ed nnm of 

recovered again. Soon after this battle his destiny," since liisyoungcr brother, James, was 

brave spirit winged its fiiglit from the bosom an otiicer in Walker's army, and had borne a 

of his family, iri Portsmouth, Virginia, tojoin conspicuous part in many desperate battles 

the spirits of his gallant comrades that had from the breaking out of the war. It was 

gone before him, where merit is rewaided, then and here that I foi'med the acquaintance 

and not success alone, as in this vale of of these two gallant young men. I was at this 

sorrows. time the Minister Resident of the United 

Charles Frederick Tayloe, son of Colonel States near the Republic of Nicaragua, and I 

Joshua Tayloe, who represented Beaufort was much pleased with their modest and in- 

County, in 1844, in the Senate of the State telligent conduct. James fell in battle in the 

Legislature, should iu)t l)e forgotten. Ilis desperate endea\'or to raise the seige of 

sliort and eventful life, his chivalric and Grenada, thus relieving General Ilcnniugseu 



BEAUFORT COUNTY. 21 

and liis conimatHlJjcloagiiered hy the tro(>i)S of alone eoulil not lia\e clt'ectt'd tliis, Imt our 
Guatemala. It may not bo uninteresting to Government, under lead of Go\ernor Marev 
record here tlie true facts in relation to this and others, denounced Walker, althongli 
expedition in which ro many nf our country- I'resident I'iorce riTcived I'adro \'ijil as the 
men took part, and whore f;o iiuuiy and valu. Kuvoy and Minister I'lenipctehtiary of Walk- 
able and enterprising lives were siicrificed. er's gove.-nnieut, and autl>')rized Captain 
The character and the objects of this expedi- J)avis, of the United States Xavy, to take 
tion have never been understood or fairly Walker and bring him to the United States; 
stated. Now, when more than a quarter of a which was done. I>ut soon Walker again re- 
ccntury has jnissed, and prejudice and passion turned to Central America, when, under or- 
subsided. the truth sliould appear. When 1 di-i-s, lu' was again seized by Commodore Paul- 
arrived in Nicaragua, I t\)und the republic ding and brought to the Unit(Hl States. This 
convulsed in civil war. War is the normal act was pr-uiDuncvd by the I'resident " a grave 
condition of Central ' America. The two error," and s.'vei'ely deuMuuvd in Congress, 
parties, the Democratic, headed by General and very gtnierally l)y the press of the country 
Casteilon, and tlieLegitimists, by General Cha- a^ unjust and iinccuistitutional. 
u'.ora, waged a fierce and bloody interneiniie ^A'alkel• again embarked inr Centi-al Am.'r- 
conte.-t. The Democratic party sent agetits to ica, and landed Avlth a few troops in Jlondii- 
California for men and arms. These engaged r.is, where, aftt'r sun- l.l.iody and successful 
the services of General Walker ami others, skiinnsbing with the Honduras tro )ps, he en- 
who became en!i.sted in their service, and camiied near Truxillo. While here a superiir 
Walker was placed in command of a regimeiit, force, dis[iatehed by Captain Salmon, of the 
and became a naturalized citizen of Nieara- Dritisb man-of-war - I;-ariis,'' under coni- 
gua. He soon, by his energj- and activity, maud of Ahare/., of the lloiiduias army, de- 
trained the ragged, barefooted and half-naked mauded of Walker his Burre:ider. Walker 
natives to become disciplined trooi)S, and as then swvveudowd to tli.- Briiix/i offjci-r, \v\h) lic- 
such led them to victory. He soon took the livered him to the Honduras autlioi-ities. 'i'iie 
towns of San Juan del Sur,Virgin Bay,and the next day [12th Seiitember, l.SOOJ he wasshor. 
cities of liivas and (irenada, the latter die His fate was melancholy and undeserved, 
capital and a city of ly,OiJU inhabitants. I Dmibtless Walker bad faults, but he supplaut- 
Witnessed this battle, which was of short dur- ed a govei'ument of ignoranee, superstiti ui, 
ation, and which completed the conquest of indolence, indjeoility, and treachery. Had he 
the republic. The President of Nicaragua succeeded, he would have ri\-aled the fame ■);' 
fled, and after a short interim. Walker was Houston, and added to the area of human lib- 
elected President. Amei-icans from New York, erty and enjoyment. Compire the present con- 
New Orle.ms and California, and almost every dition of Texas and Calif u'liia now with wh it 
State of the Union, flocked to " this El it was under the rule of Mexico. There is a 
Dorado." Peace and prc)sperity for the time destiny in the affairs of nations, as well as of 
smiled on this beautiful country. men. 

From the natural fondness of these people Captain Tayloe, after the failure of Walk.T. 

for war and revolution, the other republics of was ordered to conduct his command through a 

Central America (as Costa Rica and Guate- trackless and almost inaccessible route, from 

mala) proclaimed hostility, and deterruiued to Rivasto Point Arenas, duringwbich marchthev 

drive the Americans from the country. They suffered every i)rivation that famine, disease, 



22 WHEELER'S KEMIXISCEXCES. 

savage i'ocs, venomous reptiles, and a torrid eonntrynian; bnt neither sea nor time can 

climate could inflict. They reached I'oiiit bury his virtues and his gallantry from our 

Arenas worn down by exertion. He then memories, our sympathies, or our affections. 

embarked in abria^ to Panama, and from thence xoll for the brave! 

on the regular steamer to California. . ,T''«^ H'T'^ ^^''^^ 'i™ "" """"^^ ' 

. . . All sunk lieneath the wave, 

After remaining in San Francisco a few Fast by their native shore. 

weeks to recruit his exhausted s^-stem, in Toll for the brave ! 

-iQrPTi 1 iir 1-1 II- i- 15rave Tayloe ! he is gone; 

1857 lie omharked tor ins iiome and his native uj^ i^gt sea fight is fonu-ht 

land, a ]iiiss( iiger on the steamer "Central H is work of glory done. ' 

America." This gallant ship had nearly com- Toll for the brave! 

pleted her voyage, and was in sight of the It has been suggested as proper to recall 
home and birthplace of our hero, where his at- some furtlier memoiies of Central America, 
fectionate pai'cnts anxiously were awaiting and of a long residence in that interesting 
the return of their "war-worn son" when tlie country at a most exciting period. Even at 
alarming discovery was announced that the this day this countr}' is of rare interest, form- 
ship had sprung a leak. Young Tayloe, al- ing as it does the connecting link between 
though only a passenger, was the first to tender the two great oceans, and which from recent 
his services to the noble Ileriidoii; and tVom surveys by Caj^tain Lull, of United States 
that time until the brig " Marine " rounded to Navy, and others, will be the probable route 
under her lea, he was foremost in relieving the of the oceanic canal. 

steamer; working at the pumps until they were The resignation of Hon. Solon Borland 

■exhausted and useless. Wlien all hope of sav- caused a vacaiuT in the Mission to Central 

ing the steamer was abandoned, he remained America, and without any solicitation or ex- 

at his post, an example of coolness, of courage pectation on my part, my name as Minister 

and seamanship. He was indefatigable in aid- Eesident to the Republic of Nicaragua, was 

ing the ladies, children and others in embarking sent to the Senate, and on the 2d August, 1854, 

on the relieving ship, and could have saved (my birth-day) I received from the State De- 

himself but for his attention to others. But partment my commission. This was consid- 

on con.sideration with the otficers it was de- ered, from the position of the country and the 

cided that the ship would continue aiioat till complications as to the protectorate assumed 

daylight, and as did Captain Ilerndon and our by England, as an important and delicate 

lamented John V. Dobbin, (brother of James mission. Mr. Everett, of .Massachusetts, in 

C. Dobbin, Secretary of the Navy ],s5o-'57,) March, 1853, stated in the Senate that " it was 

Captain Tayloe retired to his stateroom, more important than the mission to London 

seeking that repose that his continued labors or Paris." After waiting for instructions and 

demanded. arranging my private affairs for a long ab- 

In the course of the night a huge wave sence, with my family I departed from Nor- 

swept with violence the ship's decks, and she folk, Virginia, on 31st October, 1854, on board 

went suddenly down with all on board, the U. S. steam frigate "Princeton," com- 

Thus perished, off his native coast of North manded bj' Captain Henry Eagle. We 

Carolina, near Cape Hatteras, one of her touched at Havanna for a supply of coal, and at 

boldest, bravest sons. Pensacola we went on board the " Columbia," 

The eternal sea in its dark waves have swal- the flag-ship of the home squadron, corn- 
lowed up the mortal remains of our gallant manded by Commodore Newton, a model of- 



BKAT^FOirr COUXTY. 



23 



ficer and .accomplished c;cntleni;ui, who hiiuh^d 
us in December, 1854, after a long voyage of 
nearly thirt}' days, at 8aii Juan del Norte. 
The mild climate, the gorgeous foliage and 
rich scenery, created pleasvn-e and surprise. 
One can hardly realize, who has never visited 
the tropics, the mildness and beauty of the 
climate; the very air is redolent with the 
fragrance of fruits and flowci-s, to breathe 
which renders existence itself n luxury. The 
evenings are still more delicious. These have 
been graphically described. 

" By and by night comes on; not as it comes 
to our northern latitudes, but it falls suddenly, 
like a rich drapery, around you. The sun goes 
down with a glow, intense and brief. There 
is no lingering twilight, but suddenly the stars 
burst forth, lightening, one by one, the hori- 
zon. They come in a laughing group, like 
bright-eyed children relieved from school, and 
reflected from tlie lake they seem to chase each 
other in frolicsome play, printing sparkling 
kisses on each other's luminous lips. The low 
shores, lined with heavy foliage of the man- 
groves, looked like a frame of massive antique 
carving around the mirror of tlie quiet lagoon, 
acrossWhose (juiet surface streamed a silvery 
shaft of light from ' the Southern Cross,' pal- 
pitating like a young britle at the altar. Then 
there were whispered ' voices of the night,' 
the drowsy winds hushing themselves to sleep, 
and the gentle music of the little ripples of 
the lake, pattering with fairy feet along the 
sandy shore. The distant heavy and monoto- 
nous beatings of the sea, and the occasional 
sullen plunge ot some marine animal, gave a 
novelt}' and enchantment to the scene, and 
entranced my senses during the delicious hours 
of iny iirst evening alone with nature on the 
Mosquito Shore."* 

AVe could well ask, with Kodgers: 

Tliis region is surely not of earth. 

Was it not dropped from Heaven V 

Not a grove hut is of citron, iiine. or cedar; 

Not a grot, sea worn, and mantled with tlie gadding 

vine. 
But breathes encliantment. 

This lovely region, where Providence has 
done 80 much and man so little for himself, 



* '* Waikna, or Adventures on the Mosquito Shore;" 
by Samuel A. Baird. 



we found, as already slated, itivolved in the 
tumults of civil war. As we journeyed to Cas- 
tillo, some seventy miles up the river, the 
marks of blood spilled in a battle fought on 
the day before on the wharf on which we 
landed were sec^n. As before stated, both i)ar- 
ties claimed to be the supreme power of the 
government. The Democratic party, headed 
by Castillon, held iiu)st of the repuldic except 
Grenada, and bad that city under close siege. 
I was assured that this would be soon raised, 
and the Legitimists resume the authority of 
government. I was instructed to present my 
credentials to " the President of Nicaragua." 
Now a knotty diplomatic problem came up, 
which I alone must solve. A mistake would 
be fatal. I applied for instructions, but none 
came. Mr. Stephen-:, a [iredecessor, was in- 
volved [1841] in a similar quandary. He 
tried in vain. Once, as he states, he 
thought " he came very near discovering a 
live President. But suddenly' he vamosed on 
the back of a mule." Mr. Squire [1849] did 
tind a rivsident in Bamirez. But when Mr. 
Kerr [in IB.Jl] came he was not so successful, 
for the republic, as now, was in civil war. 
Mr. Borland, my immediate predecessor, did 
find a President, (Don Fruto Chamoro,) but 
he is now beleagui'ed by superior force, and 
inaccessible. 

By instructions of the Government, I re- 
mained some time in Greytown, or San Juan 
del Norte, engaged in collecting testimony as 
to the destruction of property by the bom- 
bardment of Greytown [9th July, 1854] by 
Captain Hollins, and then went to Virgin Bay, 
on Lake Nicaragua, where I remained three 
months, during which time the siege of Gre- 
nada was raised. General Chamoro died of 
cholera, and General Estrada was declared 
President and assumed the duties, and in 
April, 1855, 1 was recognized by him as the 
Envoy Resident, and raised the flag of the 
United States at Grenada. 



24 WHEELER'8 KEMINISCENCES. 

Under instructions, a treaty was formed the profession of medicine and acquired 

[20tli June, 1855] of amity and commerce. l-:nowlcdg-o from the ablest masters, yet he 

The President was kind and polite, and more saw and felt that it was not as auspicious as 

of a poet and musician than a soldier or states- the profession of the law for an ambitious and 

man. Our intercourse was kindly and pleas- aspinng temperament. He entered the law 

ant, and the republic was quiet. But it was otlice of Edward and Andrew Ewing, and 

only the lull that precedes a fearful storm, remtiined there two years. He was admitted 

The agents of the Democratic party succeeded to the bar in .Tune, 1847, at New Orleans, 

at San Francisco in engaging the services of His active temper still sosigbt additional 

William Walker, and on the 4th of May, 1855, action, and he entered the stormy sea of 

he embarked on the brig ''Vesta" for Nicaragua, politics. He became editor of the New Orleans 

with fifty -two followers, to invade a territory Crrscoit. 

of more than 200,000 people. Was the act of In Jul^', 1850, he went to California, and 

Cortez in burning his ships after landing bis was connected with tiie Z>(»7y iZti/v/ZiZ, just then 

troops more daring or desperate? established by .Tohn Nugent. He hud some 

He and his force landed at Kealejo, and was difficulty with .Tmlge Pai'sous as to some 
strengtliened by three hundred native troops artii/lcs he wrote for the pa[>;'r,and he removed 
under General Valle. After a repulse at Rivas to .\Iarys\-ille. and devoted him-iolf to the law. 
by Colonel Bosque, in whicli Achilles Kewon In Octobei', 1853, he visited Sonora, and, 
and Timotliy Crocker and some of Walker's with Gilinan, Em:iry, Croeker, and others, 
best troops were killed, he attiicked Guardiola made an unsuceessfnl atteni[)t on the Mexican 
at Virgin Bay, whom he defeated with heavy autliorities. Walker returncil to San Fran- 
loss. He captured, without loss, the steamers eiseo, and was arrested and tried for violation 
on the Lake of Nicaragua, ami on the 12th of tlic neutrality law, Init was acquitted. 
October, after a sharp coiitiict, he ca[itured The Democratic party of Nicaragua for- 
Grenada, which, as before stated, com[)leted warded to him a commission as colonel and 
the conquest of tiie re[)ublie. The I'l-esident an extensive grant of land, through agency 
and Cabinet tied, and many res>)rted to my of Byron Cde. 

house and placed themselves under the flag Gathering a band of sixty-two followers, 

for protection. I met now, for the first time, (among whom were C. C. Hornliy, of North 

(ieneral William Walker. He ap[ieared to be Carolina, and .Julius de Brissot,) he landed at 

abdut tliirty-one years of age [born in Nash- Uealejo, in the northern part of Nicaragua, 

ville, Tennessee, on 8th May, 1824.] He wr.s His history will now lie connected with 

liberally educated, and graduated at the Uni- Nicaragua for all time, 

versify of Tennessee in October, 18-38. He had, asalready stated, captured Grenada, 

He studied medicine, and received a. diploma and was now ■• master of the situ:ition," and 

from the Medical University at rhiladcl[)hia, had the po.ssession of the capital. Had Walker 

in April, 1843. Ho then went to France and possessed some [lortion of that quality which 

England, wliere he conqileted his studios. He Genei-al Lee called "a rasrally virtue," he 

then traveled extensively on the Continent, could have attained conqilete success. The 

where he learned to speak and write tlie history of every nation lepeats only the history 

French, German, Italian, and Spanish lau- of nations gone before. First comes the 

gnages. He returned to the United States in adventurous pioneer, wifh his rifle; then the 

June, 1845. Although he had a. fondness foi' schoolmaster, with his books; then the clergy- 



BEAUFOET COrXTY. 2^ 

man and bis crocd ; then the ir,erchant, the tnv,).^ wonhl venture, for they knew that no 

raih-oa.l. and the tele-raiih. I'O"'*^'' '■""''! •"''^■^' "'^■'" 't' '>'"''' '" "'« l'i""1^"f 

Tl:e advent of Walker was not uni-leasant <"<"™'- Appeals were made lo the Consuls 
nor ■ nnexpeeted to the simple-hearted and from Sardinia, Prussia, and France, resident at 
i^rcntle natives of Central America. They lia.l <^'i-<''n'.la, without success. Finally, the Arch- 
heen grievonsly oppressed by the Spanish '^'^'"'l' "f Grenada, with the a-ent of the 
dou.in'ion; nor" was their condition much Transit Company, called on mo, and heson-ht 
better under their successors. '-There was a '"^' ^'^ ■"■» -^^ =' '"essen-cr of peace. Thus 
tradition among them," says Crowe, in his m-ed by them, I agreed to go. Accordingly 
'' History of Central America," published iu :i steamer was made ready, and witli Mr. Vau 
London in 1850, " founded on an ancient %l<e, of Philadelphia, who was acting as 
prophecy made years ago, that these people Secretary of the Legation, and Don Juan 
would only be delivered In.m crnel oppression l^ni^-, late Secretary of War, we went to 
by ' a gray-eyed man.' " Mr. Crowe adds in a l^'^'^i-^ ^^■'f' ^1'^' certificate of election of Gen- 
note the pro}ihetic remark: -'We would remind ^ral ( orral. 

those who attach any importance to thi> pro- llivas is a walled town about fifty miles from 

phecy, that it may be reserved for our trans- t^renada. 

Atlantic brethren to fulfill this prophecy." ^^'^ found it closely picketed and full of in- 

"Last week we saw many of the native I'ni-iated soldiers, commanded by (icneral Za- 

Indians," says the Grenada Niennii/iwits-f, '• in truclie. 

our city, wiio desired to see General Walker; <»" mrpiiry for General Corral, T was in- 

and they laid at his feet the simple oiierings formed that he had just left Kivas with all his 

of their fruits and fields, and hailed his ap- f'>i'ees, to attack Walker at Grenada. A 

pearance, witb fair skin and gray eyes, as ' the <-'>'irier was immediately dispatched to Corral 

gray-eyed man of de-tiny,' so long and so ^^''f' the communication of lii.s election as 

an.xioiisly waited for by them and their President. Zatniche, the General in command, 

father- " ^^''** "^"^ "f t'le most bloodthirsty and perridi- 

Tlu' ne.xt day after tiie capture of (Jrenada, ""-^ »'e'i in Central America. Smarting under 

an election was held by th.' jieople for a pro- the defeat he had met with at Virgin Bay. 

visional President, anil under the policy of fmin Walker, he was in.solent and imperious.. 

Walker, and at his suggesti.ti, General Fonci- After waiting for some hours for Corral, (and 

alio Corral was chosen. General C. was at this we since ascertained that he was still in Ri vas,) 

time at Uiva.s, at the head of ;i large force of I directed the ho-ses to be brought, purposing 

troops, prepaiing to march on Grenada and to return to Virgin Bay and there await Cor- 

drive Walker out of the country. Walker raPs coming. My servant then came aiid in- 

knew th;;t with his small force and his unre- formed us '-that Zatruche had taken the 

liable allies, that an attack by Corral (who horses, and that a guard was then approaching 

had some military genius and e.Kperience. and to seize me and my secretary." They entered, 

much desperate courage) would be serious if and I never saw a more ferocious and villain- 

not disa.strous. He knew that Corral was ous looking crowd, armed to the teeth; their 

very ambitious, and fond of power and place, uniform was a scanty shirt tliat hardly reached 

Hence this election. tiie knee, a dilapidated straw hat, with a red 

But l:;iw to get this information to Corral ribbon, and barefooted. AVe were then placed 

was the point. Xot one of Walker's native in the qnartel witii a guard over us. Our poor 



26 WHEELER'S UEMINISCEXCES. 

boy (Carlos), after the doors were locked, ransom of two thousand dollars in gold, 

with sobs and tears, infonued us that we were That my destruction was imminent, is 

to he shot at sunrise to-morrow. Mr. Van proved by the letter of General Corral, that 

Dvke, with great emotion, said that he cared " he would not he responsible to what might 

but little for himself, hut much for me and my happen to me personally," as lie had issued 

little ones and wife at Cieiiada. Ifcltl)U)yed orders to Zatruehe to execute me. But the 

up by the consolation that I was in the line of kindness of Scott, and a gracious Providence 

(luty— on a mission of mercy and peace. Never prevented bis atrocious purpose, 

did I spend a more unbapi>y night; the dim The following letter, the original of which 

lamp revealed the army officials peering at iu- is in my possession, was received by me at Vir 

tcrvals to ascertain our confinement, and the giu Bay: 

watcli-woi-d, Ai,i:rto, (all well.) sounding in " Commander-in-Chiefof the 



on r 



^ars from the line of guards. I'.ut earlv " T^ep. of Nic'a. Headquakters, 



in the moining the sound of caiHKUi and rides 



" Mn-ching, llth Oct. ,1S^S, 



, , ,. / ,, , -/fill "To the Mh)isler of the United Stutrs: 

was beard hrniir on the town. Zatruehe had „ -^ i i i xi • • -t 

^ " I am placed under the imperious necessity 

felt th.ur fatal accuracy and danger. He ^^ manifest to the .Vlinister of the United 

rushed in and exclaimed, "In the mime of States that in consequence of his leaving the 

,M ■ t. , c! 1 „(. ,!-,„, fi,: , ,„,..,,, V " TTo city of Grenada in the steamer of the Acces- 

Clirist ! Senor. what does tins mean r tie -^ rn -i. /-i x i i ^i i • -c 

sory iransit Company', taken by the chiet 

was informed that my friends bad expected covlimanding the forces who occupy that place 

me to rciuru last night; that they liad deter- witli the object to hurt the forces of the Su- 

mincd to rescue me, and iu doing so would preme Government, whom I have the honor to 

. , command at Kivas, I noio inform >/ou that I dm 

not spare one ot !ns pai'ty; that they were ,,^,t, or iniU w,t he rr.^ponme for lohnt mail happen 

well-armed with riiies that were cei'tain, and lo i/ou permnnUi/, for having interfered in our 

with cannon. " Won't yu write a small let- domestic dissensions to tiie prejudice of tb° 



tcr [an Inllillc), to tliem to cease their tire? " 



Su[.ircmo Government, by whom he has been 
recognized; and has made him-ielf the bearer 



This was pre-enii)torily declined. He then of comniunicatious ami prochunations au-aiiist 
said, " You kn iw. S.'uor .Minister, that we the legitimately recognized authority'. There- 
are tVien.ls; vou are very dea,- to me. Go out to ^V-^ ^ '"'''' 'f'^^'T 'V"^ ="■*' /"" ''fV ^^'''^ '" 

this same date i have mtormed Govern >r 

itbem, forthwith, your horses are at the door, ^j.^,,^^^. .^,„| ^i^^ new^pipers of New York. 

and I will send a guard of honor to escort you I am your dear servant, D. P. L., 
and your Hag." Accei.ting the leave, l)ut de- -TOXCIANO CO!{RAL." 

dining the honor of the escort, \ve so.in To which the following reiily was sent : 
mounted and were soon at the steamer wbei-e " lji:(iATioN of Uxitkd States, 

Captain Scott was with onlv six men an.l four " -^'ear Repuulic of XicAiiAaUA, 

^,, , ,„ ■ ,,,,.. " ViRciN Bay, 18//( O,-^, 1.S5.'). 

small brass caiinons. We so.>u roacucd \ irj;in 

„ , T 1 /-, , • xi t r xi ''To Grii'I. Pnitciajio Corral: 

Bay, where -ludge Gushing, the agent ot the . j j^.^^.g |,^„„, ^^ acknowledge the receipt of 

Transit Line, was, and who had dispaich -d t!ie your letter of yesterday, iu which yon inform 

steamer to relieve me, and who stated ibat me that 3-ou are compelL-d to_ manifeU:_ your 

, T X ,. ii 1 I i- 111 iirotest agaiiist me for leaving the cit\- of 

when 1 set out on the dav l-ietore. he had n;-ver \~. 1 -n ti • . .. t- • • i-' 1 

Greiiaila with the intent or injury ot rh:> 

expected my return. Judge Gushing, late our forces under your command ia tlio town of 

Minister at Bo>iota, and agent at .this time of Kivas. 

the Transit Company, bad, only a few davs " I I'eply, I li^^^ no such object in visiting 

' • Kivas, as will appear more tullv by a letter 

belore, been seize-l and imprisoned liy Za- ^^,\^-^,.\^ i ^-I'ote to the military governor of 

trucbe, and onl\- escaped i.iurder b}- paying a that department, a copy of which I enclose. 



BEAUFORT COUNTY. 



27 



" I had no personal desire to leave Grenada; 
nnd for some time positively objected; l)Ut 
inrtnenced by the cliicf citizens of Grenada 
(your own friends) the venerable fathers of 
the church, the tears of your own sisters, aiul 
your dauiihters, T consented to visit you, ac- 
coiripanied by Don duan Hui/., tlie Secretary 
of War, and yoin- superior in office, bearin.;^ 
the olive bi'aiich of peace; and a proposition 
from the comniandcr-general of the l»emocratic 
forces, to make 3-ou the provisional President 
of the Republic. When it was stated you 
were absent, I desired to return to this iilace. 
Judj^^e my surprise, when I was informed by 
the Prefect and Governor, that I should not 
return, my life threatened, and my per.son 
(with my secretary, servant, and the national 
flag) imprisoned in the ([uartel under sti-ict 
guard. 

" For this violation of the laws of nations 
and my persomd rights, I protest, and lie 
assured, General, that my Government will 
h(dd 3H)U and your Government to a sevei'c 
responsibilitj' for such lawless conduct. 

•' You further inform nie that 'you will not 
be res[)onsible for what may happen to me 
for my personal safety,' and that you will 
inform Governor Marc}-, the Secretaiy of 
State, and the newspapers of Xew York of 
my conduct in this matter. In reply, I inform 
you that when I have kept my word of honor 
to the Governor of Rivas to remain here two 
days to await 3'our reply, I shall return to my 
post at Grenada; and that I do not request, 
nor have I evere.\i)ected,you tobe responsible 
foi- my personal safety. The flag of the United 
States is suiticiently powerful for my protec- 
tion, backed as it is by a patriotic Pi'esident 
and thirty millions of people. 

" I have myself fully informed Governor 
Maivy of all these matters; and feel in no way 
responsible to yciu. and the newspapers of 
New York tor my official conduct. 
" Yours faithfullv, 

" JOHN 11. WHEELER, 
" Minister of U. S. A. near 

" the Bcpilblir of NirdfiC/itl.'"' 

As I left Rivas a parting salute from a liea\'y 
cannon was fired at us, which struck near us an 
adobe gate, and covered us with dust and dirt, 
i)ut with no other effect than to naake us 
inciul our (jait in retreat. 

On my return to Grenada, (ieneral Walker 
called on me. On learning the cause of my 



delay, my imprisonment by Zat ruche, he ex- 
pressed but little surprise, but remarked quiet- 
ly, that he expected I would come to grief; 
and " it would have been a fortunate event 
had /at ruche carried out his intention to shoot 
me; for then," be ad(bMl,"your (Jovernment 
must have resented such outrage, and taken 
my part." This was cool, rather than con- 
soling, and characteristic of Walker, who 
looked upon men as the mere titulary pawns 
of the chess lioard, to be moved and sacrificed 
to advance the ambitions plans of others. His 
conduct can only lie justified or apologized 
forl)y the fact that he was at the time in immi- 
nent peril himself. The enemy had now the 
posses'don of that jiortion of the country on 
which the Transit Conqiany had their mute. 
From this reservoir hecould only receive rein- 
forcements. The enemy, exasperated to mad- 
ness, and infuriated by defeat in every battle 
liy an inferior force, theii' capital taken, their 
President and Cabinet fugitives, were ready for 
the most desperate deeds. The agent of tlie 
Transit Company, Judge Gushing, as already' 
stated, was seized and the office broken open, 
and his lite jeopardized. The steamer, loaded 
with passeng._'rsfn)ni New York and San Fran- 
cisco, was fired on by Fort Sau Carlos, to the 
imn\ineut pei'il of every one on board, and sev- 
eral persons killed, among them .Mrs. White, of 
Sharon, New York; and many wounded, 
among them .J. <}. Ivendi'ii-k, then of Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, now of St. Louis. Many whose 
names were unknown were founil murdered, 
with their throats cut, and their bodies robbed 
even of their clothes. The steamer, u imble to 
pass the fort at the outlet of the river, or to 
land at Virgin Bay, on the 22d Oct., 1855, 
came to ( Jreuada, Nvit h 250 passengers, to claim 
the protei-tioii of the American .Ministei-. To 
add to the misfortunes, the cholera was raging 
among the crowded [lassengers. A committee 
• called on the Minister for relief, and I went 
on board. Such a scene I never before wit- 



28 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

nessed. Deiid and woimdod, sick and dying witli the instincts of his race and coh)r, he 

from chdiera, crowded the decks. One died was planning treason and murder. Letters 

(Nicholas Cari'ol) with the eiiolera, while I from him to Gardiohi and Zatruche were in- 

was on l)oard. Many of tliese were wealthy; tercepted, urging them to come with arms and 

ail rcspectahle, and all niy countrymen. I force, and overthrow tlie new government, 

persuaded them all to leave the crowded and He was arrested. impris(_)ned, tried for treason 

infected ship, took them into my own house, by a court-martial, and condemned to lie shot, 

as many as I could accommodate, and rented whicli sentence was executed in tlie plaza of 

a large house for the others. Grenada, at 2 p.m., on 8th November, 1855. 

Added to these misei'ies, evident prepara- I was on the plaza of Grenada on the 8th 

tions were making for a sanguinary l)attlo Novemijer. 1S55, in company with Captain 

whicli was near at hand. Arrests were hourly Scott, Judge Gushing. and some friends, when 

made and imjiri.-onmeuts, and continual appli- the tolling of the Cathedral hell, tlie solemn 

cations for protection and relief. air of crowds of spectators, indicated some 

The Secretary of Foreign Aftairs of the late event of deep and solemn importance. 

Govei-nment, Don ^Liteo Mayorga, I'or the out- A guard of soldiei's marclied out frcuvi the 

rages at San Carlos and other places, was lying quartel, witli whom ajijieared General P(_mci- 

dead at this time in tlie plaza, shot by order ano Coiral. On one side of him was a jiriest, 

of Walker; leading and wealthy citizens ar- bearing in his liand a small cross, and (ui the 

rested and imprisoned. other his faithful i'riend, I)on Pedro Rouhard, 

A\'hat a scene of hoi'ror! what a night of the Consul of Fi'aiice. The splenrlid person of 

anxiety and excitement was experienced! Corral seemed home down with calamity; his 

An anxious and fearful morning came; but features bore the nuirks of extreme mental 

General Corral, iuste;ul of attacking Grenada, suffering. He took his seat iu the fatal chair, 

made his appearance in tlie plaza accompanied which was placed with its back to the wall of 

by his staff and General Walker, with some the Cathedral. He calmly took out his hand- 

of his officers. A treaty of peace between kerchief, folding it in his hands, and bound it 

these generals was made,(2:!d October, 1855,) around his eyes; then, folding his hands in an 

by which Don Fatrico Rivas was named as attitude of pniyer, uttered the word "/)ro/(^j" 

provisional rresident— an oblivion of past dif- — ready. A detail of .Mississip[ii rifles, ;it the 

fereuces. Walker was made Commaiidcr-in- distance of about ten paces, at the word.flred, 

Chief of the Army and Corral Minister of and every ball piei'ced through and through 

War, the barricades of tlie streets destroyed, his liody; he fell dead from the chair, and his 

the prisons all opened, and peace dawneil on spirit departed to answer for the deeds done 

the land. Corral marched his forces into the on earth — 

city, wearing the blue ribbon, and they were With all liis crimes In-nad blown, 

incornorated into the nrmv of Wnll-er Tb,. And Iiow liis luulit stands, who knows, save heaven ? 

incoipoiaiea into tnt ai m\ or Walkei. llie But. iu our circumstance and course of thought, 

two chiefs embraced each other on the plaza, ' Tis heavy witli him. 

and the officers, military and civil, proceeded I witnessed, witli painful emotion, this tragic 
to the church " to return thanks to the God of scene. General Corral was of a soldiei'ly de- 
Peace for the termination of the war." meanor and commanding presence. He was 
Everything now seemed quiet. But it was rather [iortl\- in size, weighing about two hmi- 
only temporary. At this very time, when the dred pounds, social in his character, of daring 
real strength of Walker was known to Corral, courage and imioniitable purpose. He was ex- 



BKATFOUT COUNTY. 



20 



cessivoly jiolitc, uiid profuse in liis t'X[)rG3sioii.s 
of frieiidsliiii. He was as sincere as liis nature, 
education, atiil mixed hlood would allow. So 
natural was intrigue and treachery intrrained 
in his nature that he practiced these vices 
when it were easier to he lionest and sincere. 
He was poj/ular anionic; the people, and hia 
death caused a profound sensation in the State. 

It would bo foreign from the plan of this 
work to record all the spirit-stirring events in 
the cai'eer of Walker, or Jo attempt to de- 
scribe the character of tlie country or its in- 
habitants. 

The career of General Walker, afS.er many 
battles between the Kicaraguan forces and 
Costa Rica, as well as Guatem-ila, liad varied 
fortunes; from his injudicious interference with 
the Tran.sit Comjiany, and otliei- causes, his ca- 
reer was checked liy defeat, and in May, 1857, 
an agreement was entered into by him and 
Captain Cliarles Henry Davis, a Commander 
in the United States Xavy, ship " St. Mary." 
by which " General Walker, with sixteen offi- 
cers of his staff, marched out of Rivas with 
their side-arms, jiistols, horses, and personal 
baggage, under guai'antee of said Davis not to 
be niolested by tlic enemy, and be allowed to 
endsark on the ' St. M-jay,' then in the harbor 
of San Juan del Sur; and the said ])avis un- 
dertaking to transport them >-afely to Panama, 
in charge of a United States ofKcer." Fi'om 
Panama, Walker returned to the United 
States. He was received with much enthusi- 
asm; nor was he disturbed b^' the Government 
of the United States for any violation of law. 

He soon endjai'ked again for Nicaragua, with 
men and arms, when, whether with orders 
from tlie Government of the United States or 
not. he was seized by Captain Paulding, as ;J- 
ready alluded to. He M'as brought back to 
the United States. He again endjarked fur 
Centrril America, and landed in Ucniduras, 
whv.re he had some skirmishes near Truxillo, 
when he surrendered to the English officer 



commanding Him- Majesty's steamer " Icarus," 
who delivered him to General Alvarez, of the 
Honduras army, and on the 12th September, 
18G0, he was shot. 

This is a copy of the last note that Walker 
ever wrote: 

I iiereby jirotest, before the civilized 
world, that when I surrendered to the cajitain 
of Her Majesty's steamer, the '■ Icarus," that 
officer expressly received my sword and pistol, 
as well as the arms of Colonel Rutler, and the 
surrender was expressly, and in so many words, 
to him, as the representative of Her !5rittanic 
Majesty. William Walkkr. 

On board the Steamer ''Icarus," September 

5t/i, 18(i0. 

Thus iierished, in the prime of life, William 
W^alker, at the early age of Bti, as fearless a 
man as icir country ever [iroduced. Xecessa- 
rily brief has been this sketch, whicli tlie stir- 
ring events of the time atfv)rd anqjle material 
and might have much extended. But it is 
only a glance at these events, comprehending 
the salient points of interest, are attempted 
with ti'Uth and justice. Much that I have en- 
deavored to describe, if not 

Pars fui; mesirieiua vidi, 
and had Walker been prudent and successful, 
the battles of Grenada and Rivas would have 
rivaled the triumph of Sail Jacinto, and 
Walker ranked with the Houst.on of other 
days. His enterprise and valor deserve our 
respect, aud his tragic end our sympathy^ 

Duncan is in his gra\e. 

After lifn's fitful fever he sleeps well. 
Trertsou has done his worst, nor steel nor poison, 
Malice domestic, foreign levy, 
Nothing can touch him further. 

Macbeth. 

From the disordered condition of this coun- 
try', and from individual danger incident to 
■duy foreigner, I was instructed l)y the State 
Department to retire fri)m Grenada to San 
Juan del Norte. In impaired health, I was 
allowed to return home, and in 1857 resigned. 
The events of tliese three years cau hardly be 
classed in my life as among " The Pleasures of 
.Memorv.^' 



30 WHEELER'S KEMTXISCEXCES. 

CHAPTER TV. 

BERTIE COUNTY. 

\yhit.niill Hill, (born ]2tli February, 1743. dill, ami marched in 1812 in nUVnce of Nor- 

r>ied 12th Septenilier, 1797,) was born in lior- i'olk. He was for a perind of _yeai's a pillar of 

tie County, and the ancestor of a large and the Baptist Church, universally li)vcd for his 

wealtliy family in liastern Carolina. nol)le Christian qualitii's, ;ind was for a loni; 

He was educated at tlie T/nivcrsity of Pcnn- time tlie clerk of the county court, 

sylvania, and was the early and earnest advo- David Stone, horn February 17, 1770. 

cate of the rights of tlie Colonists in the Revo- Died 7th of October, l.SlS. 

liition, and served faithfully in all the legisla- Amon^- tiie distinguislied narnos in the ear- 

tivc bodies — Provincial, State, and IS^ational — lier history of X^M'tli (/arolina, is that of 

the devoted patriot and statesman. David Stone. 

He was a member of the Provincial Con- His father, Zcdekiali St<uie, came early to 

,i;r._ss that met at Hillsboro, 20th Au,ij,-ust, 1775, Xorfh Carolina from X'ew England (Vermont, 

and at Halifa.v, on Itli April, 177G, and elected we have understood,) and haviny- purchased 

to House of Commons from Martin County, lands irom the Tusearora Indians, settled in 

in 1777; Senr.tor, 177S-79 and "80. He was Bci'tie County and oiariied .Mi's. ]']lizal)c! h 

Speaker of the Senate in 1778. In 1778 he Hohson, (/,,,' Shri vers,) of .Martin Ciumty, 

was a delegate from Xorth Carolina to the lie lived at Hope, five miles fioni Windsor, 

Continental Coiigres.s, and served until 1781. and carried on mercantile and farming bnsi- 

He survived the perils of the Revolution, ness. 

and was one of the ablest advocates of the He was a devoted and a ready friend to the 

Constituti(.>n of the Pnited States in the Con- cause of liberty and i;ide[)endenco, and was a 

vention which met at Hillslioro in Jidy, 1788, mend).,rof the Provincial ('ongress, at Ilali- 

whicli rejected the Constitution by a vote of fax (1770) whlcli formed our State Constitn- 

184 to 84. He died at Hill's Fei-ry, Martin tion. 

County, on 12ih of Septend,er, 1707. jj^ ,,.^,,_ ,;,, „„„,. ,.^^„,,^ .nnuallv elected a 

His letters to (governor Purke, while a Senator ,,f the Pe-islature from Rertie, an.l 

member of the Continental Congress at Pliila- .^as .listiu-uishcd for his i>itelligenee and 

delphia, 1780, have i een preserved, (see Uni. «i,,vwdness of character. 
Ma--. X, Xo. 7, March, PSUl,) and ia'eatiie tin' 

..,.,.. , , ,,, Hi.s .son, l)a\id Stone, was boin at Hope, 

pure spirit ol patriotisin ami valor. We re- , , „ 

^ ^1 , I-. , I 1 , . , . ]7tn ot i^ el/i-iUM-X', 1770. 
grct tliat so little lias been presfr\-ed ot tnis 

IKitriotic statesman, whose character and 1 Hs early ed;icatiin was conducted by the 

whose services deserve the re-ard of posterity. ^""'^ loacheis that the country e.aild aifoid, 

The name of Jonathan Tayloe is remem- ""^^ ''^^ ^^'=^^ diligent, laborious, and aj.t to 

bered with veneration and regard in Pertie '«<"■"• 

County. One of this name is reconiud as a Ai'ter ijis acadendc studies were completed, 

freeholder in P)ertie County i'ar back in (Jolo- young Stone was sent to I'rinceton Colh'ge, 

nial times, and one of the name yet lingers where he graduateil in 1788, with the first 

upon tlie .scene of his long pilgrimage, though honors. Dr. ^Vitlierspo(ln, then the President 

he was cdd enough to be a soldier under Lieu- of the (J(.illege, often rei'erred with approba- 

tenant Gavin Hogg and Captain , lames Ire- tioii to his studious and e.\emplary conduct, 



VA-.XCSXX'RV CorXTY. -1 

atul predicted for liini n l>n"grit caioer df Con.ijrcsses, 1801 to LSOC. In 1808 Mr. Stone 
fiunornud usefulness. \v::S elected Goveiiinr o|" t!i • State, lie ilis- 
IIc studied hnv with General AVilliani \l. cliart'ed all the duties ul'tiiat elevated position 
Davie, whose knowledge a.ud successful prac- witlio-r<'at (lii;-nity duriny' his eoustituti.>nal 
tieo well (nialilied liiin to j>repare and tit. term. In 1-^11 ai.d 1M12 he a,i;-ain appeared 
upon his students that aricoi' whieli would as a mend er of the I.eu-islature, and his ex- 
enable them to endure the tiUs o\ the Icijal porience, aliilities and principles gave hirn 
tonrnameiit. His teaciiin<>;s were inculcateil commanding' iniluence. This was a storinv 
with an eleo-anee of manners, and a suavity of period in tie- [Hilitienl history oftheStatc. 
touipor, that, while they instructed, ii-ave sat- A liill to confer the choice of electors for 
isfaction and pleasure. Judge Daniel, long President and \'ice-l'iesident. of the United 
one of the Judges ol' our Supreme Court, States upon t lie Legislal urc, so as to <i-ive an 
who :.ls() read law with him, pronounced Gen- undivided vote (ii;stead of the district svstem 
eral JJavie one of the most :d)le jniists and then in vogue,) w:!s intrndueed and ad vocated 
acc(uupli.shed gentlemen he ever knew. Uiidcr by ( lovernor Stone; this failiiig, he introduced 
such a teacher, .Mr. Stone was well fitted for a similar measm-e to choose the electors hv a 
the duties of his profession; und iVcni his geu'ial ticket sysiem, whieh he advocated 
solid acquirements, his signal ability, his close with great ability and unecpialed ebxpience. 
attention to the inteicsts of his clients, the This measure w;!s opposed by l)uiican 
skiilful ;;nd careful i>repar;ii i<^ii of his epses Cameron, John Stanly, a;i<l oth-rs; and also 
he won the contideuee of the community, and misearried. He op]iosed the proposition of 
attai:;cd the highest ran.k in his profession. .Mr. I'hifer to make a choice of electors Iiy the 
Wlien in the L'Cth yearof his age, he was elect- disti'ict system, but this was adopted. At 
ed by the Legishilure a Jud.ge of the Superior this session he was again elected a Senator in 
Court of Law and Eipiiiy. Congress to serve for si.\ years, from the 4th 

lie early em!;arkeil on the st(U'm3- sju of of March, ISlo. 

pilitieal life, in whieh, from tlicsuavity of his lie possessed extraordinary and highly cnlti- 

niaui.ers and the solidity of his acquirements, vated i:itelle<-tii;il [lowers, eautions :;nd shrewd 

he enjoyed a long and lirilliant caroei-. Knun in business transactiiuis, fond of money, and 

ITIIO to 17[I4 he was a memlier of the House successful in the aecnmulatitm of propert}'. 

of ("oinmons. In 1795 ho was elected one of 1 le was twice married, first to .Miss Harriet 

the Judges of the Su[ierior Court, thediities of Turner, by wiiom be left several children; 

whieh ho discharged with dignity and a'dlity second to Miss Dasbield, of W'ashingtou Citv. 

until 1799, when he was chosen liepreseiitative (For Genealogy of the Stone faniilv of 

in Congress. In 1801 he was elected Senator in B'rtio County, N"orth Carolina, se,' Appendix.) 

Congress, which place he resigned in 18 17, on General Stone entered tiie Senate again at a 

being again elected Judge of Superior Court, period of intens.' national excitement. The 

Whilst a member of the Senate his distin- United States were at war with tlio most pow- 

gnished colleague, Je^so Krankliu, wa^ I'l'osi- erful nation on earth, and party spirit raided 

dent /)/-o /e/rt. of that body. It is a f;iet worthy with unwonted violeiue. The majority of the 

of recor;! that at this tiu»e the presiding officers |ie<'iile of Xorth Carcdina sup|iorted Madison 

of both Houses of Congr.'ss wore from X >rth and the war, and the Legislature electeil Gov- 

Carolina, .\Ir. .Macon having been S[)eakor of ernor Stone to sustain that policy-; but.unfor- 

tho L >wor House during the 7tli, 8th, ami 9th tumitely,ho diftered from the Legislature and 



32 WlIEELEire KEMINISOEKCES. 

the [icojile. His reasons \\'cre, as .■•tatcd in (see Craven Couiit3-,) anrl was his private soc- 

Xileb' Eegiister, (viil. vii., KiS,) tliat"tliese rctar}-. 

iii-easures had K. d to divisimi among ourscdves. He was a lawyer l)y pr()ffssioii,and so highl}' 
aii<l 10 liaiiki-ujitcy and ruin to tlie nation." est eeniod that, at the age of 2S, he was elected 
The embargo, a measure strongly recom- Judge of the Supreme Court of Tennessee, 
nu'.nded hy tiie President, had passed the He was the Governor of Tennessee from 
House. It was rejeeted in the Senate Ijt two ISOD to 1815. Tins long period of public ser- 
vo.tes only, and one of them v.'as Governor vice, in so elevated a position, proves the wis- 
Stone'a. He also voted against a bill to raise dojii and [)ru<lence of his conduct and his ac- 
hy direct tax revenue to snppjort the war. He ceptable service. It was his fortune to be 
complained, personally, that to a call for in- Governor in a most exciting period of our his- 
formation from the Committee of "Ways and tory — during the war with England — and he 
Means, tlie re[dy was that '"there was not gave to the adnniiistration his cordial and 
time to furnish the desired information." constant su]>iiort. He tendered to I'resident 

In this course he differed from his enllcague, Madison 2,5(10 troops, and placed them under 

Governor Turner, of the Senate, and from conmuind of Andrew Jackson, who won for 

Willis Alston, Peter Forney, John Culjiepper, his coun.try the glorious victory at New Or- 

.Meshack Franklin, William R. King, Nathan- leans. 

id Mucon, William II, Murfree, Israel Pick- He was equally active in the Ci'eek war, 

ens, Richard Stanford, and Bartlett Yaneey. raising 2,000 volunteers and $300,000. 

Ilis course called down the censure of the Leg- He mai-ried Lucinda, dauii:hter of John and 

iBlature. Anne Norfleet Baker, of Bertie County. 

In I>eceinbe.r, 1S14, .Mr. Branch, afterwards He died at the residence of Wylie Johnson, 

Govei'uor, as chairman of the s[iecial com- near Nashville, in 1835. A monument was 

mittec upon the subject, reported a resolutwu erected b}' order of the Legislature unto his 

that " the conduct of David Stone had l)een memory at Clai'ksville. He left several cliil- 

iii opposition to his pi'ofcssions. and had jeop- dren, among them Mrs. J. T. Dabney,: .Mrs. 

ardized the safety and interest of the cuun- Dortch, whose son, Willie B . Doi'tch, m;irried 

tr^-, and had incuri'ed the disapiiroliation of a daughter of Governor A. V. Brown, 

this General Assembly." The names of Cherry and Outlaw ai';j jire- 

This jiassed, 40 to IS, and (lovernor Stone served b}' a patriotic and talented race full of 

forthwitli resigned his scat in the Senate, generous feeling and kindly dispositions. 

This chjsed his distinguished and eventful George Outlaw v\-as born, lived and died in 

public life, and four ^-ears afterward he died, Bortie (\>unty. He was distinguished, sa^'S 

in the 48th year of his age. Mr. .\Ioore m his History of North Carolina, 

Governor Stone was in person tall and com- for the blandness of his manners, and was :ts 

manding; of reddish hair, which he wore, as noted for his usefulness in the Chui'ch, as for 

was then the fashion, in a queue. his talents as a. statesman. He entered public 

Willie Blount, (iovernor of Tennessee, v\-as life as a member of the House of C'oannons in 

/ 

born in Bertie County 1768; died 1835. ^ 179G and in 179,9, and a niemberof the Senate 

He was tlie son of Jacob Blount, already re- from 1800 to 1822, with some intermissions, 

ferred to in a sketch of the Blounts of Beau- of which body he wa.s Speaker in 1812, '13, 

fort. He was the brother of Governor Wil- and '14, and elected a member of the 18tli 

liam Blount, the first Govei'uor of Tenne.-see, Congress, 1823-'25, to supply a vacamy occa- 



BKKTTP] COUXTY. 30, 

sioiied by Mio rcsi--iiatioii of II. CJ. l?ui-toii, liiui, Senator in Con.siress, Secretary of the 
elected CJoveriior. Ilewas the first Moderator Xavy; Mattliias E. Manly, Judge of the Snpe- 
oftheCiiowan Baptist Association, established rior and Siiprome Courts; Augnstus Moore, 
i" 1^06- Judge of Superior Courts; Edward I). Siinms, 

His fine personal appearance, his kind, genial nieiidier of Congress, 4824, from South Caro- 
maiiners, and his generous, charitable temper, Una. In even this galaxy of merit and talent 
rendered him universally popular. Ilis son, Mr. Outlaw was conspicuous. 
George B. Outlaw, succeeded him in Ihe State He studied law with that able and accom- 
Senate, in 1823 and 1S24, whose widow {m-c plished jurist, William Oaston, atid bv his 
Jordan) married CTOvernor John IJraneli. assiiiuity, al)ility and labor did credit to his 

'I'liomas Miles (larret was a resident of this accomplished preceptor. He was admitted to 
county, and lived near Colerain. Jliseduca- the bar in 18l'7, and soon rose to the front 
tion was good. He was prepared for college rank of his profession. For years he was the 
by John KinJjerly, and graduated in 1851, in Solicitor of the Edenton Circuit, in which 
same class with Dav.id M. Carter, Bartholo- responsible p )sition he won the respect, confi- 
mew Fuller, Francis E. Shober and others, dencc and admiration of the l)eneh, bar and 
He read law, and by his dilig.'uce and capacity juries. When to his discriminating judg- 
attained renown. But the wai- hioke out, and meiit,oii[iression or persecution was attempted, 
he joined the army. He was brave and de- be was mild and yielding, but when the law 
voted to the cause, and fell in battle as colo- was violated, no matter bv whom, high or 
iiel, at the head of his regiment, amid the low, indigent or wealthy, it was firmly vindi- 
horrors of that fearful conflict. He remarked cated. 

on the eve of the engagement that the day Naturally generous and just, though reso- 
would end with a general's wreath or with lute, he was universally ]),>pular. His warm 
his life. Both were verified. A commission and enthusiastic temper was often roused when 
arrived next day as brigadier, but too late! duplicity or artifice was attempted; and he 

There are but few persons in North Carolina would assail his victim with resistless power 
who did not know David Outlaw (born about and matchless elorpience. This trait in his 
1805 and died 1808,) and appreciate his esti- character was well known to his associates at 
iiiable character. He was born, lived and died the bar, as also to the community at large. 
in Bertie County. He was endowed by nature Often has the trembling offender of justice, 
with a clear and iienetrating mind, which was when on trial, whimpered to counsel, " J)o,:'t 
highly improved by a liberal education. He midce Outlaw mad, for if you do, I shall not 
graduated in 1824 at the University of the have any chance to escape." He was truly 
State, at the head of his class. When it is '-a terror unto evil-doers, and a praise to them 
recollected who composed this class, and their vvho do well." " To the just, he was mild and 
mental material, this high honor will be gentle; but to tlu froward he was as fierce as 
appreciated. Among them were Daniel B. tire," 

Baker, Benjamin B. Blume, John FJragg, Such a man could not fail to .secure regard 
member of the Legislature, raendjer of Con- and respect. He w.is frequently elected a 
gress, and Judge in Alabama; James W.Bry- member of the Legislature, and was elected 
an, distinguished lawyer. Senator 1836 from member of the 30th (1847,) 31st (1849,) and 
Jones County; Thomas Dews, of Lincolntoii; 32d (1851) Congresses. Here his unbending 
William A. Graham, Governor of North Caro- integrity, his unselfish patriotism, his unques- 



34 WHEELP:K'S l^E.MINTSCEXCES. 

tioiied abilities, and his pure and unobtrusive tion. Tie was succeeded by Dr. Thomas IT. 

virtues, conmianded the respect and the ati'ec- Hull. 

tion of his associates. He was ever ready to He serve<l in 1827 as Chief Cleric of the 

doo'cnerousacts, while lie scorned any intrigue Xavy Department under Governor Branch. 

or artifice- tlic unflindiiTin: foe to eoi-ruption, lie was an enterprisiuL'', patriotic and lionest 

extra vag'ance or indirection. Sincere and man, loved and respected b\- all who kiiew 

honest himself, he was unsuspicious of deceit him. He man-ied Arabella, daughterof Henry 

or fraud in others. I. Toole. He died in 1843, leaving one son, 

In bis ]icrs<)n Colonel Outlaw was but little who became Govei'iior of the State, 18Gl,and 

fav(.rcd i'y nature. He was very near-sighted, two daughters, Maria, who married Mat Wad- 

aid constantly w, re glas-ses that weregieen, dell, and Laura, who married Cottcn. 

:ii;d wbidi to i^trangers made him appciir dis- (For the Genealogy of the Clark family, 

taut, received, and aAvkwai'd. Yet, witli .see Appendix. ) 

tlie?e di.sadvantnges, to tliose wlio kmw liim I'atrick Henry Winston resides in Bertie 

well, this rugged e.xterior did County, Imt is a native of Fi'anklin County. 

ii;.i„ ., . ,,..; „ • 1 ■ -1- 1 1 He was educated at Wake Forest, and at tb.- 
Jlide a i)recioiis .ic\vcl ni its liead, ' 

Columbian ITniversitv, at Wa8hingt<ui City. 

and present every quality of honor, truth, and ,,.5^,,,,^ ,,,. ^.,,„inated." He read law at Cbai^el 

ju>ti,.e that can dignify human nature. jj;,,^ ^^,,,1 ^ff,,, receiving a license to practice. 

l!is last public service was as a member of ^^.fj,^,,, ^„ Windsor. He represented Bertie 

the State Senate in 18(i:j. He died on 22d County in the Legislature u, 1850 and 1854. 
October, 18(J8. j,, ^^^^^ ],g together with Hon. B. F. .Moore 

His latter days were clouded by misfortune. ,„,,| p.,,,,., y. I'billips, were elected by the 

The vicissitudes of war, bis cmtidence in Legislature as Judges of the Court of Claims, 

fru.nds, and bis carelessness in iinaucial mat- tj^j^ ,,.^,, ,^ adicate and s.vere dntv, and this 

teis, bad wrecked his fortunes. The natural .,ble court discbar-ed it with tidelitv and 



infirmity (defective eyesight) terminated in 
tiital blindness. But his generous qualities 



lit-?-. 
After bis term in the court bad expired, be 



triumphed over calamity. To such men nniy ,,.^,, apiH.inted bv ( iovernor Vance Financial 

Xorth Carolina proudly point as the niotb.r .^^.^^^ ,,f the State in her fiscal relati.ms with 

of the Gracci did to her sons, and sincerely the Confederate Government. 

■'• ' In LSG4 be was elected (uie of the Council 

Tliese are my jewels. i- Oi * 1 1 ii ^ 1 1 1 n ■ 1 >_ 

ot btate, and by that body chosen Bresuleiit, 

.lames W. Claik. born 177l>, died 1843, was a i>osition at this time involving great res[ioii- 

a native of Bertie C^iunty, son of Christoidier sibility. 

Cbirk. who died at Salmon creek. In 1*05 be was chosen a Tnenil)er of the 

He was liberally educated, and graduated Constitutiomil Convention from Fraid<lin, 

at I'l'inceton in 17i'ti. He was idected a mem- wbitln'r be had taken refuge during llu^ 

b('r of the Legislature from bis native county ti'oubles of the war, and no one did more to 

in 1S(l2-':i. Il(^ removed to Edgecombe C(Mm- build u^i the broken down walls of our [loliti- 

ty which be represented in 1810 and 1^11, cal Ziun than .Mr. Winston. He was of t!ie 

and in the Senate 1812-'13 and '14, and elected few men who declined to sign an open letter 

a member of the 14ib Congress — 1815-"17. to Governor Hi)lden, requesting him to be a 

He served out Ills term and declined a re-elec- candidate foi' Governor. In 18t!8 lie was 



BKirriE COrXTY-r.LADEX COUNTY. 35 

oflored and ilecliiird the iicmiiii'ition lor d^w- A iV:irfnl ciiidctiiic iqipeared in Bertie C'oim- 

jgreFP, iircfcrring to purine the injictire of his ty, :is recorded in Nilcs' Register, vol. x, 364, 

{iroiessic.ii, of wliieh he is alike 11 pilliirand !Ui which was most fatal among the jpeople, 

oiiiament. lie possises mitiriiig industry, in M;iy, 1816. Some seetions, especially 

profound learning, and iin?polted reputation. Casliie Xeck, were nearl}- depopulated. The 

lie has a family likely to he iis distinguished .statement says that " tiie most roliust consti- 

as llieir fatiitr f( r ahility. intlui nee and in- tutions melted hefore it as wax hefore a fire." 
te^ritv. 



CI I A PTEK V. 

BLADEN COUNTY. 

"With this county nre associated ii:any stir- and amongst others Janiw Porterfield, an 

rinu' events connected with the war of the Irishman hy hirth, hut who for some years 

TJcvohition, whii h iittested tlie [-atriotism of had hcen a resident of Pennsylvania. Mr. 

her sons, and their devotion to liherty. I'ortertield had live children — Eleanor, who 

The lattle of Elizahelhtown, fought in intermarriid with Col. Thomas Owen, the 

.July, 1781, was a complete victory of the father of Gen. Jauies and the late Gov. John 

"Whigs, led hy Thomas Brown, over the To- Owen ; one son who died in early life; John 

ries, commanded hy Slingshy and ' Godden. and James, who for many years were uier- 

This has heen already so fully recorded from chants in Fayctteville, and Penny, who is 

authentic documents in the History of Xorth the suhject of this hrief sketch. 

Carolina (II, :]t).) that its repetition is nn- On the hieaking out of the Revolutionary 

nctcssary heie. The heroic character of Denny war, the whole family of I 'orteriields espoused 

I'orttriield is detailed in The Mem(U-ies of the Whig cause. In the death of James I'or- 

Cross Creek. tcrtield, senior, the Wiiigs lost an ahle and in- 
fluential friend. But his widow, animated 

Ti!K Mk.moiuivs of Cno.sp Creek. ,^^^. ^j,^, ,.,,^,^, .,,a,„t temperament, nuidc her 

The Highlanders of Scotl.uid, after their mansion hcad<iuarters for the Whigs of Cross 
defeat at Cnlloden in 174(i, migiated toXorth Creek. She was celebrated as an expert cart- 
Carolina, under the advice of Xeill McNiell. ridgc-makcr, and fre-iuently spent niglits in 
They found a resting-place on the banks of preparing bullets to be used by the Americans. 
C;.pe Fear, at what has remained the head of At that time she livc<l in the house that has 
navigation on that river to the [.resent time, for many years heen known as the residence 

As early as 170:2 Cross Creek and CanibcU- of John McLeran, deceased, and now of his son 

toil (now Fayctteville) began to assume im- William. 

p(utaiice in a commercial point of view, the Under such a father and mother, mid in 

fame whereof attracted manv from abroad, such times, Denny i'orterlicld grew to man- 



36 WIIEELER'e REMINISCENCES. 

ho'xl. lie became a solilier, served with dis- lay between converging fires, and in full sij;ht 

tinction in the American army, an<l attained of tlie British army. Porterfield modestly 

the rank of .Major. It is not our object to replied, that when he entered the American 

sive a detailed account of the exploits of army he had subjected his powers of mind and 

Deniiv Portei-field, but will sinii'ly endeavor b'.)dy to the glorious cause, and if needs he 

to record bis daring bravery as exhibited in was prepared to die in its behalf, 

iliis List battle. Greene communicated the command, which 

It is a well known fact tbat while Corn- was to order into service a reserved corps that 

wallis retreated from Guilford Court House lay in andniscade, ready to advance upon re- 

vi'i. Fayettcville and Wilmingtmi to York- ceiving the signal agreed on. 

town, where be was comiielled to surrender to With a brave and undaunted bearing Major 

the prowess of Washington, Gen. Greene, in- Pai'tei'lield dashed oif upon his fleet courser, 

stead of pursuing liini, determined to relieve and so sudden and unexpected was iiis ap- 

Nortb and South Carolina from the persecu- pearance among the British, and so hei'oic tlie 

tions of Lord liawdon, and so pressed upon deed, that tliey paused to admire bis bravery, 

!bim,tbatin July, 17"!1, he took post at the and omitted to tire until be w.is beyond the 

Eutaw Springs, wliere the Americans attacked reach of their guns; hut on his return, they 

him and drove him from his entrenchments, fired, the shot took effect in bis breast, and 

Foremost in this intrepid cliarge was the the brave Uenny Porterfield fell, and sealed 

higb-souled and valorous D^nny Porterfield his devotion to the cause with his blood, on 

wlu) seemed to iiave » charmed life, as he ex- the plains of Eutaw. His horse escaped un- 

posi'd himself U[ion his mettled charger, with hurt galloped into the American lines, and 

epaulettes and red and bu+f vest on, to the never baited till he reached his accustomed 

murderous fire of the enemy. Lieut. Col. place in the iMiiks. 

Campbell received a mortal wound while lead- Ge.i. (ilreene, who witnessed the instinct of 

ing the successful charge. J'orterfield and his the animal, shed tears, and orvlercd David 

brave com[)anions rushed on to avenge his Twiggs, father of Miss Winny Twiggs, now of 

<k'atb, and took upwards of five hundred Fayetteville, to take charge of the horse and 

[iris.iners. carry him to Mrs. Porterfield at Cross Ci'cek. 

In their retreat the British took post in a And up.m a SumLiy afternoon tlie mother of 

strong brick iiouse and pic(^ueted garden, and the distinguislied gentleman who om.iuini- 

froiii tliis ad\antageous position, under cover, cated some of the facts detailed, remembered 

commenced firing. to have met David Twiggs coming into Cross 

At this crisis in the battle Gen. Greene de- Creek, who in one breath announced the fall of 

sired to bring forward re-inforccments to his beloved Major and the success of the 

storm the house. To save time it became American arms at Eutaw. lie brought with 

important that some one should ride within him the red butt' ve^t that Major Porterfield 

range of the British cannon. It was in reality wore, and Gjii. James Owen has informed me 

a forlorn hope. The Ajuerican General would tbat he remembers to have seen it, and tbat 

detail no one for the enterprise, but asked if there was a rent or tear on one side and 

any one would volunteer. Instantly Denny slightly blood-stained. On the retreat of 

Porterfield mounted hi.s charger and rode into Lord Kawd.on, Gen. Greene retained posses- 

his presence. Gen. Greene inquired if be was sion of the field, and there the body of Denny 

aware of the peril, if he knew that his path Porterfield found an honorable grave. Ilis 



BLADEN COUNTY. 



37 



■horse Tivefl for several years, a pensioner, roam- 
iiiiiat pleasure on the liaiiks of Cross Creek — 
kiidwii ami beloved hy all who venerated tiie 
valor and ehivalry of Denny I'orteriield. 

John Rutherford, or Rutherfiird, resided in 
Eladen County. 

He married Penelope Eden, the widow of 
•Governor Gabriel Johnston, and lived on the 
.place in Bladen, where the Governor had built 
a house. (Moore, I, 147.) 

He was one of the Council of Governor 
Martin, and should not be confounded with 
the name of General Gritttth Rutherford, who 
did great military service in the Revolution. 

John Owen, (born 1787; died 1841,) was 
the g»-andsoii of Major I'ortertield, above al- 
luded to, and the son of Thomas Owen, who 
<lied in 1803, and was a brave officer of the 
Revolution, and coinmanded a regiment at 
Camden. 

To many of our State, he was well known, 
and by all he was highly appreciated for his 
amiable character, his generous disposition, 
and pure and upright demeanor. It was not 
his taste, or his fortune, to command in the 
field of war, or even 

The applause of listening Senates to coinmana. 
He preferred rather to enjoy the quiet com- 
forts of home and his family, and the kindly 
.intercourse of neighbors and friends. 

Such was his popuhiriry that he was often 
elected hy the people of Bladen a member of 
the Legislature, (18l2-'27, and in 1828;) 
(luring the last year he was chosen Governor. 
He was within one vote of being elected Sen- 
.ator in Congress in 1831. 

He was President of the Convention at 
Harrisburg, in 1840, that nominated General 
Harrison for President. He was offered the 
nonnnati<m as Vice-President; he declined, 
•and ,Vlr. Tyler was nominated. Had his mod- 
esty allowed his acceptance, as was the course 
■of ^events, he would have been President of 



the United States. But his health was very 
precarious, and would not allow him to accept 
anv position. He died October, 1841, at 
Pittsboro. 

He married, at an early age, the daughter of 
General Thomas Brown, the hero of the battle 
of Klizabethtown, leaving an only daughter, 
Who married Haywood Guion, deceased, and 
who now resides at Charlotte. 

Governor Owen was a true type of a North 
Carolinian. Sincere, but chary in his profes- 
sions and promises; and faithful and e.xact in 
his jterformances-, varied and deep in his 
acquirements, but modest, reticent and unob- 
trusive in his demeanor; firm and gallant in 
nuiiutaining his convictions of right. His 
name is worthy .to be chissed with Bayard of 
France: " Sans pear, sans veproclieJ' 

His brother, General James Owen, was well 
known for his urbane and intellectual charac- 
ter. He was elected a member of the 15tli 
Congress (1817,) and President of the North 
Carolina and Raleigh Railroad. 

His sister married Elisha Stedman, of Fay- 
etteville. 

Ja.mes J. McKay, (boru 1793; died 18.53,) of 
this county, was distinguished as a lawyer and 
statesman. He was often a member of the 
Legislature in the Senate (ISlf), '16, '17, '18., 
'22 and '26;,) district attorney of the United 
States, and a member of Congress from 1831 
to 1841), serving at one time with great accep- 
tability as Chairman of the Committee of 
Ways and Means. In the National Conven- 
tion of 1848 General McKay received the un- 
divided vote of North Carolina as a candidate 
for Vice-President. As a statesman he was of 
unquestioned ability, of stern integrity, capa- 
ble of great labor and patient investigation. 
He was in puldic, as in private life, a radical 
economist, and belonged tothat school of which 
Mr. Macon was the father, and he, with George 
W. Jones, Cave Johnson, of Tennessee, and 
John Letcher, of Virginia, were faithful disci- 



SB VniEELEirS liEMIXI'SOEXCES. 

pics. General McK^ay died very siuldeiily at where lie u'radnated in 1843", in the same class 

Goldsl),.ro in 1853. with lion. John L. B'ridgers, Hon. Robert P. 

In olo-insi; our sketches of " The niciiiories Dick, I'liilo I'. Henderson, Judge Samuel J. 

oi' tiity years or mort>,'" as regards the men of IVrsori. and others, lie served in the Legisla- 

Bladen County, we should do injustice to the ture in 18IG to 1850 in the House, and 1854 

integrity of history and to merit and vii-tucto and '58 in the Senate, and in the Congress of 

pass over the name of Thomas David McDow- the Confederacy. 

ell.cuie of the pui-est men in [)ul)licand pi-i\ate He is a planter hy profession, and now lives 

life that lever knew. in dignified retirement like Cincinatus, r.Dtil 

He was Lorn in Bladen County, the son of he is called, like him, hy the iiec>ple, to posi- 

Dr. Alexander McDowell, on the 4th of Jan- tion of rcsponsihility and liouui-, which his 

nary, 1823. merits entitle him. and his talents so admira- 

His education was liheral. conducted at the bly qualify him to adorn, 
onaldson Academy and the University, 



CHAPTER VI. 
BRUNSWICK COUNTY. 

There are so many memories that clu>tcr selves; never yielded quiet obedience to the 

around tlie early times of this ancient county, rule of the lords propi-ietors, nor were thev 

ns.-^uciated with the cbivali'ic daring of lier pa- even on good tiuaus with the rulors of Boy- 

triotic sons, tliat the liist'irian is embarrassed alty. Governor Dob'-s, with ainiaUe traits 

by the riclies the glowing record [>rcscnts. The of character and witii all the ii vtronage of the 

diilieulty aiises not so much in finding nuiterial Govcrnnieiit, could \vi:i l)Ut few advocates, 

for his study as in selecting o\-ents and sub- Goveriior fryoii, his succ;'ssoi-, i»y turiis threat- 

jeets most worthy of presersation. Here was ened and llattered them, imt in vaiu; .and 

the ancient Ijorough of Brunswick." This linally they di-ove out Gov, Mirtiii, the list 

seeiiou w:is the home of Howe, of Hariiett, of the Royal (Jovoruors, from tlu' country, 

and of Hill, where wealth and entcrjirise to whom, like the guest--, of Maebeth, tlie peo- 

rcared stalely mansitius; wIku'c geiierous hos- pie of* l>ruuswiek said, with more deeision 

pitality, gentle coui'tesy, and social hai'moiiy than c unity, 

prevailed, and whore wit, science and refine- At once, good ni^iit! 

iuent found a habita' ion Stand not uijou the order of .your going— 

Uut goat once. 

These people, when the Stamp Act was before 

.„, . , ,. -,, ., the Parliam.-nt, saw the storm aiinroachiui'-; 

I lie ancient town ol l>rnn^Wlck. once the seat of . i i .-^ 

llio Hoyal (iovernment, was on the left bank of the without tear the}' w.iccIkmI its coarse, and 

(ape Fear liiver, about 10 inilesfrom the present town „ i „ ;f ti i , i -^ r -n r 

of SniiUiville. It was nearly destroyed on the 7th -f ^^''^" ^^ '''"""' *''^'-) '" '''I'^'^^'l Us fury with hrm 

Sei.tember, 17(i9, by a hniTicane, which is deidctcl in au,l maid v spirit. When its liiial iiassage was 
a dispatch from Iryon. (Colunril Doc s from iiolls ^ ^ I -r, • 

Oiiice, London.) announced, the Chevalier Bayard of the day. 



lleSe 



people were happy when left to them- 



BKUXSAVICK COUNTY. 30 

John Aphe.then Speaker of tli-,- Ifoiise of tlic and luarohod in trininpli to the lesiiloncc of 

Col'Miial As.^cinbly, boldly proclaimed to the the Governor at Wilmington. The whole 

Uoval (uivcrnor, surriauuU'd Ky his satraps, t^wn was wild with excitement, and was 

that "he would iesi.it the execution of the illumiaated at ni :ht. The next mornini!; Col- 

aet to death!" one! Ashe, at Hk' head of a crowd of people, 

It was here occurred a scene which excels went to tin' hous- of the Ciovernor and de- 

iii daring any uvent of the age; and which man<hMl the ^^tamii-master, (William llous- 

leaves the Boston Tea Tarty a secondary ton,) who had lie I to the Govern >r lor s ifcty. 

legend in point of courage and patriotism. The Governor refuses to deliver him up, and 

In the year ].7C(J, an English slo.)p-of-war, forthwith preparations are made to surround 

(the •■ Diligence") isseon entering theharhor. and hum the house, in which was tlio Gover- 

" The meteor ilag of Hngland " Haunts pi'oudly nor. Stamp master and others. Tcrrilied, 

fV<im her mast, and her camion, lo ided and although a practiced soldier. t!io Governor 

ready, frowned n[ion the (U'voted town, yields, and l[oustnn is deli vered up. They do 

She sails gi-acefally into the harhor, and no act ..f Idoodshed ; hut tirmly conduct ih^us- 

drops her anchor. GovcrnorTryon, anxiously t'-.aitotlie .\larket-hou-e, where he makc^ a 

expecting her, announces her airival hy a .oleaiii pledg > in writing ■•never to receive 

],rorlamation dated (Jth January, ITCd, and the any stamped [.ap ^r which may arrive fivmi 

reception of stamps, and dii'ects '• all persons England, nor olliciai e in any way in thedisiri- 

authorized to distribute stamps to apply to bution of stamps in the Proviiu'e of North 

the eomniandcr." Carolina." 

i'.iit tither eyes than Tryon's were watching. Three bmd cheers ascend to Heaven, and 

Colonel Hugh. Waddcll fortlnvitli .sent from ring says Davis, '•thr.)ugh th- old market place, 

Binnswick a nies.'^enger to Ashe, annouming and the Stamii Act is dead in Xortli Carolina." 

the arrival of the " Dilig^ce " with stamiis; This was more than ten years before the 

he immediately repairs to Brunswick. Xow Declara.tion of Independence, and more than 

c(unes tb.o tug of war. Will the arrogant nine before tiie battle of Lexington, and nearly 

Tiyon, with his armed men, triumph; or will eight years bef);e the Boston Te:; Tarty. 

the daii::'>- A.-be which was in the night, and by men in dis- 

guisi', and upon the liarndess carriers ()f freight. 

IJeard the Houijlas in liin castle':' ' , , , , , . , ,• i> , " ^ 

Ilist'-ry has blazoned tins act ot Boston to 

Will he and V\'addell commit acts that are (|,,, world, but the act of the people of the 

treason, and will send them to pris:)n and f\,jn, y^^i- was far more (htring; done in open 

death? diy l)v men of cliaraeter, witii arms in their 

They felt the importance and the peril of imiuls, under the King's flag; and who has 

t!'C oc-easion. Like vhc ancient Romans they h^.■,^y^\ ,,f it v \Vh i remembers it ''. Who tells it ? 

felt ;< When," concludes the ebxpient adilres; of 

Gofl^I can a IJoinan Senate loiisj ilcliate , , .^ ,■ i ■ i r i 

AVliicli of tlie two to dioose. hbertv or flcathV .Mr. Davis, Irom winch i am promt to cojiy, 

No. let as rife at once, and at the Iiead " wMl historv d . justiec to North Carolina? 

Uf om- reni.unnig lesieiis. sird on our swords \> .u n. . ,» i j 

And charge hoMic upon hlni. Never until some faithful and loving son of 

Tliey with force prevent the landing of any her own shall gird up his loins to the task, 

one fi'(mi the ship; and intimidating the com- and with unwearied indn<ti-y and unflineliing 

mander, seizing tiie siiip's boat, brought it on devotion to the honor (jf his dear old mother, 

shore, mounted it on a cart, raised on it a flag, narrate the virtues and vafu- of her sous. 



40 



WHEELER'S KKMINISCENCTES. 



This decided conduct on the jiart of the 
people, as was to lie expected, infuriated 
Tryun; and lie fnhninates in liis dispatclies to 
the Earl of Uillsl)oi\) his threats of vengeance. 
lie enclosed :a copy of the pledge extorted 
from his Stamp-master, whicli is filed in the 
Rolls Office, and vvhicli, for future historians, I 
copy and here rticord. 

Erom Kolls Office, London; extract from 
Governor Tryon^'s dispatch; dated 2Gth De- 
cember, 17Go; a pledge extorted from Wil- 
liam Houston liv John Ashe and uthers. 

" I do hereli}' jiromise that I never will re- 
ceive any stamp paper which may arri\e from 
Europe in consequence of any act lately passed 
in the Parliament of Great Britain, uor ofK- 
ciate in an}' manner as Stamp-master in the 
•distribution of stamps within the L^'ovince of 
Noith Carolina, cither directly or indirectly. 

'• Ldo hereby notify all tiie inhabitants of 
His Majesty's Province of North Carolina that 
notwithstanding my having received informa- 
tion of my being appointed to said office of 
Stamp-master, I will not apply hereafter for 
any stamp paper, or to distribute the same, 
until such time as.it shall be agi'eeable to the 
inhabi.tanis of this Province. 

" Hereby declaring that I do execute these 
presents of my own free will and accord, with- 
out any equivocation or mental reservation 
whatever." 

'■ In witness hei'eof I have hereunto set my 
liand this KUh Xovembor, ITtio. 

"William Houstos." 

There are deeds wliicli should not pass away; 
Anil uames tliat mast not witlier. tho the earth 

Forgets her empire with a just decay. 
The enslavers and enslaved, their death and birth. 

Among the records I find a letter from 
Houston to Tiyon, in which lie states, " I am 
hated, abhorred and detested, and have no 
friend," that h« tiiinks John Moses HeKosset 
would not refuse a copy of his bond lodged in 
his hands, dated at Socrate, 21st Ajiril, 1766. 

Such was the enthusiasm and spirit of the 
aroused people, that fears for the personal 
safety of Governor Tryou were excited, and 
required all the efforts and popularity of Ashe 
to allay them. 



I find among the public records in London., 
never before jiublished, the following letter: 

'^ Fehrum-yld, 1766. 
" To Governor Tryon: 

" Sir: The inhabitants, dissatisfied witli the 
particular restrictions laid upon the trade of 
this Eivei' only, have determined to march t© 
Brunswick, in hopes of obtainiiig, hi a peaceful 
manner, a redress of their grievances from the 
Commanding Officers of His Majesty's ships, 
and hav« ciimjtelled us to coii<iuct them. We, 
therefore, think it our duty to acquaint Your 
Excellency that we are fully determined ta 
protect from insult your person and jiroperty, 
and that if it will be agreeable to your Ex- 
cellency, a guard of gentlemen shall bt; imme- 
diately detached for that purpose. 

" We have the honor to be, with tlie great- 
est respect, sir, 

" Your Exc€llency''s most 

'• Obedient, humble servants, 
" John Ashe, 
" Thomab Lloyd, 
" Alexamuer Lillington." 

This shows the well balanced temper of 
Ashe and his associates. He had raised a 
tempest, tierce and furious, in the cause of 
right and opposed to illegality and oppression. 
But he was a sufficiently potent Prospero t@ 
allay its excess. 

The position of the Govei'iior was humili- 
ating and galling to his pride. As a soldier 
he had been trained to ai'iiis. His temper was 
imperious, daring and desperate, as he after- 
wards evinced at Alamance. But he saw that 
he was no match before the people with the 
popular and fearless Ashe. 

His political sagacity induced him to change 
his course, for be knew well wIku to brag and 
bully and when to Hatter and fawn. "He 
began," says Uavis, " to court the people and 
Hatter them with shows and spiorts." " In 
Eebruary, of that sauie year, 1766, there was 
a muster of militia in Wilmington. The 
Governor pre[iarcd, at considerable expense, 
a tine repast for the people. But when the 
feast was ready the [leople rushed to the spot, 
poured the liquor in the street, and threw the 



liKUXSWICK COUNTY. 



41 



vIiiikIs:, uiitastoil, into tlie river. llo fory-ot 
tliat he was in tlie home of ,lolin Asiie, and 
he hud .-^eeii tliat neither lie nor the iieojile 
couM l>e intimi(hxted or cajoled." 

I am indehtedto the able address of Hon. 
Gcoii;e Davis for much of the elotiuent style 
in which these events have been recorded, and 
use his language, so forcible and correct, and so 
much better than an}' I could eniploj. 

After the battle of Alamance, Tryon was 
transferred to the Governorshi[) of New York, 
and he left Xorth Carolina to the mutual sat- 
isfaction of himself and the peojile. lie de- 
clared in a dispatch to his Government, that 
"not all the wealth of the Indies could in- 
duce him to remain among such a daring and 
i-ebellious people." 

His successor. Governor Martin, found his 
place no bed of rose.s, notwiithstanding he 
used every means to reconcile the peo[ile to 
4he mother country. He early experienced 
the restive spirit of the age, and as already 
stated, found it convenient to take refuge (on 
10th Julj-, 1775) on board of His Majesty's 
ship of war, lying in the Cape Fear river. 
In a dispatch dated 20th July, 1775, from 
on board the "Cruiser," he informs his 
Government that " Fort Johnson had 
been burnt, and that Mr. John Ashe 
and Mr. Coi-nelius Harnett were the 
ringleaders of the savage and audacious 
mob." Governor Martin found as little pleas- 
ure in association with such daring men as 
had Governor Tr^'on, and with English squad- 
ron left the Cape Fear country for Charles- 
ton. Thus was the State free from anj' for- 
eign ruler. This same year, 20th of May, 
1775, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Inde- 
pendence w'as proclaimed, and the year follow- 
ing (18th November, 1776,) a Statu Constitu- 
tion was formed at Halifax. 

These were the. men tliat formed our State; 
these — 



I. ike Romans 111 Rome's qiwrrel. 

Spiiryd iieitlii'i- laud nor gold. 
Nor sou nor wife, nor limb nor life, 

In tlie brave days of old. 
Then iioni' \v:is for a party: 

'I'hcii all wen' for tlii^ State; 
Then tlic great man helped the poor. 

And the poor man loved the gieat. 

It has been the subj(K;t of frequent remark 
and admiration, that Xorth Carolina should 
haved formed, under such circumstances, so 
perfect a Constitution that it carried the State 
through the long and blood}' revolution in 
safety, and for nearly sixty years, in honor and 
happiness. For any people, long inured to aris- 
tocratic forms and monarchial rule, should, 
bursting from the gloom of monarchy into the 
light ot lii)ertv. to have created so perfect a 
form of Government, was indeed a subject 
full of wonder. It has been amended several 
times; but to tlie minds of many it has not 
been improved. It was the work of men who 
knew the great principles of liiierty, truth and 
justice, and many of them afterwards fought 
and died to secure them. 

It was adoj^ted on the 18th December 
1776, as reported by a committee, among 
whom were W. Avery, John and Samuel 
Ashe, Thomas Burke, Rich'd Caswell, Corne- 
lius Harnett, Joseph Hews, Robert Howe, 
Willie Jones, Thomas Jones, and others. 

It is recorded that it was chiefly the pro- 
ductioii of Caswell, Burke and Thomas Jones. 
But whoever they were, they proved them- 
selves master workmen in their craft. 

Thou, too, sail on, oh Ship of State, 
Sail on thy course, both strong and great, 

ilumanity with all its fears. 

With all the hopes of future years, 
Is hanging breathless ou thy fate. 

By many it is stated that our Constitution 
was the earliest formed. But this is error. 
When the [lower of the mother couiitr}- over 
the colonies was gone, and some Governnieut 
other than England was necessary, the Conti- 
nental Congress, by a resolution adopted 3d 
November, 1775, recommended the Colonies 
to adopt such Government as .should best 



42 Win-^ELEK'S KKMLNTISCEXCES. 

conduce .to tlieir safety. In iuxordance with Brunswick County presented many patfi^ 

this resohition — otic sons to the cause of Independence, but 

I. New Ilanipshire formed a State Consti- """f more worthy of our memories than Rob- 
tution 28th December, 1775. '^^^ IJ^'^^'^^ ('j"™ 1^32; died 1785.) So little 

^^ ^ , ,, ,. ^,-. I X . , -,--,^ has t)een iireserveil and preseuted to the count V 

II. South Carolina, on 2tjth March, 1(76. . ,. . . , , , , - , i. ■ 

ot this distinwnished man that the mderatig- 

III. Virginia, June -29, 177(5. .^,,1^ .,,,,1 accurate historian* has been com- 

IV. New Jersey, July 3, 1776. pelled to state that history bears no record of 

V. Delaware, September 12, 177fi. his private lite. 

,.T n 1 • o t 1 oi i-7« The ri'pi-oach has been removed, in .some 

V I. 1 enns\lvania, Septenil)er 21, 1(78. ^ ' 

measure, by an abridgement of the memories 

VII. North Carolina, 12th November, 1776. .. ,, 'i ir " -i 3 i a i -i i i 

' 01 General Howe, compiled by Arcluliald 

VIII. Georgia, 5th February, 1777. Maclaine Hooper.t 

IX. New York, April 20, 1777. Had his services and sacrifices been rendered 
(See Ben: I'erley i'oore on Charters and '" ="^.V other State than North Carolina, he 

Constitutions ) would have been landed among the statesmen 

I. The Convention which furmed the iirst ^'"^ patriots of the nation. Let ns try to sup- 

Coustituti.ui for North Carolina met at Ilali- I'b' this .miission, and endeavor to preseut th« 

fax. 12th November, 1776, as above alluded to. chararter and services of General IL.nve as 

n. The Convention wliich revised and ^^^^y deserve, 

amended the Constitution, met at Raleigh on His nivine and fame lieloug to Brunswick; 

4th June, 18;!5, (Nath'l Macon, President.) for it was in this county he wa- l>orn, lived 

III. The Convention (secession) met at Ka- and died, 

leigh 20th May, 1861, (Webloii N Edwards, ITe was born in 17;;2. His fatlier's fimily 

Pre>ident.) „.as a, bi-aiieh of the noble house of Ilowe, in 

IW Tho Convention, under orders of the Emrl.and. He had t he misf u-tune to lose both 

I'resideiit of the United States, (.Tohnson,) of bis parents at any early age; and the guid- 

met at Raleigh 2d October, lSo5, farmed a ance of his boyhood was entrusted to a kind 

Constitution which was not ratiHe.l by the grandmother, who, like all grandmol hers, 

people, (Edwin G. Keade, rre.sid.Mit.) g„ completely indulged him that bis eiln- 

V. The Convention, under orders. d' General cation and tiainingwas murh neglected. 
Canby, of the United Slates Army, mot at ijg ^y,,^^ however, of an active, inquisitive 
Kalrigh lit h January, 1«68, formed a Constitu- |,j,,„(^ .,|j,i |,y ^vea desultory reading, 
tion, (Calvin J. Cowies, President.) ,^,„i conversation of literary men, he 

VI. The Convention to amend the Consti- .icquired miuh and varied ini'ormation. He 
tntion, met at Raleigh on 6th September, man-ied at an e.irly age a young lady of the 
1875, which was ratiiied by the people by u (jpauge family, much against, the will of her 
majority in November, 1876, ( Dr. Ew'd Ran- p.,,cnts. With his bride he visited his rela- 
som. President.) ^■^^.^. ;„ England, where he remained about 

Lists of the person.s who were members of t„.^, ^.^,.,,.^_ eiijoving the noble and muuitieeat 

the Conventions of 1776, 1835, 1861, 1865, ijospitality oi Ids tViends and ftmily. 

1868 and 1875, are to be fouml in tlie a<lmirable 

hand-book of L. L. Polk, C'omnnssioner of *Lo.-sino- n. 72V!. 

Agriculture, i)Ublislied at Paleigh, 187ib t University Magazine, vol. II.. June. lSi3. No. 6. 



BRUNSWICK COUNl^Y. 43 

On liis rotui'ii lie tomineiiced his public Tlowe was elected a ineniber of tlie Asseiiiiily. 

career. leoi.y iVdiii tlic Rnlls Office in London lie was also elected a delegate to the Cobmial 

the follnwinu-: ('on<rross whidi niet at Xow I5erne on 2')tli 

" 3(1 Nov 17(56. Anu-nst, 1774. This \va< the lirst assenilda,s,n- of 

"At a meetin- of the c^ouncil at Newburn, ^he reinvsontatives „f the people in uk-i.-Iative 

Robert Howe, Es,,., produced the Governor's ^"n-'^city in the Colony in du-ee-t opposition to 

(Trvon's) commission appointing- him captain the Royal authority. It was violently de- 

of Fort Johnston, and he took the oath and """"^'C'l I'J Governor .Vfartin. I [owe was ap- 

, -1 1 ii I t •) nointed chairman of a committee to wliom 

subscribed the test. ' 

the speech of Martin was referred, and wrote 

In a di.spatch of Gov. Martin to Earl of .^^^ :,i,ie and ehxpient reply. On the 8th Au,-;- 

Dartiiioutb dated December 24th, 1772, " the i,st, 1775, .Martin i>y proclamation dated Mb 

Governor complains that the Colonial Assem- ^.\„j^.,i^f,^ 1775^ on board the British ship 

biy had passed a resolution rerpiesiiiig Gover- ., (;,,„i^e,.;> , [enounced Howe for bavin,!? takm 

Tryon to forward their petition to the ^,^^, ^,^.|g ,,,• ,.oU,iie]. and for snininoniiiii- and 



nor 



Kill'' and thus overlookinix him.' 



trainiii!;- the militia, etc. 



-This," he adds, "was done by the iiiilu- This closed Howe's legislative career. By 

ence of Robert Howe and Isaac Edwards." j^^^ Colonial Congre.-s that met at liillslxu-o (;ii 

'■Of Mr. Howe," the Governor says, in the 21st August, 1775, he was apiiointed ccdoiiel 

?ame dispatch, " wlieii lie came to North Caro- of the 2d Regiment, then about to be raised oii^ 

Hna. Mr. Howe was the captain of Fort John- the Continental establishment. 

soiK and Baron of the E.xchequer; but b.diev- r|,,^^, „j}^,.,.,.,; api.ointcd to this regiment were 

ing the two otKces incongruous, !k! appointed j.,,!,^.,.^ Howe, colonel; John I'att.ui, major, 

Mr. Hasell Baron of the E.xchequer; by the (,„.,ternal grandfather of the lion. C. C. Canib- 

King-s appoint!! ent Cai.trdn Collet was made j,^.,j„j,_ ,^\^.^.,^,]y alladed to;) Alexander .Martin, 

captain of the fort, which deprived .Mr. Howe lieutenant colonel, afterwards Governor of t he 

of a iiost of contemiitihle profit to a man of v4(.,te. Aimmg the captains were James Blount, 

honor; but he, by extraordinary management ]i.i,.,ly .Murfree, Henry Irwin Toole, .Michael 

of moneys that came into his hands to sup- i>.,^^.„|.^ .,,,,] others. In this gallant regiment 

po.t the garrison, made it very lucrative, and n^ipifovd County cmtributed her first quota 

served to keep together the wreck of his for- ,,j- f |,,,^,^,^ enlisted for the war. They coiisii- 

tune. Mr. Howe is a man of lively parts and ^„j^,| Comi.any D, and were commanded by 

good under.standiug, but, in the present state j[.j,,,i_^. _\[m.f,ee. (;oloiici Benjamin Wyuus 

of his atiair.sof no account or considoiation, ^-onunanded the Hertford Battalion. Their 

and is trying to establish a reputation for |i|..st march under lb. we was to Norfolk, and 

patriotism." reached the Great Bridge only two days after 

" The Legi-l.iture res .Ived to continue the the battle. Thence they wont .south un- 

establishment of Fort Johnston only to the der Lee. One of the uest and truest of Hert- 

next session, which, I fear, is owing to the ford's sons was ;iidcde-camp to (ieiu'ral Howo. 

command, being held hy an oliicor nominated This was young Godwin Cotton, of .Mulberry 

liy His .Majesty, instead of .Mr. Howe, a native Grove. Like his 3'oung kinsman, Colonel 

of thiscountry." (Colonial Rec-ords, London.) James Gotten, of An.soii, he was the survej-or 

This year and in t!ie next, 1772 and 1773, of the county. He was the youngest sou of 



44 



WIIEE-LER'e KEMimSCENCES. 



Captain Aithui Gotten, and lived at the old General Howe for compelling Sir Hen!'ry"'s 

homestead near St. Johns. He was as amiable friend, Lord Dunmore, to leave Virginia for- 

as he was brave, and universally beloved. He ever. 

lived long after the war, and many now alive General Howe was placed in command of 

may recollect his exemplary and pions char- the North Carolina troops in defence of 

actcr. He was the last of his name in Ilcrt- Charleston and Savannah; and the latter end 

ford, for he left no sons; but he left two of July General Lee undertook an e.vpedition 

daughters, who were the belles and beauties of against Florida. But by an express he 

their day. One of them was the lovely was ordered North, and" General James 

mother of Dr. Godwin Gotten Moore, of whom Moore succeeded him. Soon after General 

we shall write when we come to Hertford. — Moore was ordered to join the Army of 

(Moore's Hist., Sketches of Hertford, IX, the North, and Howe was appointed to 

XVI, 550 ) succeed iiim in the command of the Southern 

In Ueceniber, 1775, Howe was ordered to Department, 
take command of the troops raised in North o„ the 2(1 of October, 1777, Howe was ap- 
Carolina, and niarcli to aid Virginia. Unavoid- pointed by Congress major general; and in 
able circumstances prevented him from reach- the Spring of the next year he made an un- 
ing the Great Bridge until two days after the successful ex[)edition against Florida. From 
brilliant battle, [9 Dec. 1775] but he took post ^vant of proper supplies, insubordination 
at Norfolk, and rendered good service in driv- of some of the otticials of Georgia and 
ingthe Royal Governor (Lord Dunmore) and South Carolina and the health of his 
bis forces out of this section of the State; for troops, he was compelled to retreat 
this he received the thanks of the Convention to Savannah. The retreat was com- 
of Virginia, and of the General Congress at nienced in July, 1778; the conduct of 
Philadelphia, and was promoted to the rank of General Howe was severely commented upon 
brigadier general. in various publications. Among these was a 
Wbei! General Lee, in March, 177(3, arrived letter of General Gadsden, which was highly 
in Virginia, Howe joined him with his regi- otfensive to General Howe, and led to a duel 
jiient and went south. As he passed through „ear Charleston. Howe's second was C. G. 
North Carolina he received the thanks of the Pinekney, and Gadsden w^as accompanied by" 
Convention at Halifax and at New Berne for Colonel Barnard Elliot. They fought, 13th 
his services, and he was received with public August, 1778. Howe's ball grazed his oppo- 
honors. nent's ear, on which Gadsden fired iiis pistol 
As an additional evidence of apin-eciation of j,, tlie air. The parties then shook bunds, 
his patriotic efforts, he was especially excepted ^nd became reonciled. 
from the offer of pardon proclaimed by Sir 
Henry Clinton to all who should down their 
arms, and his estates on the Cape Fear were 
ravaged by the English troo^is. This was the l^'''^'" ^'^^ commencemeiit of Howe's a<l- 
second time that Howe had been the honored "'inistration. South Carolina and Georgia bad 
subject of Royal indignation and marked b^-'^" urgent in memorials to Congress to re- 
enmity. This second proclamation of Sir Henry call him and to replace him by 
Clinton was a grateful acknowledgment to n^o''e experience. 



lie was attacked at Savannah b\- the British 
in force, and defeated. 



icer of 



EKUXSWICX COUNTY. 



45 



In compliance with these solicitations, in have been principally active in the late niu- 
•Septeniber, 1778, Howe was ordered to the tiny; to disarm the remainder, and to exam- 
headquarters of General Washington, and ine into all the circumstances relating 
General Linct)in appointed to succeed him, thereto." 

and to repair immediately to Charlestt>n. In May, 178.5, lie was appointed by Congress 

Howe was stationed on the Hudson river, and to treat with the Western Indians, 

ill 1780, was ill eoramaud at West Point, He remained at the North for some time 



where he rendered acceptable services, and 
for his energy aud activity at this and other 
important commands he received the thanks 
of Washington. 

In January, 1780, a committee of the 
Georgia Legislature, appointed to consider the 
situation of the State since 29th of Decem- 
ber, 1778, and extracts from the minutes of 
the assembly respecting the conduct of Gen- 
eral Howe, were transmitted to the Com- on accountof monies (§7,000) advanced.' " 



awaiting the adjustment of his claims for losses 
to his estates in North Carolina, ravaged by the 
enemy, and which were rendered useless and 
unproductive, and, from the depreciation of 
the currency, he \vi\s reduced to want. 

From the Journals of Congress, page 65: 
April Uih, 1785. 

" Mr. Hawkins introduced a resolution, pay- 
ing ' for depreciation, to Major General Howe, 



mander in Chief, " with a request that ho be 
directed to cause inquiry to be made into 
matters therein alleged, in such manner as he 
should judge proper." 

In pursuance of this order General Wash- 
ington summoned a Court Martial of thirteen 
officers — Baron DeKalh presided as President. 
After a rigid examination of six weeks he 
was acquitted " with the highest honors." 

Extract from Journals of Congress, 24th 
January, 1782: "The acquittal of General 
feowe by Court Martial with the highest 
honors is approved by Congress." (Journal 
1782, page 271. ) Although the war was over 
General Howe continued active in service. 

In 1781, Howe was sent by Washington to 
suppress a revolt of the New Jersey troops, 
llildreth. III, 359. 

Extract from Journals of Congress, Monday, 
1st July, 1783, page 64, ordered by Mr. Hamil- 
ton, and reported from a committee of which 



In the spring of 1785 he returned to North 
Carolina, and was welcomed by public honors 
at Fayetteville and by kind friends at home 
He was induced to allow his name to be used 
as a-candidate as a member from Brunswick 
of the General Assembly. He was triumph- 
antly elected. But exposure during the sum- 
mer produced a severe bilious fever, from 
which he partially recovered, aud in October 
started for the seat of Government. His first 
day's ride brought him to the house of his 
friend, General Clarke, about thirteen miles 
above Wilmington. Here he relapsed, and 
after two weeks' illness died in November, 
1785. 

He had served his country from the first 
dawn of the Kevolution till the end of the 
war, with fidelity and valor, and his services 
demand the remembrance and regard of his 
country. One whose opinion is valuable, 



he was the chairman, that " Major General styles him " The wit, the scholar, and the 

Howe shall be directed to march such part of his soldier." 

force as he shall judge necessary to the State Drake describes General Howe as an olficer 

of Pennsylvania, in order that immediate of approved courage, well versed in military 

measures may be taken to confine and bring to tactics, a skilful engineer, and a rigid discipli- 

irial such persons belonging to the army as iiariau, and a man of cultivated mind. 



46 . WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

After all the toils of war and the vicissi- one of His Majesty's principal Secretaries of 

tudes of fortune, he returns to his home, State, I extract the followins;: 

Life's long vexations passed, "Mr. Cornelins Harnett, another of the 

Here to return and die at home at last. Council, wais hred a merchant in Dublin and 

settled at Cape Fear in this Colony. I was 

Cnrnelius Harnett,* horn 20th April, 1723; assured by a letter I received in England that 

died 20th April, 1781. Harnett was worth six thousand pounds ster- 
ling, which induced me to place his name on 

Associated with Robert Howe in the cause the list of persons to be Councillors; when I 

of Liberty and Independence was Cornelius came to this country he was reputed to be 

-TT .X worth £7,000; but now he is known to have 

traded with other men's goods; and is not 

Both of these distinguished men, by the worth anything, and so reduced as to be corn- 
proclamation of Sir Henry Clinton, were ex- P^''«^^ ^'^ '^'^'^P "^ P^'^Ii" house." 
eluded from all pardon from the Royal Gov- There are other records that aid us. "At 
ernment. Although not, like Howe, a soldier, the General Court, sitting at Edenton, the 
it was not the fortune of Harnett to figure in 26th March, 1726, George Burrington, the 
"feats of broil and battle," yet he did equal Governor, was indicted, for that about the 2d 
deeds of daring and courage in the great drama of Decendjer, 1725, with Cornelius Harnett 
of life, in which men and arms are only sub- of Chowan County, and others, he assaulted 
ordinate parts, and " the value of whose ser- the house of Sir Richard Everhard." * 
vices," says Mr. Davis, " was only equalled by In the Register's office in New Hanover 
the extent of his sutierings and his .sacrifices." County | there is a record of a bond from 
We regret that so little has been accurately Colonel Maurice Moore, of New Hanover Pre- 
known of Mr. Harnett that even his birthplace ciuct, to Cornelius Harnett, "of the same 
is conjecture, Mr. Drake states, as does Loss- place," dated 30th June, 1726, &e. 
ing, " he was l)OFn in England," but gives no Since we know from the in.scription on the 
authority. Unquestionably there were two headstone of Cornelius Harnett, of Cape Fear, 
persons of the same name, both distinguished that he was born in 1723, it is clear that the 
in the annals of North Carolina. Cornelius Harne-tt, of Chowan, was another 

The father, who.se name the subject of our person, probably the father, and that he was 

sketch bore, was not an obscure man, from the "''^ "*" English birth, but of Irish descent, 

fact that he was the abettor and friend of ^^''^ ''''' =^''*^ '^■'' ^" ^^''''^'^ ^''^t his son was 

Gov. Burrington in his quarrel with Everhard, ^»"" '" ^"'■^'' Carolina, and there was no 

and one of the Governor's councill<.rs, 1730. ™'^-^'"e»t from 1765 to 1780 in the cause of 

It may be inferred that he was a man of dis- independence in which he was nut ready and 

tinctionin North Carolina as early as 1725. ""■*'''^' "The Samuel Adams of North- Caro- 

But, as will be seen, he and Burrington did ''"^''" '^^ ''^ '^=^" *^^^''^'^ ^>' •^'^^^=^'' ^^•^"*^>'' ^^'''^ 

not remain friends very long. ^''^^^^'l '^'^ ^''^^^ in 1773. 



From the Rolls OflSce in London, in a dis- 



With Colonel John Ashe, he was denounced 

^ ^, , _„ „ by Governor Martin in 1775, for the burning 

patch dated Feb. 20th, 1732, of George Bur- ;, t,. , t i .r ^, • ... 

^ „ , . 01 l^ort Johnson. He was Chairman ot the 

rington, Governor of the Province of North „tm • , ^ ■ . ,- , ^ , ,- 

^ ,. ,,. ^ , T^ , ^-^-r . vVilmington Committee ot bafety, and atter 

Carolma, to His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, „ ,r ,- , . . , .^ 

' Governor Martin s retreat the State was gov- 

*Drake's Biograiildcal Dictionary; Lossing's Field * Williamson II, 229. Davis at CUapel Hill, 1825. 
Book, II, 582. t Book, page 71 . 



BRUNSWICK COUNTY. 



47 



erned by a Provincial Council, of wliicii liar- From liis delicate hnaltli ami liis distin- 

nett was chairman, and de fueto tlio Governor sjuislied character, he was admitted to parole, 

of the State, at a period when the affairs of He sul)mitted to the inovitaI)lo with di^'iiity 

the Government demanded the utmost prn- and philosophy. But broken in spirits, health 

dence and sagacity. He was elected a mem- and fortune, he died in captivity on his birtli- 

berof the Colonial Congress that rnet at Hali- day, 20th A jail, 1781. 

fax on the 4th April, 1776; ('hairman of the Tie lies buried in the northeast corner of the 

Committee to Consider the Usurpations of the grave yard of St. James Cbnnb, Wilmington, 

English King and I'arliament. lie presented with this inscrii)tion: 
resolutions directing the delegates from North 
Carolina in the Continental Congress to unite 



in declaring independence. This was unanimously 
adopted on I2th April, 177G, more than a 
month before the celebrated resolutions of 
Virginia. No one has ever heard of this for- 
ward step of " poor, pensive North Carolina," 
while the act of Virginia has been sounded by 
every tongue, and recorded on every page of 
her historj'. 

Mr. Harnett was of the Colonial Congress 
that met at Halifax on 12th November, 1776, 
which formed the Constitution of the State, 
and with Samuel Ashe, "Waightstill Avery, 
Thomas Burke, Richard Caswell, Hews, Willie 
and Thomas Jones, and others, was a commit- 
tee on this important subject. 

In 1777, 1778 and 177!t, Mr. Harnett was a 
rnenilierof the Continental Congress at Phila- 
delphia. His letters which are extant breathe 
the spirit of a patriot, and prove hira to have 
been a faithful and devoted public servant. * 
These letters also reflect much light on vhe 
condition of the country and the proceedings 
of the Continental Congress during this event- 
ful period. 

He returned home to North Carolina, and 
when, in 1781, the British forces, under Sir 
James Craig, occupied Wilmington, he was 
taken prisoner at the house of his friend 
Colonel Spicer. 



Conicliiis Ilariictt, 

Diefl2()tli Ainil, 1781. 

Aged 58. 

Slave to nn sect, lie took no private mad. 
But looked through nature u]) to nature's God 



* Life and Letters of Cornelius Haruett, coniiiiledhy 
Gov. Swain; Uni.Mag., Feb., 1861. 

Kotes relative to Cornelius Harnett; by Archibald 
Mcl^ine Hooper. 



A vvortby name of a worthy community. 

He is described by his biogi-apher, Mr; 
Hooper, as being delicate rather than stout in 
person; about 5 feet 9 inches high; hazel eyes 
and light brown hair; small but symmetrical 
features, ami graceful figure. Easy in his man- 
ners; affable and courteous; with a fine taste 
for letters, and a genius for music, he was at 
times a fascinating and always an agreeablo 
companion. 

The capital of Harnett presents the honored 
name of Lillington. 

John Alexander Lillington was the son of 
Golonel George Lillington, who settleil on the 
Island of Barbadoos, and was a memiier of the 
Royal Council in 1698. 

His grandfather. .Major Alexander Lilling- 
ton, emigrated from Barl)adoes to the county 
of Albemarle, with his family. 

On the north side of the tomb of Governor 

Henderson Walker, five miles below Edeuton,* 

is inscribed the following: 

Here lyes ye body of 

(ieorge Lillington. 

Son of Major Alexander Lillington, 

who died in ye 15 year of his age 

Anno 1706. 

The oldest public record in the State is a 
commission issued to George Durant, Alex- 
ander Lillington, and others, to hold the pre- 
cinct Courts in Berkeley Precinct. t 



*Lossing's Field Book, IT, 586. 
tPavis, IV; Wheeler. I, 34. 



48 



WHEELEirS REMINISCENCES. 



U]Miii the (leiiavtiire of Gov. Ludwell in 1G93, 
the aduiitiistrution of the Province devolved 
upon him as Deputy Governor.* Ills grand- 
son, tiie suhject of our sketch, was left early 
an orphan, and when Edward Moseley, who 
had married Ann, daughter of Major Alexan- 
der Lillington and the widow of Gov. Walker, 
(died 1712,) emigrated to the Cape Fear, 
young Lillington came with him, in 1734. 
A tine mansion, known as Lillington Hall, 
ahiiut 40 milesaliove Wilmington, on the New 
Berne road, is still standing, and an engraving 
of it is delineated in Lossing. 

When the notes of prepai'ation for the war 
with the mother country were heard, Lilling- 
ton responded ghidly to the call. 

He was early known as an active and decided 
Vv liig, and co-operated with Ashe in opiiosi- 
tion to Gov. Ti'yon. We have seen his letter, 
offering, with Ashe and Tliomas Lloyd (see 
ante, page 40,) to protect from insult the 
,person and property of the Governor. 

By the State Congress, which met on 21st 
August, 1775, at Ilillsboro, to put the State in 
military order, he was appointed colonel of 
the Wilmingtini district, and Caswell for the 
JS'cw Berne district. Together, these gallant 
otficcrs, with their forces, fought (February 27, 
1770, j and won the battle at Moore's Creek 
Bridge, over the Scotch Tories, which has 
been fully described, with its important cou- 
seLpieuces.t The State deeply appreciated bis 
services, for the Provincial Congress that met 
at Halifax on 4tli of April following, appointed 
liim colonel of the (jth Regiment of North 
Carolina troops on the Continental establish- 
ment. He served under General Gates at the 
ill-fated battle of Camden August 15, 1780. 
Though he served through the war with dis- 
tinguished honor, and was promoted to rank 
of brigadier general, his military fame rests 
ciiietly upon the battle of Moore's Creek. 

*Martlu, I, 134. 
t See Wheeler, 1, 76. 



General Lillington remained in service to 
the close of the war, when he retired to his 
estate at Lillington Hall, where he died; near 
his mansion rest the remains of General Lil- 
lington and his son John, who did good ser- 
vice in the whole Revolutionary war as col- 
onel. 

" General Lillington," writes one of his 
descendants to Lossing,* " was a man of Her- 
culean frame and strength. He possessed 
intellectual powers of a high order, undaunted 
courage and of incorruptible integrit3^ He 
has left, 

on the footprints of Time, 

On of those names that never die. 

General Lillington was the grandson of 
Major Alexander Lillington who was Presi- 
dent of the Council, and ex officio Governor of 
North Carolina, in 1673. His grandmother 
was an Adams, from Massachusetts. One of her 
daughters married Governor Walker, and 
afterwards Edward Mosely. Another was 
the wife of the lirst Samuel Swanu. General 
Lillington left issue at his death in 1786, one 
daughter, who married her cousin, Sampson 
Mosely, and a son George, who left a son, 
John Alexander, (who represented Davie 
County in the Senate, in 1848,-'50,-'52,) who 
was the last of his name, a gentleman of line 
personal appearance, and talents. 

Mrs. Harden of Hickory, and Mrs. Dr. 
Anderson, of Wilmington, are the present 
representatives of the family. — (Moore, 
Letter of Hon. George Davis.) 

The Moores of Brunswick, 
It is now just about tifty years ago when I 
first entered the House of Commons (as it was 
then called,) as a member from my native 
County of Hertford, and my attention was 
drawn on the first day of the session to one of 
the best expressed and best delivered speeches 
that I ever heard, and which made an indeli- 



Lossiug, II, 3S5. 



IIUUNSWICK COUNTY. 



49 



ble imiiression on my own iiiiiul, and carried part of the records of the court, and the party 

■conviction to all who heard it. elected had no right to its possession 

The simple facts of the case were: One This able arsjument was more effective by 

of the members from the Cape Fear country the ornate and elegant manner with which it 

had lost or mislaid the certificate of his elec- was delivered. 



tion; the question arose in the minds of 
many, could a member take a seat without the 
evidence that he was duly elected ? Alfred 
Moore then arose and addressed the House. 

Ilis manner of speaking, the melody of his 
voice, the polished periods of his sentences, 
commanded the attention of all, while his 
argument and reasoning influenced their judg- 
ments. 

Theje was no question of the fact that t)ie 
member had been elected, and that he had 
lost or mislaid the certificate of the sheriff 
holding the election. 

Mr. Moore traced the history of the mode 
of elections, as had existed from the founda- 
tion of the State, and also the mode in 
the Colonial period, that whenever the 
Governor called the Legislature, M'hich body 
was composed of a Council, who were ap- 
pointed by the Crown to a<lvise with the 
Governor, and the House, which was composed 
of members elected by the people from each 
county; he directed the Clerk of the Crown or 
the Secretary to issue writs of election to each 
sherift", to call together the people and to elect 
such number of names as the county was enti- 
tled to as members, and when executed and 
the election made, to endorse on said writ the 
names of the persons elected, and to transmit 
the said writ to the Clerk of the House or 
Crown or Secretary, as the case might be. 
This return was filed and recorded. On the 
day appointed for the meeting of the Assem- 
bly, the endorsement was read by him, and 
tiie persons called and qualiiied. 

He further argued the person elected had no 
right to the custody of the certificate, no more 
than a party who sues out a writ. It was a 



No reply was attempted, and the member 
was unanimously admitted. 

This question, we are aware, has been since 
decided differently; (Ennet's Case, 1842,) but 
it was when party arose superior to patriot- 
ism. 

It has been often my good fortune to hear 
Clay in his happiest moods, and Calhoun's 
powerful logic, and Webster in his massive 
eloquence, but neither of these excelled this 
extempore effort of Mr. Moore, whose powers 
as a speaker were only excelled by courtly 
elegance of manners and simplicity and mod- 
esty of demeanor. 

Mr. Moore was of a family long and well 
known for their integrity, their intellectual 
powers, and their devotion to the cause of 
liberty and law. 

This family is of Irish descent, and claim to 
belong to the Chiefs O'More. The ancestor 
in America was James, who came to Charles- 
ton and married, in 1665, a daughter of Gov. 
Yeatnans, who was Governor of Carolina in 
1671. 

He became Governor of Carolina in 1700, 
upon the death of Joseph Blake. He was 
supposed to be the grandson of Roger Moore, 
the leader of the Irish rebellion of 1641, and 
inherited the rebellious blood of his sire.* By 
his marriage with Miss Yeamans he had ten 
children. 

The eldest son, of the same name, was worthy 
of his father. He acquired military renown 
in his campaigns against the Indians. 

He, in 1703, marched to North Carolina to 



*See Hume's England. 
Money's Hist, of Ireland. 
Drake's Biographical Diet. 
Carrol's Collections of S. C. 
Davis at C. Hill, 26, 



50 WHEELER'S KEMlNISCENCT]S. 

subdue the Appalachian Itidiatis, who had other tliaii patriots, or to shrink from any sac- 
dune great mischief and murder in this (the rifire at the call of their country." In a dis- 
Cape Fear) section, and lie completely sub- patch IVom Governor Bui-rington as early as 
dued them. February, 1735-, he shows his instinctive dread 

He also commanded the forces setit b}' Gov. of such patriotic and pure-liearted men, and 

Charles Craven t(.) succor the iidiabitants, thus describes them: 

whose borders were ravaged by the Tuscaroras "About twenty m^Mi 'are settled at Cape 

in 1713,and many of theinhabitantsm-.issacred, Fear from South Carolina. Among these are 

among them John Lawson, the first liistorian three brothers of a noted family, by the name 

of North Carolina. He was accomiianied by of Moore. They are all of the set known by 

a sti'ong force, and completely routed the sav- the name of 'the (Joose Greek faction.' These 

ages. A severe engagement nciw Snow Hill people were always very troul)lesome in that 

in Greene County.* Government, and will be so, without doulit, 

He remained in Xorth Carolina about seven in this. Already I have bL-eti told they will 
months, when he returned home. Until 1603 spend a good di-al of money to get me turned 
the two Provinces were together, and under out. .Messengers are continually goi«g to- 
one Governor. The renown gained in the Mosely and his crew, to and from them." Such 
Indian wars was well calculated to render Col. was the repulsion of the representative of 
Moore a favorite with the people. In 1719, royalty to the advocates of popular rights and 
when the quarrelbetweeu tlie people and the equal justice. 

Government occurred, true to the instincts of Colonel Maurice Moore, to whom we have 

his race, he was with the peo[]le, and was well already alluded as the younger brother 

qualified to be a leader in pcj'ilous and troubled of (lovernor James Moore, the second, was 

times. Robert Johnson was at this time the a soldier, lirave, energetic and successful. 

Royal Governor. The people proclaimed He had accompanied his brother in his ex[)edi- 

against him and deposed him 28th 2^ovcmber, tions to Northern CaroIimi,and was impressed 

1719, and with this prochunation went up the with the character of the country. He had 

expiring sighs of the Proprietory Government, two years later commanded a troop of horse 

and James Moore was elected by the people in tlie service of Eden, (Govei'uor of North 

Governor. He was succeeded the same year, Carolina in 1713,) and marched to the Cape 

(1719) by Arthur Middleton, and as he <lis- Fear to subdue the Indians, who were fierce 

ap[iears from South Carolina history it is prob- and trou'olesome in that section. As (ioveruor 

able he came to Cape Feai.t • . . Eden resided in Chowan, it is inferred that 

He never mari'ied. His younger brother, he first went there. Three years after his ex- 
Maurice, accompanied him in his campaigns pedition lie was concerned with Edward 
against tlie Indians. Mosely in some mattcr.i of importance. He 

Such was tlie inviting character of this sec- is supposed by Martin to have settled niion 

tiou, its genial soil and mild (.limate, that the Cape Fear about 1723. The dispatch al- 

many of the family settled on the Cape Fear, ready quoted of Governor !5urringtori shows 

Of these Mr. Davis was correct when he said " that three brothers by the name of Moore 

" they inherited the rebellious stock of their were located, in 1730, on the Cape Fear." 

race; it vvas not in tlieir name or blood to be 'J'hese three brotliers were Colonel Maurice 

Moore, Roger and Nathaniel. To these three 
*Joliiison rnulitioiis, 230; Davis's Adilress, 12. 

tMartin, I, 2(;i. men is due the permanent settlement of the 



BRUXSWICK COUNTY. 51 

Caiie Fear. Witli these came others who iiii,^ tiie _<rrcat ri^ts at IIi!lslMM-.), in 1770, 

were distinsjuislied for their virtues and their wlieii Jiidi!;e llonderson tied, .Judge Howard 

valor, and were the germs of a iiohie colony, was driven from the bench, the house of Colo- 

" They were," says Mr. Davis, "No needy ad- nel Fantdng burned, and his },ers )n severely 

venturers, driven by nece?sity to seek a preca- chastised. Judge Moore was unmolested, 

rioiis living in a wild and savage country, hut lie was elioscn a member of the Provincial 

gentlemen of birth and education, bred to the Congress, at Hill.sboro, in 1778, and of the 

refinement of society, and bringing with them same at Halifax, in 1776, and materially aided 

ample fortunes, polislied manners, and culti- in forming the State Constitutiui. 

vnted minds. 'fc married Anne Grange, by wliom he had 

Colonel Maurice Moore, the founder of the two children, Alfred, born in 1755, of whom 

family, was the son of Governor James xMoore we shall write directly, and Sally, who mar- 

and .Miss Yeamans, and left a family of several ried (Jeneral Francis Xash, who fell at (!er- 

childreu. Among these were his eldest son, mantown, 1777. 

Judge Maurice Moore, judge under the Colo- He died the ne.\t year, ou- the 15th of Janu- 

nial Govcrnmer,t,a devoted advocate for pop- ary, 1777, at home, and by a wonderful coin- 

ulav rights, and decided opponent of wrong cidence, at the same time, same hour marly, 

and oppression. •'^"''1 i't the same place in an adjoining room. 

He was a lawyer,and was .so much esteemed died his distinguislied brother, Geiund Jasnes 

that he, with Richard Henderson and Martin Mooie. Ho was the son of Colonel Main ice 

Howard, constituted the judiciary of the Pro- Mo(n-e and .Miss Porter. A soldier by his 

vince. He was appointed 1st of March, 1708. taste, by education and profession. Ho was 

associate justice. devoted to the cause of his countiy, and co:i- 

This was no empty comidiment or idle ser- sidered the first military genius of his d ly. 
vice. There were five circuits at remote and He was early trained to arnis, and when 
almost inaccessible points; through bad roads Tryon met the Regulators at Alamance, in 
and worse accommodations, the judge had to 1771, Moore wa.s one of his officers, 
travel eleven hundred miles to make the cir- On the organization of the military f(,reos 
euit of these courts. of the State, he was a[)poiuted colonel of the 
But, although he was appointed and dis- First liegiment of North Carolina on the Con- 
charo-ed judicial duties under the Crov.'ii, he tinental establishment, by tlie State Congress 
was by no means the advocate of oppression. . that met at llillslioro on August 21, 1775. 
He sympathized with the Regulators in their This was a higli honor — to he preferred to 
sufferings, hnt did not sanction their violence. Colonel John Ashe and others to the corn- 
He denounced the high-hande.l measures of maud of the Hrst regiment raised l)y the State. 
Governor Tryon, in a series of letters signed He was em[iloyed in watching the enemy 
" Atticus," and showed the character of the on the Cape Fear, to prevent any junction of 
Governor in despicable colors. This so in- the forces of Clinton and .Martin. When Cliu- 
censed the Governor, that in a dispatch, ton appeared in the river, the clans of Scotland 
dated 1761), he recommends " the removal of gatheied together to connect and co-operate 
J.udge Moore, and the appointment of Ed- with the forees of Clinton. .Moore marched 
mund Fanning." But he continued on the his regiment to Ciimherland County to pre- 
beneh until the Revolution closed the courts, vent this, and give them battle; but they 
He was a favorite with the people. Dur- avoided the ofiV-r, only to meet another force, 



52 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

and experience a disastrous defeat at Moore's Nash, his brother-in-law, killed in battle. These 

Creek ^Bridge from Caswell and Lillington. calamities left a helpless family on his hands, 

On the departure of Geiiei-al Lee to the anil he was forced by these untoward events 

north from Cliarleston. Marcli, 1770, the Con- to resign. 

tinental Congress promoted Moore to the His patriotism and his martial spirit, how- 
rank of brigadier general and commander in ever, did not allow him to be idle or inactive, 
chief of the Southern Department. He raised a troop of volunteers, and so greatly 

He endeavored to discharge the duties of annoyed the enemy that Major Craig (after- 

tliis inipoitant station ^\ith iidelity, but his wards Sir James Craig, Governor-General of 

feeble health sunk under the duty, and lie Canada,) when in possession of Wilmington, 

returned home, there to die. sent troops to Captain Moore's house, who 

General .James Moore niari-ied Anna Ivey, plundered everything that was valuable, and 
b)' whom ho bad four children, Huncan destroyed the remainder. While the British 
Moore, Janies Moore, Mrs. Swann, Mrs. were at Wilmington, his condition was de- 
Waters, plcirable — without means, or even decent 

Judge Alfred .Moore (born 21st May, 1755; clothes, driven from his home and family, his 

died lOth October, 1810,) was the son of Judge pro[)erty destroyed, yet no murmur of com- 

.Mauiice Moore. He was sent to lioston to plaint was uttered by him; no abatement of 

acipiire his education. While there he made zeal. 

by hi^ genial disposition many friends, and Dear must that independence be, purchased 

was oflered a commission in the Royal Army, iit such a terrible price. After the battle of 

Thi-; was not accepted, but the presence of a Guilford Court-house (loth March, 1781,) 

large military garrison and the friendship of Captain Moore with others did good service 

one of its Oiiicers, added to an inherited taste in harrassing Lord Cornwallis in his march 

for the profession of arms, led him to acquire t'"'"" Guilford to Wilmington, 
accurate knowledge of military tactics, which But tlie war was soon to close. The Eiig- 

s ion was to bo called into requisition in Hsh were then on their marrli to Yorktown, 

defense of his luitive bind. He returned home, '^^'I'ich proved to be the Waterloo of the con- 

and wiien all hopes of reconciliation were lost test. 

and contest commenced, the State Congress But it was not in the field, although he had 

at Hillsboro, in August, 1775, organized two Jone a. soldier's duty with credit and gallantry, 

regiments for the Continental establishment, that Judge Moore's reputation was won, and 

he was commissioned as captain in the First which preserves his name to a grateful pos- 

Regiment,of wbieli his uncle, James Moore, terity. The General Assembly in 1782 elected 

was the colonel. He marched with bis com- 'li'" -Attorney-General of the State, when it 

mand to Charleston and was on duty there at ^^'"*^ known that be had never read a law book, 

the brilliant alfair of Fort ALjultrie, and This was done to alleviate, in a delicate man- 

evinc'd traits of cba-.icter that ranked him ii<3r, his immediate wants, and as some slight 

among the first captains of his day. acknowledgment of gratitude for his sacrifices 

But ciicumstancesunforeseon and disastrous ='"*^ sutierings. His habits of industry and 

cr^.wded heavily upon him. His father. Judge "•''^''^^ penetration soon supplied any deficiency. 

Maurice Mooie, and his uncle both died the ^" ^''° ^i'^'""" "i' the Supreme Court, in case 

same day. His tirotber Maurice was killed °^ ^*'^^*^ '^®- ^ernigan,* he " discharged the 

by mischance at Brunswick. General Fi'ancis "T^i^ige Taylor's opinion in 3d xMurpIiy Rep., 12. 



BKUXSWrCK COUXTY. 53 

arduous duties of the office for u series of yours documents, by aid of .\[rs. Ilarvcy, one of tlie 

in a manner that commanded the admiration descendants. 

and gratitude of liis contemporaries." A The capital town of IJrunswick County pro- 
clear perspicuity of mind, methodical accu- serves tlie name of Benjamin Smith, wlio was 
racy and port'iiency of argument, a pleasing',im- governor of the State in 1810, and a sketch 
pressivc and natural eh)quence, distinguished of whom nniy bo found in tlio liistoiy of 
his legal efforts, lie soon arose to eminence. North Carolina, vol. H, p. 49. 
In 1798 was called to the bencli of North Governor Smith was at one time immensely 
Carolina; the next year he was appointed by wealthy, having large possessions on the Cape 
the President one of the Associate Justices of Fear river. His liberal donation to the Uni- 
the Supreme Court of the United States, lie versity in 17^9, of 20,000 acres of land, proves 
held the elevated position for si.K years, with his friendsbi[i for learning. 
credit to himself and satisfaction to his col- His temiiei', "sudden and (juick in quarrel," 
leagues and the nation. I!is liealth failing involved him in several duels. In one of 
he resigned. He died in 18)0 at the hon.se of tliem, with a man by the name of Leonard, 
2slajor Waddoll, in Bladen County, aged 55. he received the ball of liis adversary in his hi;), 
His private life was equally as interesting as which he carried to his grave, 
his brilliant public career. His manners grace- He died in Smithville in February, 1829, 
ful and winning, threw a charm over his entirely iienniless, and was buried the same 
domestic circle. His bi'iliiant wit and his niglit he dio<i b}- Major Wilson and Captain 
varied accomplishments, his gentle courtesy Frazier, of the United States army, under 
and unstinted hospitality, has, in the language the cover of the night, to prevent the sheriff 
of Mr. Davis, " handed his memor}' down to from levying upon the dead body for debt, 
posterity as a finished model of a Xorth which was allowable in those days, that when 
Carolina gentleman." a tv/. S(/. was levied, once levied on the body 

Judge Mooi-e married Susan Eagles, and it could be kept out of the grave in order to 

left four children; Maurice, colonel in war of force the friends to redeem it by satisfying 

1812; Alfred, with whom we opened this the claim in li;inils of the sheriff.* 

sketch of Brunswick Count}'; Anna, who There are many other names connected 

married Hugh Waddell, senior, son of General with the early history of this county, as 

Hugh Waddell, of the Regulation war; Sally, Thomas Allen, Archibald McLaine, Roger 

unmarried. Moore, AVilliam Lord, Thos. Leonard, Wil- 

Tiie best evidence of the high apprecia- liam R. Hail, Parker Quince, John Rowan, 

tion of the name and fame of Judge Alfred and others, weU deserving of oui- remeui- 

Moore, by the people of the State, is at this brance and record. 

time, 1878, there are two members of Con- It is hoped that some son of Brunswick 

gress, and hundreds of others in North Caro- will gather together the rich materials before 

lina, who proudly bear his name as their they are forever lost, and present their lives 

patronomic, and who re\erence his memory and services to posterity. A recent and 

and virtues. graphic sketch of Gov. Smith, from the pol- 

The genealogical diagram printed in the ished pen of President Battle, is well worth 

Aj)pendix will explain the branches and de- preserving. 

scent of this distinguished family, and has 

1 -1 1 -ii /• 1 ■ . - . ^Letter from Woodsides hotel, SmitliviUe, to the 

been compiled with some care from historical "Observer," lUileigh, October 4, 1878. 



^4 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

Benjamin S.mittj, Soldier, Statesman, I'm- less, until the eai-th a.,.l sea shall -ive up their 

LANTHEOPisT. dead. And as its nature, so its name is 
Near the month of the hcantiful Cape Fear * * * *'"^ ^'"^'^ ''*' ^''''•" 

river, on its right bank, is a pleasant little The name of the sandy reach which I have 

town. It is fanned liy the delicious sea flescribed, so desolate, yet so full of interest, 

breezes; huge live oaks gratefully shade its '^ Smith Island. 

streets. In its sombre cemetery repose the The University of North Carolina has amid 

bodies of many excellent peojilc. Its harbor i^*^ g'l'onp of buildings, one, in its shape and 

is good. It is on the main channel of the r""'tico and columns, im itating a Greek tem- 

rivcr. From its wharves can be seen not far P''^- ^^^ basement was until recently the 

away the tliin white line of waves as they '^ome of the State Agricultural Experiment 

brenk on the sandy beach. I!nt the ships to Station, which has done so much to protect 

and from its neighbor. Wilmington, pay lit- ""'" t'Hiuers from frauds. Ijut now is the 

tie tribute as they pass and repass. Its chief laboi-atory of the professor of chemistry, 

fame is that it contains the court-house of the ^''"ve is a long and lofty room containing 

county of Brunswick. Its name isSmithville. ^'le library of the Univer.■^ity. 

Opposite this good old town is a desert Cn its shelves are many ancient books of 

island composed of undulating sand hills, with S''''iit value, but vacant spaces plead piteously 

here and there occasional green fiats and ^"'' "^"'^' books in all the departments of lit- 

dwarftd pines to relieve the geneial nion- ei-aturc and science. The nan}es of this build- 

otony. It is exposed to the full fury (jf the i"S' is "Smith Ilall." 

Atlantic storms. New Inlet once i)onred a ^^^''^it member of the widolj'-spread familv 

raj.id stream between the island and the °^' Smiths has thus given his familiar name to 

Uiainlaud. But daring and industrious man ^' county t(Mvn, an island, and a University 

seeks to foixe In- walls of stone the impetuous I^"!''^ His Cbii.stian name was Benjamin. 

Hoods through the river channel to the west, ^I*-' was an active ofKcer of the Kevolutiou 

and thus float larger ships up tiie river to the "'"^ '^ <-iovernor of oui' State, and the tii'st 

port of AVilmiugtoii. Its southern end forms '•'-■'"'t'act(U' of the University, 

the dangerous cape which Mr. George Davis Covernor Smith had many vicissitudes of 

so eloquently describes: fortune. In his youth he was aide-de-camp of 

"A naked, bleak elb,)w of sand juttin.^ far ^^'"'^''"'^'"» '» the dangerous but masterly 

out into the ocean. Inimediatel v in its front ''<^t''eat f'-oni Long Island after the defeat of 

are the Frying I'an Shoals, pushing out still the American torees. lie behaved with com- 

^::::^i:^:';:^:!;:':U'i:^io:::':5:it:.:^ r"r'"" ">' " "■' '•""■-« -*» » 

they catch the long majestic roll of th'e At- ^^■''"=" Moultrie drove the British from Port 
laiitic as it sweeps through a thousand miles l^"y:d Island and checked for a time the in- 

and tempests, the kingdom of silence and ^^^^^ " '^® S-^^'e on many occasions 

awe, disturbed by no sound save the sea-'nill's ^"*^'' various proof of activity and distin- 

sbnek, and the b.^akers' roar. * * guished bravery as to merit the approbation 

tliere It stands, beak and thrc'iten ,fi- • <.• i 

ingand pitiless, as it stood three hundmi " '"■^ ""l"-^''*'-' ^-""t'T-" After the strong 

years ago, when Greenville and White came *-'"*'" ^"pei'seded the nerveless Confederacy, 

iiigh unto death upon its san.ls. And theie ^^^len there was danger of war with France 

n will stand, bleak and threatening and piti- or England, he was made general of milit^^' 



BRUNSWICK auUNTY. 



55 



and when later, (hi aeedunt o\' insnlts and 
injuries of Fi-ance, oiii- (Jovi'mment made 
preparalion.-i ior active liostilitios, the entire 
militia of Brunswick t'ounty. oflicers and men, 
roused to enthusiasm hy an address from him 
full of energy and fire, volunteered to follow 
his lead in the legionary corps raised for ser- 
vice against tiie enemy. The confidence of 
his conntrMnen in his wisdom an.d integrity 
was shown hy their tiftceji times electing him 
to the Senate of the State. From this post 
he was chosen hy the General Asseudily as 
our Chief E.xocntive in 1810, when war witli 
England was constantly exiiected, and hy 
large numbers earnestly desired. Tiie charter 
of the University was granted in 1789. The 
trustees were tlie great men of that day-^the 
leaders in war and in peace. 

Of this hand of eminent men, Benjamin 
Smith was a worthy member. He is entitled 
to the signal lion or of being the first benefac- 
tor of tlie infant institution, the leader of the 
small corps of liberal supporters of education 
in North Carolina. For that reason alone his 
mime should be revered by all the long line of 
students who call the University their Alma 
^j[ater — by everyone who desires the enlight- 
enment of our people. 

The Trustees met, for organization, in Fay- 
etteville, on November loth, 1790, choosing as 
their chairman Colonel William Lenoir, the 
Speaker of the Senate. General Smith glad- 
dened these hearts by the munificent donation 
of patents for twenty thousand acres of land 
in Western Tennessee. A large poition of 
tliem was a gift to him for his gallant services 
during the dark hours of the Kevolution. 
They were the price of liberty. They wera 



the ottering of a generous heart and a wise 
head, which knew well that liberty could not 
be preserved without education— that ignor- 
ance must be slain or vice will be the ruler of 
our land. 

Generation after generation grew np and 
passed away. Year after year yi>ung men, 
their mental armor supplied and burnished 
through his wisdom and lilierality, went 
from the University walls to become sources 
of good influence in all our land, from the 
Potomac to the Uio Grande. The institution 
he loved so well, after many vicissitudes of 
trials and sufferings, had become wealthy and 
pros[ierous. Nearly five hundred matriculates 
every year entered their names on its roll to 
partake of its instruction. The revered donor 
had drunk to its dregs the cup of bitterness. 
His too generous disposition and misplacAl 
confidence in others had deprived him of his 
wealth. His once strong and vigorous body 
had lieen wasted by disease and racked by 
pain. In poverty and in wretchedness he had 
long since sunk into his grave under the weep- 
ing moss of the great swamp trees. Sixty 
vears after his generous gift the trustees of 
the Univer.sity honored themselves by bestow- 
ing his name on a beautiful structure devoted 
to literature and to science. The sacrifices of 
the old hero were not in vain. 1 lis monument 
is more enduring than marble or brass. Cen- 
turies will come and go. Men's fortunes will 
wax an<l wane. But the blessings of the gift 
of Benjamin Smith nearly a hundred years 
ao'o will never cease, and his name will keep 
green forever. 

Kemp P. Battle. 



56 



WHEELER'S liEMINISCEXOES. 

CHAPTER VII. 

BUNCOMBE COUNTY. 



Buncombe wortliily jiref^iTvos to all time 
the name of Edward riuncomlje, a [)atriot and 
a soldier, who served his coiiutr^' fuithfnlly, 
and who i^ave up his life in lier defence, a more 
minute account of whom is presented in the 
sketch of the men of Tyrrell County, of which 
h(,' was a resident. 

There is jierhajis no section of the State 
more familiar hy naine,and less known ahi'oad. 
" T;dkini;- for Buncombe " has become as 
faniiliar as a household word, not onl^- in 
our own naive, but has pervaded other 
countries.* 1 his slang phiase had tliis origin. 
Some years ago the member in Con- 
gress from this district t arose to address the 
House on a question of local importance; some 
of the meml)crs left the Hall, which he ob- 
serving, very naively said to those remaining, 
that the\' might go too; as he should speak 
for some time and was only " talking for Bun- 
comlie." 

Am[]le materials for description of the lovely 
scenery and the genial climate, the fertile soil, 
and its gold giving ore, exist, but these are 
not germane to our object; it is of the men of 
Buncond.ie oidy V\'e prop,>se to write. 

Many of tlie earlier inhabitants and [lioneers 
of this lovely region of the State we are com- 
pelled to pass over. It were a pleasing duty 
to dwell upon the caaracterand services of the 
Alexanders; tlie Barnetts, (the first men that 
ever piloted a wagon over the mountains;) 
Th'j Beards, Readou and Zeijulou; Thomas 
Case, (who died in 184:), aged 82," who lived 
longer, easier and heartier, and left more de- 
scendants than any ni:in of his day;") the 
Davidsons; the Edueys; the Lowrics; the 



* Attache in England, by Judsre Ilalliburtou. 

t tiencral Felix Walker was member iu the Plouse of 
Representatives from the Buncombe District fi'om 
1817 to 1S23. 



Irwins; the Battons, (especially .fames, who 
died 1845, aged 90, the founder of the Warm 
Springs;) Rev. Ilnmphrey Posey; James Mc- 
Smith, the first white child born in the State 
west of Blue Ridge; and many others. 

We leave these for some son of Buncond)e as 
indicated by lion. George Davis, " who shall 
gird up his loins to tlie task, with unwearied 
iiuhistry and unflinching devotion to the honor 
of his dear old mother." 

"^ David Lowry Swain, liorn 4th of Januarj^, 
1801; died •JTth of August, 18fi8. 

Few men have lived in Nortli Carolina who 
have nuide a deeper or nnu'e lasting impres- 
sion on her history than tiie subject of our 
present sketch. 

Witlmut fortune or thorough education, or 
any jiersonal advantages, but by his own in- 
trinsic merits, his unspotted character ami 
sterling virtues, he was called on to fill the 
liighest offices in the State. 

If his education was, from his limited cir- 
cunistances, not c;)'iiplete, he was blessed with 
an un(p.ienchable tliirst for knowledge, habits 
of unremitting labor that was never sitistied 
until it e.Khausted a question, and a powerful 
memoiy. He remained a short time (1821) 
at the University, "but he did not need, (as 
Johnson says of Shakespeare,) the spectacles 
of b.)oks to study the great works of nature or 
the character of men." He was a student all 
his life. Truly — 

lie sought rich jewels 

From the dark Ciives of knowledge, 
To win his ransom from from those twin jailors of the 
daring heart, 

Low birth and iron fortune 

and so successfully did he labor, that at the 
time of his death lie had no superior in the 



BUNCOMBE COUNTY. ".7 

■coTintry upon the science of Constitnticinal licitor of tlio Edcntun District, and rodo this 

law, moral science, or political economy.* circuit only once, when he re-signed. In 1830 

His ancestors were English. His father, he was a member of the Board of Tntcrnal 

George Swain, was a native of Roxhoro, Mas- Improvements, and was active in proiuot'ug 

sachusetts, (born 1763.) He came South, and the best interests of the State. In the winter 

settled in Georgia. He was a man of mark of this year he was elected Judge of the Su- 

and influence. He was a member of the con- perior Court of Law and Equity, 

vention that revised the Constitution of In December, 1835, he was called to the 

Georgia, and served in the Legislature for presidency of the University. Here was his 

five years. His health failing, he moved to proper element, and here he spent the best 

the health-giving climate of Buncombe, and years of his life, (till 1868.) 

was many years postmaster at Asbeviile. He " Never," says his able biograpiier. Governor 

married Mrs. Caroline Lowry, ividow of Cap- Vance, " did a Grecian iihilosophor gatlier 

tain Low ry, (who had been killed by tlie In- around him his disciples with more pride and 

dians,) and the daughter of Jesse Lane, of delight than did Governor Swain. In the 

Wake County, who was tiie grandfatlier of midst of his three or four hundred 'boys' 

General Joseph Lane, of Oregon, and Governor who annually surrounded him at Chapel ilill, 

Swain; by her Mr. Swain had seven children, he was entirely at home and happy, and such 

all now dead. society was the charm of his life. His 

Governor Swain was born, as stated, in knowledge was encyclopedic in its range, es- ' 

1801, at Asheville. His early education was pecially in English literature, Sooverwhelm- 

conducted by Eev. George Newton and Rev. ing were his stores, that the writer remembers 

E. M. Porter. lie often referi-ed in gratitude with grateful pleasure, when forgetting alto- 

to their patient labors, and they were proud gether the subject on hand he would stand up 

of their diligent pupil. His father was ambi- in front of his class, and in an outgush of elo- 

tious for him. He taught his son early to quence, poetry, history, anecdote and humor, 

choose only good society, and to aim at e.\cel- wrap us all as with enchantment. His 

lence in whatever pursuit he followed. After most remarkable trait of mind was his power- 

his early education was completed-ltercame (in ful memory, and the direction in which that 

1821) to Raleigh, where he entered the law faculty was notably exercised, was in biogra- / 

office of Hon. John Louis Taylor, and was ad- phy and genealogy. In this particular he had 1 

mitted to the bar in 1823. no superior in America. A youth coming to 

On the 12th of January following, he mar- college needed no letter of introduction. Not 

ried Eleanor "White, daughter of William only was it so in his own State, but from the 

White, late Secretary of State, and the grand- most distant Southern and Southwestern States 

daughter of Governor Caswell. He then re- it was the same. Knowing all the principal 

turned to his mountain home, and commenced families of the Southern Atlantic States, he 

the practice of law with great success. took note of their migrations we.stward; and | 

In 1824-'25-'26-'28 and '29 he was a mem- when their sons returned East for education j 

ber of the Legislature from Buncombe County, he would generally tell them more of their 

During this period (1827) he was elected So- family history than they knew before. 

" Amazed at his display of this genealogical 

* These were the subjects of which he was Professor history," Governor Vance continues, he once 

in the University, and uijon which he delivered lee- , , , . t^ , ,t i i 

tures. asked ium, " Don t you. Governor, know when 



58 



WIIEP]LEi;'S REMINISCENCES. 



every num of North Carolina cut his eye teeth?" in the historic field. As Caruthers, Wiley, 
•' Oh no," said he, "but I know very well "Wheeler, and Hawks could testify. Hemateri- 
when you, sir, had the measles." ally aided me in my poor efforts in this re- 
"Thus for a period of an ordinary lifetime spect, and in gratitude to him I dedicated my 
(33 years) he devoted himself to the highest " Historj' of North Carolina." 
and noblest service to his State and country At his suggestion and request, with a letter 
in training the future statesmen, jurists and from Governor Vance, in 1863 I visited Eng- 
divines of our country. Eternity alone can land, and epent all my time in the Rolls Of- 
reveal the influence which he thus indirectly fice collecting material from the original re- 
exerted on the intelligence and morals of cords as to the early history' of North Carolina, 
society; not only of his native State, but of But his name could not have received any 



all that vast region known as the South and 
Southwest, where his pupils filled every pos- 
sible place of honor, trust or profit. He pre- 
ferred to tread the noiseless tenor of his way 
in the quiet paths of science and philanthropy 
than those of political ambition. The plaudits 
of statesmanship, the renown of the warrior, 
had no charms for him. He felt truly — 

The wai'rior's name 

Tlio' (ipaledaiulcliiiiiecl on every tongue of fame, 
Sounds less harmonious to the grateful mind. 
Than he who fashions and improves mankind. 

" As all author," continues Governor Vance, 

" with all his stores of knowledge, and his 



additional lustre than it already enjoyed. 
His fame will forever rest upon the success 
with whieh hecoiulucted the University of the 
State. When he went to Chapel Hill there 
M'ere not ninety students. In 1860 there were 
nearly five bundled. He determined to make 
its influence powerful, and he succeeded. It 
was by intuitive perception of character, 
gentle but firm administration of authority, 
and high consideration and gentlemanly treat- 
ment of his pupils. In the classic halls of the 
University believer assumed the commanding 
and repellant attitude of a " Jupiter Tonans," 
it capacities, he left but little for posterity but like the course of the Apollo, leading by 



to judge and admire. His literary reputation 
is confined to those who were his cotempo- 
raries, and such traditions as affection and 
friendship may preserve. Many fragmentary 
articles from his pen and lectures exist; some 



graceful manners and gentle words his admir- 
ing votaries. 

But the unhappy internecine war came — the 
call for men and arms to defend the homes 
and hearths of the South was heard, and the 



of which are preserved in the University gallant youths of the University obeyed the 
Magazine, relating chiefly to North Carolina call. Of the class of I860,* every one, (with 
history. He had collected a considerable perhaps a single exception,) entered the ser- 
amount of historic material, and it was ex- vice, and more than a fourth of the entire 
pected that he would have left a work on that number now till a soldier's grave. Every ex- 
subject as a legacy to his countrymen. His ertion was used by Governor Swain to pre- 
agc, the troubled times, and an aversion to serve the University. It was owing to his e.\- 
continued systematic labor, doubtless pre- ertions that the conscript law, " that robbed 
vented liim." • alike the cradle and the grave," was not 
A vast numlierof rich traditions of the early rigidly enforced, and when the Federal army 
times and the men of Carolina were locked took possession of Chapel Hill in 1865, a few 
up in tbo vast stores of his memory; the students were still there. In order to avert 
key to which is buried with him. Yet he was 



ever forward and ready to aid other laborers 



* "Last Ninety Days of the War" by Cornelia Phil- 
lips Spencer, New York, 1860, 270. 



BUNC0MI5K COUXTY. 



from till' institution the f:ite of nil othora 
lying ill the route of a oonquerinij army, Gov. 
Swain was appointed by Gov. Vance one of 
the commissioners to General Sherman to pre- 
serve the Capital and University. 

-After the war he visited New York and 
Washington to interest northern capitalists as 
to tlio financial condition of the University, 
and was greatly instrumental in securing the 
land scri[) donated by C'ungrcss for agricul- 
tural schools. 

But the election of 1SG8 adopted the new 
Constitution, and de.stroyed what war had 
spared. The doors of the University was 
closed by neirro troops, and with the vener- 
able president, fell, unwept, without a crime. 

"This was the unkiudest cut of all." This 
unexpected blow completelj^ prostrated Gov. 
Swain; his energies seemed subdued, and he 
seemed suddenly to grow old, losing all his 
vivacity and elasticity. 

The able tribute to the memory of Gov. 
Swain by his life-long friend Gov. Vance 
evinces the deep affection of the latter, which 
has been so liberally drawn on, and this feel- 
ing was fully reciprocated by " his gentle, 
patriotic, and distinguished preceptor." 

In a letter which I received from Gov. 
Swain when at West i\)int as one of the board 
of visitors to the United States Military Acad- 
emy at that place, dated ItJth June, 18tj5, he 
writes thus: 

" I have been detained here much longer than 
I expected; I eatmot leave earlier than .Mon- 
day next, and be in Washington on Wednes- 
day. I will be ver}- anxious to see Gov. 
Vance. Will it r.ot be in your power to obtain 
for me permission from the War Depart- 
ment to do so, in anticipation of my arrival ? 
I have been hoping constantly to hear of his 
receiving permission to return home. Please 
write to me immediately to Xew York. I 
will probably have only a day to spend in Wash- 
ington, and during that day I must see Gov. 
Vance 

'' I remain very truly yours, 

" 1). L. SwAix." 



I procured for him the desired permit, and 
together we went to the Carroll Prison, where 
we met in the same place the Governors of 
three sovereign States " in durance vile," 
Gov. Vance. Gov. Brown, of Virginia, and 
Gov. Letcher, of Virginia. The cause of the 
visit of (iov. Swain to Washington at this 
time (20tb May, ISCf),) wasan invitation from 
the President of the United States, Andrew 
Johnson, extended also to B. F. Moore, and 
William Eaton, to consult in regard to" Recon- 
struction of the Union." 

This w-as no idle compliment. The country 
had just ended a long, exhausting and deso- 
lating war. The President, Lincoln, had been 
murdered b^' an assassin; every branch of 
industry was paralyzed; the commerce of 
a nation destroyed, and confusion and 
dismay pervaded every section. Tbaf the 
President should eall from their homes men 
who had nt^ver tigured in tiie field or the 
forum, but only known as pure, hoiiorableaiid 
conseientious men, was evidence of his sagacity, 
and of their high eharacler. 

They met the President on 22d May, 1865, 
at his office in the Treasury. Neither of them 
personally knew the President, and I intro- 
duced them. I then was about to retire when 
the President requested me to remain and 
participate in the consultation. Xo questions 
of more vital importance to the South since 
the foundation of the Government were ever 
di.scussed. All of those who participated in 
that conference have gone. No account has 
ever been published of their deliberations. 
From my diary of that date I extract the fol- 
lowing: 

" S<i(Knhiy, mh May, 1865.— Mr. A. G. 
Allen, editor of the National Intdliyencer, met 
me on the street and informed me that Gov. 
Vance, of our State, had been brought to the 
city, a prisoner of war, and that I might do 
good by going to see him, and that Gov. Swaiu 
was at the Elibitt lIou.se and wished to see me. 
I went to the Ebbitt House and found Gov. 



60 



WIIEELER^S KEMINISCENCES. 



S. and William Eaton, jr. Gov. S. aeconipa- 
iiied ine home. I soiit for. his haggage, as he 
wishes to he more (luiot than at the hotel. 
He, A\ith Messrs. Eaton and Mc^ore, are here, 
invited hy the President to advise measures to 
restore North Carolina to the LTnioii. 

" Suiuhii/, 21st Mil/. — Gov. S. aecompanicd 
me t(j chui'c. ])r. ]'inei<ney preaclied. 

" In evening, at request of Gov. S. and Mr. 
Moore, I called on the President and made 
ai'rangements for their meeting at 2. p. ni. 
to-niorrow. 

^^Muiid'iy, 22il Maij. — Gov. Swain engaged 
in writing, prepai'ing for the conference with 
the President. 

"At 2 I we;it with him and Messrs. Moore 
and E iton to the President's uiHcc and intro- 
duced them. .Mr. Tiioniasand General Mussey, 
of Lewisbur:, were with him. 

''After intr.xlucing them I arose to retire, 
when the President again desired me to remain. 
A conference deeply interesting in all its de- 
tails occui'red. 

"The President directed his Secretary' to 
read a jiivjclamation which he proposed to 
issue, and an amnesty to certain classes b}- 
which Nortli Carolina was to be restored to the 
Union. He invited a frank, free, and open 
discussion. 

"Mr. Moore, with mucJi dei'ision, earnestness, 
and courage, lU.'nouiiced the plan, especially as 
to tiie classes who were to be exemjited from 
p-.ii(lon. The plan, he alleged, was illegal, and 
he denied the power of tlie President to issue 
it. ile ilenianded of him whei'e in the C.)n- 
stitution or Laws he found such power. The 
President replied 'that by IV Art., 4 Sec, the 
United States shall guarantee to every State 
a Republican foi-m of Government, &c. ' 
'True,' replied Mr. .Moore, 'but the Presi- 
dent is not the United States.' 

"As to exempting from all pardon, or requir- 
ing all pci'.^ons owning a certain amount of 
[iroperty to be [lardoneu, was simply ridicu- 
lous. You might as well s ly that eveiy man 
who had bi'ead and meat enough to feed his 
I'amily was a traitor, and must bo [lardoned.' 
Air. Moore continued in that same caustic 
manner, to examine other points of the pro- 
clamation, and specially the apiiointment of a 
(^-iovernor by the President, averring that the 
President had no sucli [lower. He finally sug- 
geste<l to the President to meddle as little as 
possible with the State, that she was able to 
take care of herself by aid of her own citi- 
zens; that his plan was to let the Legislature 
be called, which, as the Governor was a pris- 



oner, the Speakers of the Legislature could 
do; then the Legislature would authoi'ize the 
peo[)le to call a Convention, wlio could repeal 
the Secession Ordinance of the 20th of May, 
1861, and thus restore good correspondence 
with the Union, with the rightsof the State un- 
inqiaired and her digtiity respected. The 
President listened with much attention, and 
bore with great dignity the fiery philiipics 
of Mr. Moo\'e. 

" Governor Swain, in a long and temperate 
speech, but with much earnestness, advocaced 
the plan of Mr. Moore. He detailed circum- 
stances of much interest before utiknown, 
illustrative of his course, and that of Gov- 
ernors Graham and Vance. He read several 
letters from Governor Graham. 

" The President stated ' that he appreciated 
the able views and the frank enunciations of his 
friends, but still thought that the Provisional 
Governor should be appointed by the United 
States; that the President was the Executive 
Othcer of the United States, and therefore, 
the Governor, he thought, should be appointed 
by him. He did not seem much inclined to 
give an}' ground. As it was then half-past six 
o'clock he adjourned the Conference to meet 
again on Thursday next at 2 p. in.' " 

" Thwsddi/, 2i>th Maij, 1865. * « * 

" At 2 o'clock I went with Governor Swain 
to the President's liouse; we found Messrs. 
Moore and Eaton, and also W. W. liolden, 
\i. P. Dick, Pvichard Mason, J. P. H. Rus.s, 
Richardson, Rev. Mr. Skinner, i)r. Root. J. 
Powell, and Colonel Jones. The President 
laid before us tlie Amnesty Pro:j lama t ion, by 
which he proposed to restore the State of 
North Carolina to the Union, a Military Gov- 
ernor to be appointed by the President, who 
should proceed i'oi'thwith to organize the 
State Government; direct the people to call a 
Convention, appoint Judges, officers, &c. 

" The President further stated that the 
name of the person as Governor was purposely 
left blank in the proclamation, and requested 
that we should select some name, and that 
whoever we selected he would ap[)oint. The 
President then retired. 

" Governor Swain stated that it was a pre- 
ferable mode to him, and more in accordance 
with the laws of North Carolina, that the Con- 
vention should be called by the Legislature, 
which could be summoned by the Speaker of 
the Senate, or they might meet of their own ■ 
accord. But the President was unwilling to 
trust that body. 

" Mr. Eaton declared himself opposed to the 



r.TJXCOMBE COUNTY. 



IM 



appointment of Governor by tlie President; 
that he was only invited for advice and cou- 
feronco, and not for niaising offices, and that 
he would not unite in any recommendation of 
any one for this, or any other office. 

"It was then proposed to organize the 
meeting, and on motion of Dr. Powell, Mr. 
Moore was called to the chair. 

" Mr. Moore said he concurred in the saga- 
cious views of Slv. Eaton, and dticliucd to take 
the chair. He, with Governor Swain and 
Eaton, retired to another room." 

" Dr. Powell then moved that Colonel J. P. 
II. Hiiss be appointed chairman, which was 
carried, and on motion of Dr. Powell, the 
name of W. W. Holden was inserted as Gov- 
ernor. 

" The President was then sent for, who came 
in and seemed gratified at the selection. 

" Tlie party then dispersed. 

" The President gave Governor Swain and 
myself permits to visit Governor Vance in 
prison. 

" Fridaj/, 26(h Mvj, 1865. ' * * 

" • * Governor Swain and m^-self rode 
to Carrol Prison where wo saw Governor 
Vance, Governor Letcher, and Governor 
Brown confined in the same place. Governor 
Vance was in good spirits and health. 

" Governor Corwin, of Ohio, also called to 
see Governor Vance, and denounced the out- 
rage of imprisoning him without process of 
law and without crime, three Governors of 
sovereign States confincjj together, and he 
promised Vance that he should use every effort 
to get him out. Which pledge he nobly re- 
deemed. 

•' He asked Vance, 'for what crime was he 
imprisoned ?' 

" Vance replied, ' he did not know,' 'un- 
less that Governor Holden, who had voted for 
the Ordinance of Secession in Convention, and 
had pledged the last man and the last dollar, 
and failed to redeem his pledge, and now he, 
Vance, was his securit.y, and had to suffer.' 

" We remained with Gov. Vance more than 
an hour, when we returned to my house. 

"As weather was rain\' and disagreeable. 
Gov. Swain remained within doors, and we 
conversed on l.istorical nuvtters, andthe stirring 
events of the last few days, of which he fore- 
bodes much evil. 

" I read, at his request, my diary," (as above 
recorded.) 

■ " He asked for a copy, as he thought it con- 
cise and correct, to send to Mrs. S." 



The nuMnories of these times cannot but be 
interesting, as showing the prominent [lart 
that Gov. Swuin liore in these eventful scenes, 
and the sad condition of affairs. They have 
never been published. 

(tov. Swain, after visiting New York, re- 
turned home with feelings of depression and 
distress. 

Hoping to restore tone to his mind and body, 
before taking a final leave of Chajiel Hill, he 
was ])re[iaring for a visit to his native moun- 
tains of Buncombe. On the 11th August, 
1808, riding in an 0[)en bugg}', his horse took 
fright, r.iii away, and threw him with violence 
to the gi'ound. He was carried home in a 
bruised coudilion. No one thought him seri- 
ously injured; but his hour had come. Ou 
27th August he fainted away, and without a 
struggle or groai) passed from time to eter- 
nity. 

Gov. S. married, 12th January, 1824, as 
previously stated, Eleanor, daughter of Wil- 
liam White, Secretary' of State, (1778 to 1811,) 
and granddaughter of Gov. Richard (Jaswell. 
His widow now resides in Kaleigh. A daugh- 
ter, who married General Aikea (in 18G-3,) of 
Illinois, wliere she now resides. Gov. S.'s re- 
mains are interred at Raleigh. 

We have now finished, from authentic 
sources, an account of the services of Havid 
L. Swain, of which his State may well be 
proud. In his public as well as his private 
character, there was nuu-h to admire and to 
love. 

As a statesman and politician he was pat- 
I'ioiic, 3'et conservative and cautious. liither 
a believer in St. Paul's advice, if it be possi- 
ble, live in peace with all men — almost verg- 
ing ou the pi'actice of the good saint of — 

Being all things to all men. 

He certainly never was intolerant or vindic- 
tive. In the early days of the Republic he 
would have been a E<;deralist; in the log cabin 



62' 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



age, lie was a Whig; and to his last dn^'s a 
Union man. 

As a Cliristian he was the admirer of piety 
and virtue in any sect. lie would say " my 
father was a Preshyterinn eldei' and ray mother 
a Methodist; Bish.op Aslujry hlessed me when 
a child, the Presbyterians tauglit me, and 
Hnmphrey Posey, a Baptist, pi'ayed for me. I 
was brought np to love all good Ciiristians." 

He was fo]' years a eomniunicant of the 
Presbyterian church, and gave largely to its 
support, lie was careful of nione_y; economi- 
cal in his expenses, punctual and }irecise, and 
faithful to his promises; simple in his habits 
and dress. He was little blessed hy nature in 
personal ap[>earance. " Certainly," says Gov- 
ermir Vance, " no man owed less to adventi- 
tb>us aids. His voice was pcculiai' and hiu-sh; 
in person he was exceedingly ill formed and 
uncouth; his knees smote together in a most 
unn\ilitary manner." 

l>nt his countenance redeemed his per.son, 
and one may say as did Hamlet of his father — 

- — - See what gnice was seated on this brow I 
A combinatidii and a form indeed, 
Where every God did seem to set liis seal 
To give the world assurance of a Man. 

A recent writer (Dalton) on a "Few Hours 
at Poplar Mount," has recorded of Governor 
Swain some appropriate remarks from his life 
long friend. Hon. ^\^eldon N. Edwards, that 
should be moi'e permanently iiroserved: 

" With (tov. Swaiu a vast store of historical 
and other infornuition was buried, perhaps 
beyond the possibility of resurrection. 

"There is no one left to ns who can fill bis 
place. 

"He was wrapped np in the University, and 
it was a serious blow to the State when the 
practised and learned facnlt}' was broken up 
by political interference and partisan malice. 
It was a grievous fault and a iilunder not to 
be tolerated in any part^-. 

"I have heard many of the friends of Gov. 
Swain state that he became melancholy and 
began to droop away on the termination of 
his duties as President of the University, and 
they believed a broken heart was as much the 



real cause of his death as the fall from his car- 
riage. He felt 'the last link was broken' that 
united his heart and hopes to all earthly 
objects. The whole manner of the man was 
changed. 

"His step was tottering and slow; his mas- 
sive frame was bowed down in grief. His 
countenance, so wonted to be lifted up in 
smiles and playful wit, had already settled 
into the stern reality of the impending gloom 
and of perpetual silence. 

"It was thus I met for the last time this 
distinguished man. He said: 'My friend, since 
I last saw you my connection with the Uni- 
versitj' has been brought to a close; it was a 
trial I dreaded.' 

"What he suffered can only be known to the 
Great Searcher of all human hearts. There has 
never been a parallel case of injustice, prejudice 
and folly. It was a blow aimed at education, 
science, and civilization, and society; to Gov- 
ernor Swain it was malignant parricide, and 
its baleful effects were felt fhrougliout the 
Commonwealth. Col. Venable, the distin- 
guished and learned head of the University of 
Virginia, when this subject was, soon after its 
occurrence, discussed, declared that there was 
no Governor of V^irginia, not excepting Pier- 
point, who would exhibit a conti'ol similar to 
that of our Governor over the University of 
North Carolina." 

But another era has dawned on this vener- 
able institution, and we trust that it will soon 
regain its pristine prosperity. 

Connected with Gov. Swain and Professor 
Mitchell of the University was Rev. James 
Pbillijis, I). D. He was a native- of England, 
hf)rn at Nevenden, Essex County, in 1792. His 
father was a Minister of the Church of Eng- 
land. 

He came to America in 1818 with an elder 
brother, Samuel A. Phillips, and engaged in 
the profession of teaching at Hai'lem, where 
he had a flourishing school. In 1826 he was 
ajipointed Professor of Mathematics and Nat- 
ural Philosophy in the University of " North 
(Carolina, then in his 34th year. For forty 
years he labored to impress broad and deep 
the elements of science and knowledge; how 
faithfullj' that duty was performed many now 
alive can testify. As his life was useful so 



BUNCOMBE COUNTY, 



63 



fiis death was sodden and unexpected. On But politics was not his apprdpi-iate sphere, 

tlie morning of tiie Hth of Mareli, 1867, he and he retired from its exciting arena to tlie 

set out to the chapel to officiate at morning more germane pursuits of liis profession. He 

prayers. The weather was tempestuous ; removed to Raleigh and formed a law [lart- 

he ventured fortli and took his seat hehiud nership with lion. A. S. Meriimon. This nlile 

the reading desk. The tlrst student who en- tirni enjoved a full share of practice: He was 

tared the chapel atur the hell conmienced unexpectedly to himself and others.iii 1870, 

ringing bowed and spoke to him. The salu- nominated by the Bepuhlican Convention as 

tation not being returned, as was hie wont, the Attorney General of the 8tatc. lion. Wni. 

student advanced toward him and saw him M. Shipp was elected; tliis was the subject of 

falling from his scat, and soon he was ex- no regret to Mr. Phillips, for it left him opi)or- 

tended on the floor in an apoplectic fit. Doctor tunity to pursue uninteiTuptedly the practice 

Mallet was sent foi-, but in a few moments life of his profession. When Judge Settle resigned 

was extinct. Such was the end of this excel- on the Supreme Court Bench, Mr. Phillips 

lent and useful man. He left three children: was tendered and declined this high position. 

Rev. Charles Phillips, I). I)., Professor in Uni- In December, 1871. he was confirmed by 

versity; Hon. Samuel F, Philliiis, Solicitor the Senate as Solicitor General of the United 

General of the United States; Mrs. Cornelia States, which position he now holds, with 

Phillips Spencer. credit to himself and confidence to the 

Hon. Samuel Field Phillips, LL. D., son of country. 

Professor James Phillips, a sketch (if whom we 1^^ married Fanny, the granddaughter of 



havejust presentedjWasborn at Harlem, N. Y., 
February 18,1824. He was carefully educated, 
and giadnated at the University in 1841, one 
of a distinguished class of which he took the 
first honois, and in which was Governor John 
W. Ellis, Judge Win. J. Clarke, Professor 
Charles Phillips. John F. Hoke, Robert 
Strange, and others. 

He lead law with Governor Swain and en- 
tered the prolession with most flattering pros- 
pect 



Governor David Stone, by whom he has an 
interesting family. 

Connected with the favorite and laborious 
portions of the life of Governor Swain, as 
President of the University, it is but proper 
to notice Elisha Mitchell, D. D., I'rofessor of 
Chemistr}', Mineralogy and Geology. lie was 
a native of Connecticut, born in 17tto. He 
graduated at Yale colle.ge in 1803, in the same 
class with George E. Badger and Thomas P. 
Devereux. In 1818, by the influence of Judge 



He was elected a member of the House of Gaston, he was appointed to a Professorship 

C(>inn:ons fn^m Orange in 18.^2, with John i" the University with Professor Olmstead, 

Berry, Senator Josiah Turner, B. A. Durham .I's" -'i g-nuluate of Yale. 

and J. F. Lyon— and this compliment was Vov more than an ordinary lifetime, he 
more appreciable, as the county had presented served the institution with fidelity and zeal, 
a formidable majority against the Whig p.arty, an*' his pupils acknowledge to this day his 
to which he belonged. He was again elected learning and patience. He wasj not idle in va- 
in 1854, 1864, and 1865, at which- latter .ses- cations, but extende.l his surveys and le- 
sion he was chosen Speaker of the House." searches in every direction. No stream or 

mountain, no coal field, or gold, or other min- 

* lie was a memlier of the Constitutional Convention eral mine, escaped his acumen. He was the 

of 186 s and the Itepuner of the "eports of the y,,,^ ^o determine by barometic measurement 

Supreme Court iioiu ls()i) to loil. ui.-ii- i,^/ mv-xv- j 



G4 



WHEELER'S KEMIXISCENCES. 



that the Bhick nioutitniiis were higher tliaii 
the White rnniintaiiis in New Hainpsliire, and 
his name is borne hy its loftiest snnnnit. A 
conti'oversy arose lietwcen Dr. Mitclioll and 
Mr. Clingman, in regard to tliis highest peak, 
and in 1857, Dr. Mitehell again visited that 
mountain for the purpose of verifying his 
former measurement. On the 27tli June, he 
dismissed his son Charles, who was his oidy 
assistant, and requested Inni to return on 
Moiuhiy and renew tliis survey; ho said that 
lie would cro;;.; the great range and descend 
into the valley on the other side. He never 
was seen ag:iin alive. His hod^' was i"ouud 
lielow a [ire. ipiec' in a pool <d' water about 14 
feet deep, over whieli he had fallen and in 
which he had perished. 

Following the imperfect sketch of G :)veruor 
Swain, we take up that of his pupil and his 
life long friend, Zebulon Baird'Vance. 

The family is of Irish origin. From " An 
Account (d' the Family ol' Vance in Ireland," 
by Wm. JJalburnie, printed at Cork, 18Gt), we 
extract the following: 

"The next of the family proceeding from 
Dougal, is named William, wlio was located 
at Aughavid, Ball^dug, Tyrone. Hi.s will is 
dated' lUth iVjiri! " 1713. 'lie left four sons. 
One of these, David, went to America, and 
i'onght luider Washington. (I'age 31.) 

" 1 now return to the eldest son, John. He 
niarrieil and hud four sons and three chuighters. 
One of the-e daughters married Andrew 
Jackson, of Muhrafelt, who eniigr.ited to 
America, and there g;ive birth to Andivnv 
Jackson, late President of the Unitcil Slates, 
of whom it i:s written 'that he was the lu'av- 
est soldier, the wisest statesman lliat ancient 
or modern history !:as ever recorded.' 

" Another son was -in the American war, 
and was killed in battle. iV descendant of 
his was a menilier id' Coniiu-o.-s from .North 
Carolina in 1824.'"^ (Page 35.) 

Whatever credit may be given to this state- 
ment, (and there could be no object in the 
writer to violate the truth,) our own records 



• This was Dr. lloljert B. Vance. 



sliow that the grandfather, David Vance, was 
born near Winchester, Va., and came to North 
Caridina before the llevohitionary war, and first 
settled on the French Broad river; that when 
Lord Cornwallis sent a strong force under Colo- 
nel (or Major) Patrick Ferguson, and endeav- 
ored to win by force of arms or hlandishments 
of art the people of Western Carolina to the 
Royal cause, that Vance joined McDowell, who 
led the Burke and Rutherford boys to battle, 
and uudei' tlie gallant lead of Cleaveland, 
Shelby, and others, who attacked Ferguson on 
King's Mountain, killed him, and completel}' 
routed his arm}'. We shall speak more of this 
liattle when we reach Cleaveland County; of 
its gallant achievement and important results. 
It was the turning point of the Revolution, 
and was the cause of American success. 

At this time the ^vhole South lay prostrate 
before the anus of the British; Georgia had 
surrendered, so had South Carolina. Lord 
Cornwallis, defeating Gates at Caradeu, had 
unmolested possession of Charlotte. This bat- 
tle turned the tide of war, for soon followed 
the victoiy of Cow[)ens, then the drawn bat- 
tle ol' Guill'ord, and tlie fiuUe at i'ork- 
town. 

After the war was over, Mr. Vance returned 
to his home on the French Broad river, where 
he spent the remainder of his daj's, univer- 
sally esteemed for Jiis integrity and ability. 
Colonel Jose[)h McDowell, of Burke County, 
David Vance, of Buncombe, and Musentine 
Matthews, of Iredell County, (Speaker that 
year of the House, 171)6,) were appointed to 
run the line between North Carolina and Ten- 
nessee. (Moore's History, ISfi.) 

He married a .\Iiss,Brank, and left several 
children, among them Dr. Robert B. Vance, 
who defeated for C;)ngress Hon. Feli.K Wal- 
ker, in 1823.* This singular canvass resulted 
in a tie in the iiopular vote, and was settled 

*For skctcli of Felix Walker, see Rutherford Couiitv. 



BUNCOMBE COUNTY. 65 

by votes of tlie returning ofRccrs (slieritl's.) East Tennessee. Tic iTiiprovcd these oppor- 

IIc ran auain for Congress (19th Congress, tniiities. TIio spark kindled l)y tlio izrcat Cal- 

182.5-'27,) and was defeated by Hon. Sanmel lionn was fanned into an ardent tianif; and 

P. Carson. This canvass unhappily ti'rniinatcd as soon as lie eouM ootrimand tlic means ho 

in a duel lietween Carson and Yaiue. in wliicli entered as a student at the Universit}', wliero 

the latter was killed. ho was noted for the quickness of his mind 

David Vance married Margaret Myral'aird, and his "irrepressible irnpudeuce," which, like 

and left two sons, Zebulon Baird Vance, and " I he wind, lilowcth where it listeth ; " all 

Robert Brank Vance, jr.; Zebnk>n I5aird yielded a willing homage to its irresistible aisd 

Vance was horn in the county of Buncombe, magic inflnencte. 

on the 13th day of May, 1830. Without the His humor wasinvoluntary and spontaneous. 

re-straining hand of a father to guide and cor- He could no more repress it than could the 

rect "the slippery paths of youth," he is skylark withhold its liquid lays from the 

reported to have l)'eeu a wild and wayward morning light, or the mountain stream prevent 

boy, so full of fun and frolic, that ho tried the its pclncid current from bubbling up in radi- 

verv soul of his mother and teachers to re- ance and beauty. 

strain him. But in all his pranks there was .\fter leaving college bo studied law and was 

nothing but humor and no malice. It was the adiidtted to practice and was chosen County 

sinqde outgushing of vohitile and irrepressible Solicitor. 

humor; he was always alile to make his peace On tlie resignatioii of Hon. Thos. L. Cling- 

for all his mischievous capers, in the hearts of man, (who was ap[)ointcd Senator in Congress, 

bis superiors, by the genial kindness of his vice Asa Biggs, appointed United States 

temper, his fearless and free disposition. As Judge, .May, 18.58, which ajipointmont of 

Mr. J. C. Calhoun was -spending a summer in Senator Clingman was confirmed by the 

the n.iountains of North Carolina, when Zol). Legislature, Novembi;r, 18-58,) Mr. \'ance was 

was about fourteen years old, he stopped for elected to Congre-ss over W. W. Avery, 

the night where Zeb. resided. which j)Osition lie held until the State 

Attracted by the vivacity and quickness of -seceded, (May, 18(1 1.) lie then returned 

the boy, and rather amused at the sprightliness home and raised one of the largest compan- 

of his manners, he invited him to take a ie^ for tin; war ever raised in the State, 

walk, and conversed for some time with him. of which he was elected captain, audit was 

He -so imiire.'^sed young Vance's mind b\' the incorjiorated into the 14th Xorth Carolina 

picture that he drew of what he might be if Kegiment. He was elected colonel of the 20th 

he would only cultivate bis mind and appl}- Kogimcut and attached to the brigade com- 

himselfto study, that the imaginative boy mended by Gcnera.l L. O'B. Branch. He was 

resolved to study in earnest, and to make his enu'aged in the disastrous battle of New 

mark "among those names which never die." Berne, and also in the seven days' battles 

Acting upon this advice, he entered Wash- around Richmond. 

ington College, Tennessee, remaining there The following year he was elected Governor 

two years, going thence to Newton Acad- of the State, over Colonel William .lohn.ston, 

emy; his funds failing, he acted for a of Charlotte, as the representative of the 

time as clerk at the Warm Springs. Here Union party, and opposed i)y the original se- 

he was thi-own in social contact with the first ccssionists. By some he was charged with the 

men of Western Carcdma, South Carolina and crime of deserting bis party. He never de- 



66 



WII E ELER'S EE MINIS CEXCES. 



serted the time interests aiulhotior of the State. 
In a letter written by him to Governor 
Swain in January, 1864, he said: 

"Almost every argument can he answered 
but one — that is the cries of onr women and 
children for bread. Of all others that is the 
hardest for a man to meet. 

"But the historian shall not say it was the 
weakness of their Governor, or tiiat Saul was 
consenting to their death. As God liveth 
there is nothing I would not do or dare for a 
people wjio have honored me so far beyond my 
deserts." 

For tliis he was williiiij; to make any sacri- 
iice, even to death. lie felt as did the brave 
Ilorutius of Rome. 

To every man upon tbis earth 
Death cometh soon or late. 
And how can man die better 
Than facing fearful odds 
For tlie aslies of bis fatliers, 
And die teujples of bis Gods; 
And for the tender motlier 
Who 'landled liiin to rest, 
.•\nd for the wife who nurses 
His baby at her breast. 

To him tliese were no idle words or empty 
professions. During his whole term as Gov- 
ernor this was fully proved hy acts and deeds. 

lie, at the suggestion of General Martin, pur- 
chased from the Clyde a steamship, and estab- 
lished a system of supplies by carrying cotton 
to Europe, and receiving in return arms and 
necessaries for the people, that else must have 
jaerislied for food and raiment. 

If the troojis of North Carolina were the 
best clotlied and best equi^jped men in the 
Southern army, it was due to the sagacity and 
energy of Governor Vance. 

On the ap[)roach of Shernum's army the 
(Tovernor went to Statesville, where he had 
some time pi'eviously sent his wife and chil- 
dren; there he was ari-ested and brought to 
Washington City and placed in Carroll prison. 

There were man^' ridiculous statements 
made as to the capture of Governor Vance, 
which were offensive, and drew from him the 
following correction: 



« Charlotte, ISlh October, 1868. 
" To Editor of the New York World : 

"I see by the public prints that General 
Kilpatrick has decorated me with his disap- 
probation before the people of Pennsylvania. 
He informs them, substantially, that he tamed 
me by capturing me and riding me two hun- 
dred miles on a bareback mule. I will do hint 
tiie justice to say that he knew that was a 
lie when he uttered it. 

" I surrendered to General Schotield at 
Greensboro, N. C, on the 2d May, 1865, who 
told me to go to my home and remain there, 
saying if he got any orders to arrest me he 
would send there for me. Accordingly, I 
went home and there remained until I was 
arrested on 13th May, by a detachment of 300 
cavalry, under Major Porter of Ilarrisburg, 
from whom I received nothing but kindness 
and courtesy. I came in a buggy to Salisbury, 
where we took the cars. 

" I saw no mule on the trip, yet I thought 
I saw an ass at the general's headquarters; 
this impression has since been confirmed. 

" The general remembers, among other inci- 
dents of the war, the dressing u[) of a strum- 
pet, who assisted hirn in putting down the rebel- 
lion in the uniform of an orderlj', and 
introducing her into a respectable family of 
ladies. This and other /t:'(<5 o/ («/7rts and strat- 
egy so creditable would no doubt have been 
quite amusing, and far more true than the mule 
story. I wonder he forgot it. 

" Respectfully 3'Oars, 

"Z. B. Vance." 

How Governor Vance employed his time 
while in prison is shown by the following 
notes received from him. He b.tre his confine- 
ment with all the patience of a p.itriot, and 
'' submitted with philosophy to the inevita- 
ble." 

" Carroll Prison, 16 Jutie, 1865. 
" Col. Wheeler, 

" My Dear Sir: I desire to study French 
while in contiiiemeut. I want a dictionary, 
grammai', and Ollendorf 's method. I am quite 
well, and see no hope of getting out soon. 
" Very truly j^ours, 

'• Z. B. Vance." 

I was, of course, pleased to oblige him, and 
sent the books. 



BUXCOMBE COUNTY. 

Jxbi 2(L 1865. 



67 



In 1876, after a canvas of unexampled e.Ker- 
"' Col. J. H. Wheklee, tion and ahility on both sides, lie was elected 

"Dear Sir: Will you please do nio the ,,„^^,,.„,,j. i,^, .^ niajority of more than 3,000 
favor to borrow for nie the toUowniir law ^- V i o ..i • i , ;. m ... 

books? I am not able to buy them: Black- votes over Judge Settle, now a judge m Flor- 
stone, 2d volume only; Greenleaf on Evi- iJa, 



dence; Adams on Equity; Cliitty's Pleadings, 
1st volume. 

" I desire to refresh my law studies. I am 
getting on bravely in French. 
'• Tout a rous, 

"Z. B. Vance." 



I[e resigned on bomg elected by the Legis- 
lature Senator in Congress from 4th March, 
1879, to 3(j March, 1885, succeeding lion. A. 
S. Merrimon. His recent speech (19th May, 
1879,) on restoration of the Qnion, was a 

■nr 1 111 ,.;k.i H,^ Intopfir.wnf modcl of eloqiieucc, wit and Statesmanship. 

We have alrcadv described the intei view 01 i 

Governor Vance married on 2d August, 
1868, at Morganton, Harriet Newell, the or- 
phan daughter of the late Kev. Thomas Kspy, 
of the Presbyterian church. She recently 
died, (at Ealeigh, 3d November, 1878,) leav- 
ing several children. * 

We have now finished to this date, some 



Governor Swain, at which Governors Brown, 
Corwin and Letcher were present, and how 
cheerful Gov. V. bore his condition. 

I could but remark how polite and consid- 
erate the officers and the employees of the 
prison were to him. By his genial manners 
he had won their liearts. If he had been a 
candidate for any position in their gift, he 
would have received their unanimous vote. 

He was release by the efforts of Governor 
Corwin and others, and allowed to return to 
his family on parole not to go beyond certain 
limits. 

In November, 1870, the Legislature so sym- 
pathized with his sufferings and so appreciated 



slight memories of the career of our Governor 
Vance. t They might well have been more 
elaborate and extended did our space and plan 
allow. We have tried to do justice to his 
merits, and — 

Nothing extenuate, 

Or set down aught in malice. 

Enough has been said to prove tljc iiigh 
reputation of Governor Vance as a philan- 
his services, that he was elected Senator; but thropist and a statesman. As a popular orator 
having been disfranchised he was refused by [je has no su[(erior, and but few equals. His 
the Senate, and in January, 1872, he resigned, " inHuite jests and most excellent fancy," to 
and General Matt. W. Ransom was elected, which he adds, at times, the most touching 
From 1865 to 1867 North Carolina had no pathos and brilliant eloquence carry the 
members in either branch of Congress. minds and hearts of his audience, and makes 
Gov. V. received a pardon from the Prcsi- hi,^^ irresistible and triumphant before the 
dent, (Andrew Johnson,) settled at Charlotte, people. In his public addresses, as in the so- 
aud entered into the practice of the law, in ^ial circle, he often illustrates his positions by 
partnership with that excellent gentleman and anecdote so pointed and piquant that the 
accomplished jurist, C. I)t)wd, Esq. Li enter- popular mind retains with pleasure the argu- 
ing this firm. Gov. Vance told his partner that ment, when a graver luode would be for- 
"in every firm there was one working man gotten. 

and one gentleman, and that it must be under- . . ., „, . , ., 

, , , , , , *IIe has agani maiiied to Mrs. Marten, of Ken- 
stood that he had to be the gentleman, as he tucky, nee Steele. 

, , *.„ 1 „ ti,,, „tK.„. » A ,],v,;,.nK1,T t Much of this sketcli is derived from autlieutic 

was too lazy to be the othei. Admuably ^^(;c^„^^e,^ts, ,, rival.' letters and personal recollections. 

both filled the assigned role. But the law was An anonymous article from the lapers of the day, in- 

° ^ serted, ahout 1S08, aftorded much aid, and wluch was 

not the natural element of Gov. V. freely copied. 



68 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

^ For the Genealogy of tlie Vance family, see the stirrup-leather. The act of dismonnting 

Appendix. no doubt saved Colonel Vance's life. 

His brother, Robert BrankA^ance, was horn After the battle of Murfreesboro, Vance 

the 24th of April, 1828, and is the oldest son, was taken sick with tj'phoid fever, and sent 

and second child, of David and Mira M. home by General Bra<i;g. In the mean time 

Vance, of Buncombe County, N. C. he was promoted to the rank of brigadier 

His education was very limited. His father general. On his return to the army General 

dying when Robert was in his sixteenth year, Bragg sent him back to North Carolina and 

a great portion of the burden of sustaining upper East Tennessee to organize the troops, 

his mother devolved on him. On attaining such as could be got up, and take command in 

his majority he was elected Clerk of tlie Court that portion. During a raid he made across 

of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, which office he the Smoky mountains into Tennessee, he was 

held i'or eight 3^ea.rs, and voluntarily retiretl captured at Cosby Creek, where the Federals 

from in ISoi.i. Mr. A'ance's Inisiness was mer- attacked him, and he I'iding by mi.stake into 

chandising, which he followed until the \\ar their ranks. He was kept in prison till near 

bi-oke out in 1861. Being Union in sentiment, the close <>f the war, when be was paroled 

he voted against secession, but when the pro- until exchanged. 

clanuiti(m of Mr. Lincoln was received at In 18fi6, he was elected Grand Master of 

Aslicville, N. C, he, in common with most of Masons in Xortb Carolina, which ollice he held 

his neighbijrs, took sides with the South. All for two years. 

of the male members of the family, including In 1872, he was nominated to a seat in Oui- 

his brother Zebulon, and his three hrothers-in- gross fnun the Eighth district of North Caro- 

law, (one of whom. Rev. R. N. Price, was a lina, and lieat bis comjjetitor, W. G. Candler, 

traveling Methodist uiini.ster,) weu.t into the a Republican, 2,555 votes. 

army at once. Uol)ort was left in charge of He was re-elected in 1874, boating Plato 

the families; but, being dissatisfied, he went Durham, Indeiieudent Democrat, 4,442 votes, 

to wtu'k and raised a company, which was or- In 187t! he defeated E. R. Hampton, Repuhli- 

ganized as "The Buncombe Life Guards."' can, over 8,000 majority. In 1878, he was re-- 

He was elected captain. The companies came elected without opjiosition to Congress, 

and rendezvoused at Aslicville, wiiere the 10th At the time of this writing General Vance 

and the 29th Korth Carolina Kegimeuts were has succeeded in Laving daily mails to every 

oricanized at -'(.'amp Patton." Vance was county town in his district, and had mone}'- 

electeil colonel of these forces, receiving order o.ihces ostabiished all over the distiict. 

evory vote hut one — his own. His piincipal speeches in the House of Rep- 

The regiment was lirst ordered to Raleigh, resentatives have been on the civil rights' bill, 

and from there was sent to East Teiniessee, the taiitf, the internal I'evenue laws, the ueoes- 

where it formed a part of the garrison at sity of fraternal relations between the North 

Cumberland Gap, following E. Kirby Smith and South, the remonetization of silver, etc., 

into Kentucky. The regiment suffered con- whioh were acceptable to his pieople. 

sidorahly in the battle of .Murfreesboro, Colo- Many times, through the years since lay- 

nel Vance liaving his horse killed in that en- UiCn were admitted into the councils of the 

gagement. Hehad just gotten off his horse and Southern Methodist Ciiiu'ch, General Vance 

was holding tlie bridle, wlien a shell ex- has been elected delegate to the annual con- 

pioded near l)y, a piece entering the horse by ferences and two or three times to the gen- 



"BUNCOMBE COUNTY. 



fi9 



cval conferences of said ohnrch. In 1870 lie ][is father died in 1862, aged 97. The 
was appointed by the Bishops of the M. E. maternal grandfather of Judge I lenry, Kohert 



Church South as one of the Cape May com- 
mission which settled important matters be- 
tween tlie Northern and Southern Methodist 
Churches. 

General Vaiwe has given many years of his 
life to the work of delivering lectures on 



Love, was one of the earliest pioneers in the 
settlement of Western Carolina, and promi- 
nent in the early liistory of this section. He 
figured in the rise and fall of the State of 
Frankland, which Governor Sevier attempted 
to establish, out of a portion of North Caro- 



temperance, and the education of children in lina, now in Tennessee, (in 1785,) and with 

(Tcneval Tipton and others, arrested Sevier, 
under the charge of high treason,* and con- 
veyed him to jail at Morganton. Robert Love 
is progenitor of the large and iiiHucntial fam- 
ily of that name which pervades this and other 
sections of the west, and who have occupied 
portions of prominence in every walk of life. 

Judge Henry presided as judge with great 
acceptability, from 1868 to 1878, having pre- 
viously acted as solicitor for this (the 8th,) 
judicial district. 

He was editor, at the early age of 19, of 
the Asheville Spectator, and served in the Con- 
federate States arni}^ as adjutant of the 1st 
North Carolina cavalry, (General Robert Kan- 



Sunday schools. 

Getieral Vance was married to Miss Harriet 
V. McElroy, daughter of General John W. 
McElroy, of North Carolina. Six children — 
four sons and two daughters — wore born to 
them, four of whom are living. 

Such is a brief l)Ut accurate sketch of Gen- 
eral Yanoe. 

There are few public men in or out of Con- 
gress who possess that respect and regard of 
all who know him, more than General Vance. 
As a man he is true, sincere and frank in all 
the relations of life. As a Representative he 
is faithful, honest, attentive and active. His 
talents and success are duly appreciated in 



Cong-ess; being placed chairman of the im- som,) and on Hampton's and Stuart's staff, 
portant Committee on Patents in the 45th and as colonel of cavalry. 



and 4Gth Congresses, and second on the Com- 
mittee on Coinage, Weights and Measures; 
A. II. Stephens, of Georgia, l>eing chairman 
in the present Congress. 

As a friend he is faithful, obliging and sin- 
cere, and above all, as a Christian he is a " burn- 
ing and shining light," and a prominent and 
consistent memlier of tlie Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

James Love Henry, late one of the judges of 
the Superior courts of law and equity, was 
born in Buncombe County, in 1838. He 
received only such education as the schools of 
Asheville attbrded. 

His father, Robert Henry, was a patriot of 
the Revolution, and was in the battle of Kings 
Mountain, and practiced law for more than 
sixty years, with much success. 



He now resides at Asheville, engaged in the 
practice of his profession. 

Augustus Summerfxeld Merrimon, lately one 
of the Senators in Congress from North Caro- 
lina, was born (in that part of Buncombe 
County since erected into Transylvania,) on 
the 15th of September, 1380. 

His parents were Rev. Branch Hamline 
Merrimon and Mary E., nee Paxtou, whose 
father, William Paxton, was the brother of 
Hon. John Paxton, Judge of the Superior 
Courts from 1818 to 1826, and whose mother 
(Sally,) was the daughter of General Charles 
McDowell. 

The subject of this sketch was the eldest of 
a family of ten children — seven sons and three 
daughters. 

*See Wheeler's History of North Carol iua, vol. I, 97. 



70 



WHEELER'S KEMINISCElSrCES. 



Tlie early ediication of Mr. Merriuion was 
as good as the circumstances of his father 
would allow. At the period when youths of 
his age were at college, he aided his father in 
working the farm to support the family, for in 
those daj'S Methodist ministers Avere not op- 
pressed with this world's goods. Yet the un- 
conquerable thirst for knowledge so possessed 
young Merrimon tfeat he embraced ever}' op- 
portunity for acquiring it. Oftem when at 
work on the farm, during the hour of rest for 
dinner, he would be found quietly ensconced 
in some shad}' place conning over bis Ijooks. 
One of the appendages to bis father's place 
was a saw-mill, which it was his duty to at- 
tend, and while the saw was at work in cut- 
ting the logs into plank, he would have his 
grammar or some other book, and improve 
every moment in study. His father appreciat- 
ing this thirst for knowledge, sent him to a 
schiiol in Asheville, then under the charge of 
Mr. Norwood. Such was bis application ami 
progress,, that within the lirst session Mr. Nor- 
wood pronounced him "the l)est English gram- 
marian that he ever knew." 

He was exceedingly anxious to be sent to 
college to complete liis classical studies, biit 
the res (Otijusii domi forbid. He commenced 
the study of the law in the office of John W. 
Woodiin, in whose office at the same time was 
Zebulon B. Vance, botli derttined to occupy 
high positions of honor in their county and 
State, and often rivals in political contests. 
Such was his proficiency in his legal studies, 
■svith such inadequate preparation, that in Jan- 
uary, 1852, he was admitted to practice in the 
Courts, and in 1853 in the Superior and Su- 
preme Courts of the State. 

l>y his close attention to business, his care- 
ful preparation and management of his cases, 
he soon made his mark. He was appointed 
Solicitor to several counties in his circuit, and 
by the Judge, Solicitor for the District in 1861. 
In 1860 he was elected to the Legislatuie as a 



member from Buncombe, by a few votes over 
CoL David Coleman. 

On the breaking out of the war, he took 
a decided stand for the Union. 

In the excited state of public feeling at 
this time of frenzy, such a step demanded not 
only moral, but physical courage. ^Ir. Merri- 
mon'^s position was rudely assailed. Angry 
cards passed between him and Nicholas W, 
"Woodiin, and a personal collision was immi- 
nent. On these occasions, he bore himself with 
dignity and courage. Though not over fond of 
arms, be felt — 

Rightly to be grea.t 

Is not to ?tir without great argument. 
But greatly to find ijuiirrel in a straw 
When honor 's at the stake. 

But in the issuing of Mr. Lincoln's procla- 
mation, calling for 75,000 men settled his- 
course, and he entered in Z. B. Vance's cora^- 
pany as a private, and! marched to Raleigh, 
He was attached to the Commissary Depart- 
ment as captain for a short time, on dut}- at 
Hatteras, Ocrocock, Raleigh and Weldon. On 
the call of Guvernoi' Ellis, the Legislature re- 
assembled, and he had to attend. 

In the fall of 1861, he was appointed by 
Judge French, Solicitor of the Eighth Circuit, 
and the next 3'ear was elected to that position 
by the Legislature. Just at the close of the 
war he was a canilidate as delcgiite to the 
State Convention called under the reconstruc- 
tion acts of President Jobitson, and was de- 
feated by Rev. L. Z. Stewart, a Presbyterian 
clergyman, the Republican candidate. This 
contest was remiu'kable, as it was conducted in 
the presence of the United States troops and 
bayonets. 

By tlic next Legislature be was elc-ted Solic-^ 
itorof the Eigbtb Judicial Circuit. The office 
of Solicitor was no soft place at this time, but 
one of imminent peril. Tlie Democrats and 
"Mossy Backs" were in daily collision; aifrays, 
riots, robberies, and murders were daily occur- 
rences; deserters had to be arrested, aatd the 



BUNCOMBE COUNTY. 71 

place ptiritied. So satisfactory niid tinn wore all tliat is just and lawful to establish the- 

his eftbrts as Solicitor, Mr. Merrimon won I'i^'it. 

- , _ , , T <• T ■' L am yours truly, 

the respect oi the Judges, the regard oi the ' .. .^ ^; Mirhimon "" 

bar, and the esteem of tiie people. 

In 1866, he was elected a Judge of the The exccutiyeconunittce " died and gayc no 

Superior Courts b}' the Legislature. Here his sign;" tlio conservative charactei'of the people 

services were equally acceptable. preferi'ed to wait for that success which they 

Ih' bold the tirst regular Courts on tliis believed awaited them, and endure for a sea- 

Cirruit after the war under ojroumstancos of son some inconvenience and even injustice, 

great iioril, so tliat in most of the counties, In December following, Judge Merrimon 

a police force had to be organized under the was elected Senator in Congress for the teiTii. 

sheriff to preserve tlie place, and protect the of six years, from 4th Marcli, 1873. 

Court. While in the faithful discharge of It is due to the integrit}- of history to say 

his duty the cowimanding general of the this election produced much excitement, inas- 

United States forees, ((^anby.) issued military much as it was effected by the defeat of Gov., 

orders to the Courts, with instructions to the ernor \'ance, who was the Democratic nom- 

Judges to observe and administer them. This inee. 

gross military usurpation was resisted by This, Judge Merrimon contended, was 

Judge Merrimon, who, seeing tlio Courts brought ai.iout l)y Governor Yance and his 

could not be hold according to law, and his fiiends tampering with the caucus — pledging 

oath of ofhce, resigned his commission as and packing it. Several Democrats refused to 

Judge. go into the caucus unless Governor Vance and 

In 1.S72, the convention at Greensboro nom- Judge Merrimon would both withdraw their 

inatod liini for Governor against Todd K. names. This Judge Merrimon was willing 

Caldwell. to do, for the sake of harmony, but Governor 

The universal opinion of the Democrats was "\'anee, insisting that he duly nominated, 

that Judge Merrimon was fairly elected. The declined to withdraw. The balloting then 

returns were: Caldwell, 98,GoO; Merrimon, commenced, and continued for two weeks 

96,731; reported majority for Caldwell, 1,899. without any choice. Both then withdrew. 

lie was nni)ortuned by the press and hosts Afterwards, the name of Governor Yance was 

of friends to contest this result. In a letter to again brought forward by some members who 

S. A. Ashe, E^i[., of 12th September, 1872. luul veited for Judge Merrimon, and on the first 

Judge Merrimon says: ballot Judge Merrimon was elected, lie re- 

" I am satisfied by a variety of facts that eeived the entire Republican vote (72 votes,) 

have come to knowledge that enormous and 15 conservative votes, the remaining 

frauds were perpetrated at the election, and eighty conservatives voting for Governor 

great number ot illegal votes were cast against " ,„, , ,. ' ,. ,. -j, 

me and the other candidates on the Domo- ^ '^"^''- There was a deep feeling ot mortifi- 

cratic ticket. I sincerely believe that we cation in several sections of the State; not so 

received a majority of the lawful yotes. much because Judge Merrimon was elected, 

" It it so turns out, by the examination now , , ^ ^, ■ i • i ^i • i 

iw>;.,,r ,„..,'q «-v,,..AM,rV, ti. ,..„,„»;, •»* but at the manner in which this result was- 
t)eing maue throngn tlie executive committee, 

that substantial ground for contesting can be brought about. 

established I will contest the election, and ^y^ t„,,,, „„ .j^^ j,, ,,,;, question. We 

vindicate the rigiits ot the peojilc. 

'' I will not do an a lung rashly, or to gi'atify '"'^''-' »*l'»wn the appreciation in which we esti- 

partj' spirit, or political revenge, but will do mate both of these distinguished men, and we 



72 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES, 



believe that either would do honor to the 
State and defend to " the last gasp of loyalty," 
her character and her intei'est. Many politi- 
cians will donbtless say, like Pope, 

How hapiiy would we be witli either, 
Were tlie other dear cliarmer away. 

Of Judge Merrimon's career in the Senate it 
is not necessary- to speak. It has given him a 
national reputation for integrity of purpose, 
for unsullied patriotism, and extensive acquire- 
ments. We may read its " History in a nation's 
eyes." To the interests of his constituents 
he has ever .manifested vigiLancc and ca'ition. 
IS^o one has ever applied to him for his kind 
othces that failed to receive jirompt and 
ctficient attention. Ahvaj's at his post, 
vigilant in ol)ser\'ation, he has proved Iiimself 
a faithful sentinel of the rights of the State, 
of individuals, and the Nation. 

That he deserves high reputation, is not 
questioned. 

He nmst have intrinsic meiit who, in spite 
of the disadvantages of a defective education, 
has heeome the peer vt' the proudest of our 
land, and raised himself from the labors of 
a saw mill to thu lunn.rr; of a Senate cnamber. 

He was succeeded by Governor Yance, 
March, 1879. 

Judge Meri'inion married on 14th Seiitem- 
ber, 1852, Margaret J, Baird, by whom he has 
an interesting family. 

Thomas Lanier Clingman resides at Ashe- 
ville, m this county. 

He was born in the county of Yadken, then 
Surry Couny, July 27, 1812, the son of Jacob 
Clingman and Jane i'oindexter,* and named 
for Dr. Thomas Lanier, his half uncle. 



^Alexander Clingman, the grandfatlier of General 
Clinguian, came to America from (iermany before the 
llevolutiou. The name signifies, in Genuaa, a swords- 
man and a fighter. He was a soldier in many battles 
in the Revolutionary war, and was a prisoner taken at 
Charleston at Lincoln's surrender. He married 
Elizabeth Kaiser and had several children, among 
theui was Jacob, wlio left four children, Thomas, 
John Fatillo, Elizabeth, who married Richard 
Piu'year, and Alexander. Tlie father of the 
mother of Gen 1 Clingman was of the Polndexters of 



His early educati<m was conducted by pri- 
vate instructors. He joined the sophomore 
class at the University, and graduated in 1832, 
with a class distinguished in after life for 
usefulness and talents. Judge Thomas S. 
Ashe, now of the Supreme Court; James C. 
Dobbin, Secretary of the Navy, 1853-'67; John 
H. Haughton, Cad. Jones, and others, were of 
the same class. 

In a diary kept by (governor Swain at that 
date, I found the following: 

"/(/)((', 1832. The graduating class acquitted 
themselves with much credit, especially young 
Clingman, of Surry Count}', who, if he lives, 
will be an ornament to the State." 

Mr. Clingman entered upon the study of the 
law with gieat enei'gy, and was about to enter 
njion the practice when he, in 1835, was elected 
a member of the Legislature from Surry 
Coimty, which was a iield more germane to 
his tastes, where he took a decided position. 

After this service was accomplished he re- 
moved to Banconibe Count}*, where he still 
resitles. He acquired much reputaticju for 
boldness and al.>ilit3'as a speaker, especially in a 
debate with Colonel Meniminger, at Columbia, 
S. C, in which Colonel Memminger found 
Iiimself overmatclied. Mr. Clingman, in 1840, 
was elected by a large majority to the Senate 
of the State Legislature from Buncombe 
County. 

This was an exciting epoch in political his- 
t(.)ry, and parties (Democratic and Whig) 
waired a tierce and ferocious warfare. In tlie 



Virginia. Her mother was the daughter of Henry 
Patillo, of Grandville ; her first husband was Kobert 
Lanier, whose sister was the mother of Hon. Lewis 
Williams. J-'olndexter is a Norman name, signifying 
spur horse. He, Alexander, was one of the three prom- 
inent Whigs or Kegulators who were compelled by 
Tryou to take the oath of allegiance every six months, 
at Court. 

Jane, Cliugman's mother, nee Poindexter, was a 
daughter of Henry Patillo, who was a prominent Whig 
in the Revolution. 

Rev. Mr. Patillo was a Presbyterian mini-ter, who 
did good service and whose sermons liave been pub- 
lished in a volume. Two of the sous of Mr. Patillo 
married the sisters of Robert Goodloe Harper. 



BUNCOMBE COUNTY. 70 

Xeg'islatiire or on the stuiii[i, Mr. Clii)L,niiaii led On rolirin;;- frnm tiio SiMuite with hi- distin- 
the cohorts of the Whi^-s, and liko llo-irv of gnislied rdUeanne, (iovernor Tlionms Brair<r, 
Navarre, his wliitc phune was seen proiully he felt liis dnty c-alh'd him to the liohl, and by 
floating in the van of every contest. Snch liis efforts to del'end his native soil. He 
was his ability and eloquence that he was joined the Confederate army and attained the 
elected a member of the 28th Congress (1843, rank of brigadier general. He was in many 
1845,) over that veteran politician Hon. James engagement in which he conducted his coni- 
Graham, He was elected to tlie 30th Con- mand with military skill and undaunted 
:gress, 1847-'49, and successively to 1857-'50, bravery. 

when (in May, 1858,) he succeeded Hon. Asa He was distinguished for his defence of 
Biggs, as Senator in Congress, in which elo- Goidslioro, (17th December, 1862,) which he 
vated position he continued until 18G1, when saved from a superior force under Foster, 
tiie State seceded from the Union. whoso retreat was so precipitate that he left 

To attempt to detail all the events in the much of his nuiteriais, as blankets, muskets. 
political career of Mr. Clingman, and the and even horses. 

prominent parts filled by him, would far e.x- General Clingnian's brigade consisted of the 
ceed the limits of our work. Ilis political 8th Keginient, Colonel Shr.w. 
history is so interwoven with that of the Na- 31st Regiment, Colonel Jordan, 
tion, that an accurate sketch of the one W(MUd 51st Regiment, Colonel McKethan. 

be a record of the other. In his long and va- 61st Regiment, Colonel Radclilfe. 
ried career there were few questions that lie In July, 18()3, he took command at SuUi- 
did not examine and exhaust. So acceptable van's Island, which ex[)Osed position he held 
were his views that he was, during his last until December following, during the most ac- 
year's service in the House, the chairman of tive part of the seige of Charleston. He was 
one of its most importa.nt committees (For- then ordered to Virginia, and in the attack on 
eign Aft'airs.) New Berne, February, 1864, led the advance 

His early career was in unison with Mr. force of General Pickett's army, in which he 
Clay, (with whom he was personally a great was wounded by the explosion of a shell. On 
favorite,) and the Whig party; but he never the 16th May following, in the battle of 
allowed the shackles of party co bind him to Drury's Bluff, he was ordered with General 
any cause in his opinion inimical to tiie true Cor.sc to attack General Butler. This was done 
interests of the State or the people. When with such spirit that the lines of Butler were 
his convictions of right were settled, he fol- broken, and he retreated rapidly to Bermuda 
lowed where they led regardless of conse- Hundreds, where he was, to use General 
quences, [lolitical or personal. lie became Grant's expression, " bottled up." 
convinced that the Whig party had become He was then ordered to Cold Harbor, and 
thoroughly denationalized, and tiiat the only on 31st May, met the advance of General 
national party with which Southern patriots Grant's army, and a severe engagement oc- 
could consistently act, with any hope of good, curred. The next evening (1st June) one of 
was the Democratic party. His exertions and the severest engagements of the war occurred, 
intiuence were used in promoting the election in which General Clingnian's command re- 
of Governor Reid, and of General Fierce. He ccivcd heavy loss, in rank and file, from its 
has for years been an able, decided and con- exposed position. Every staff officer, as well 
sistent Democrat. as iiimself, was wounded. One-third of the 



74 



WHEELER'S KITMIKISCEKCES. 



command fell on the field, including Colonel Clinrch, an admirer of its tenets, and an 

Murcliison and Major Henderson, of the 8th observer of its ordinances. 

Regiment. Thej' held the position and saved Though his fame rests on his long and ini- 

the day. portant service as a statesman and his gal- 

On the 10th of June following, General lantry as a soldier, yet he has not neglected 

Clingman repulsed an attack on the lines of the pursuits of literature and of science. His 

Petersburg, and on the e\ening following, held able defence of religion, and its support by 

his position against the attack of two army science, gained him "golden opinions from all 

corps (the 9th and 18th) commanded by Gen- sorts of men," both North and South; he has 

erals J3urnside and Smith, numbering in the in various publications demonstrated to the 

aggregate 43,000 men. Tliree brigades on his counti-y and to the world the capabilities and 

right, gave way eai'Iy in the engagement, but advantages of Western Carolina — its healthful 

he held his position until 11 o'clock. [>. m,, climate and prolific soil. Many have been in- 

wlien the cngagemtnt ceased — and Tetersburg duced by his descriptions to seek a home with 

was saved. us, liringmg wealth, talent, and industry. 

On the l!»th of August, following, an attack He has made important contributions to 

was made on the enemy's lines on the Weldon the science of gooiogy and mineralogy. His 

railroad, near Petersburg, by which 2,100 pris- articles on these subjects have appeared 

oners were taken, and liiany killed and in Sillinian's and othei' journals, and rank 

wounded. In this aft'air General Clingman with tluxe of Dana, Guyot, Shepard, and 

received so severe a wound that he was for other savans of the age. He has presented 

several months kept out of the field, and was much and varied information as to rnoun- 

only able to join his command a few days tains of North Canjlina, which he hasexplored 

prior to Johnson's surrender. in person, and in compliment of such exertions 

When the war closed (Sth April, 18Gt;,* ) his name has been worthily bestowed on one 

General Clingman, like many others, was '•*' it''^ highest peaks. 



left dest)late and de[iressed in mind, wounded 
and exhausted in liody, and utterly impover- 
i.sJied; yet he was ever ready to aid in build- 
ing up the waste places of his country, and to 



General ('lingman, as our I'eaders ujay know, 
has never married. His busy lit'c and active 
services in the cause of his eountiy have denied 
him that ple.ism'e. But he is far from uuder- 



repair as far us possible the desolations of estinuiting female society, and is a great 
internecine strife. He was elected a member 
of the Convention of 1875, and was \-igilant 
and active in the cause of the peopile. 

These are ia[iid and unsatisfactory sketches 
of the public services rendered liis country liy 
General Clingman. 

In his private life, he is exemplary andeou- 
sistciit. He is a member of the Episcopal 



admirer of grace, beauty and intelligence. 

No one possessing, his warmth of friendship 
for liis own sex can be indifi'erent to the charms 
of the otiier. As a friend, General (Jlingnian 
is frank, sincere and faithful, antl this is recip- 
rocated deeply by those who knew him best. 
No one that I know ever maintained such a 
hold on the atl'eetions of the people. The citi- 
zens of liis district possess such unbounded 

* The Supreme Court of the United States in case of confidence in his judgment and integrity that 

U. S. V. Kieiii in January, 1S72, decided tlie lieiiiiuiiiig .i +• n i i • ' ■ i * i i, 

of the civil war was on April l!i, 18(31, date of procht- ^^^'^y i"l''^wed him in whatever course he has 

mation as to blockade, and the end was Ai.ril 8, ISUG, pursued. For more than ] 5 years ( with exeep- 
date ot i'rcsideuts proclamatiou declaring the war at . . ^ \ r 

ail end. tion of one Congress,) he was elected i)y their 



P.nXCOMBl': COUNTY. 



SiiiFragcs. Nn matter how adi'oitly the di.striet 
was adversely ai'ranij;od, or wliat [iriiieiples ho 
advocati'd, the peoplt" were liis devoted sup- 
porters, and never d.'serted liiin. 

1 reeollect when the State was redistricted, 
in 1852, a few wlio aspired to his place 
arranged the district so tliat he wonid likely 
be defeated. But the power and the jiopu- 
kirity of Genei-al ('lini;-nian disappointed their 
ainis and Iiopes. ]lc was elected hy an 
inci'eased majority. Althoiijili kind, social 
and friendly in his private intercourse, his 
eharacter is not of that negative kind so con- 
eisel}' described by Dr. Johnson of one "ulio 
never had generosity enough to acquire a 
friend, or spirit enough to pro\-()ke an enemy." 
Whenever the rigiits of his State and his per- 
sonal honor were infringed, lie was prompt 
and read}' to repel the assailant. He has fol- 
lowed the advice of I'olonius to liis son — 

Beware of entrance 

Into a quarrel; but beingin. 
So bear thyself tliat tliy oiiposer 
W ill beware of thee. 

In 1845, Hon. William L. Yancey, of Ala- 
bama, well known in his day as '• a rabid lire 
eater,'" attempted some liberty' with General 
CHugman. A cliallenge ensued, linger, of 
Siiuth t'arolina, was Yancey's friend; and 
C'harli's Lee .lones. of Washington City, was 
tiie friend of Clinginan. Tlic\- fought at 
lil-adensburg. 

Air? J ones, the second of General Clingman, 
in his graphic description of tliis duel, pub- 
lished in tl:e Cu'pUal, states: 

'• Alter the principles had been posted, Mr. 
linger, who had won the giving of the word, 
asked, 'xVre yon ready ? Fire .' ' 

'• Mr. Clingman, who had remained perfectly 
eool, tired, missing his adversary, but drawing 
his iire, in the ground, consideiably out of line, 
the bullet .-cattering dust and gravel upon the 
person of Mr. Clingman. After this fire, the 
difficult}' was adjusted." 

lion. Kenneth liaynor, the colleague of Mr. 
Clingnum in Congress, was on the ground, 



states that " he hiid never seen more com- 
posure and firmness in danger than was mani- 
fested by Mr. Clingman on this occasion." 
On seeing his friend ciivered by the dust and 
gravel, and standing at his [lOst unmoved he 
thought he was mortally wounded, lie rushed 
to him and asked him if he was hurt. " He 
has thrown some dust on my new coat," he 
replied, quietly brushing off the dust and 
gravel. 

On other occasions, as with lion. Edward 
Stanle}- and others. General Clingman has 
evinced a proper regard for his own honor by 
repelling the insults of othei's; and in all 
these jiublic opinion has sustained the[>ropriet\' 
of his conduct; he has so borne liimseli" that 
the aggressor has ne\'er att(Mnpted to inqieat 
his insolence. 

He has been accused of being amijitious. If 

this be so, in reply, the ^vords of Anthony of 

Ciusar are appropriate — 

He is my friend, ''aitlifiil and just to ine. 
But l?rutus says he is ambitious, 
And Brutus is an honorable man. 

J. C. L. Gudger, nowone of the .Tudges of the 
Superior C'ourts, was born in r>UMcombeCountj^ 
in 1838; learned in the law, which he has suc- 
cessfully practiced for fifteen years. 

He entered the Confederate army as a [H';- 
vate in IStH, and rose to the rank of captain. 

After the war was over lie removed to 
AVaynesville, in Haywood County, where he 
was extensively engaged in tlie [iractice of his 
profession when he was elected to the higli 
position he so worthily occupies. 

l\obert M. Furrnan resides in Buncombe 
County, although a native of Franklin County, 
where he was born 21st September, 1S4(;. at 
Lonisburg. He early entered the Confederate 
ai'iiiy, luit on his health failing he was, at tlie 
end of five months, discharged. He, on recov- 
ery, again entered the army (in 18(34,) and 
served until the war closed. Hi.s young life 
has l)een s[)ent in the editorial line, iu which 
he attained much success. In 1866 he was in 



76 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



charge of the Louisburg E'igJr. lie next 
established the Heiulei'soii Index, and liecanie 
afterwards connected with tlie Norfolk Cour- 
ier, and the Raleigh Sentinel. lu 1872 he 
became editor of the Asheville Citizen, lie 
was reading clerk of the Senate of the State 
Legislature of 1870. He holds, also, the posi- 
tion of clerk to tlie United States Senate 
ConiHiittee on Railroads, of whicli General 
Ransom is chaii'man. 

Thomas Dilliard Jolmston resides at Ashe- 
ville; born 1st Aj^ril, 1813, at Waynesville, 
educated at Colonel S. D. Lee's Academy and 
the Univei'sitv, luit fi'om ill health did not 



graduate; entered the army in Z. B. Vance's 
comiiany, 14tli North Carolina, and at the 
battle of Malvern Hill was severely wounded, 
which disabled him from active service in the 
field. After war was over, he read law with 
that aecomplislied jurist and noble hearted 
gentleman, Judge J. L. Bail^', and was 
licensed to practice in IStitj. In 1870 lie was 
nominated to the House, and carried the county 
by 400 votes, a gain of 600 for the party. He 
was one of the managers iu the impeachment 
trial of Governor Holden. He was re-elected 
in 1872, and elected to the Senate in 1876. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
BURKE COUNTY. 



Waightstill Avery, born 1741, died 1821. 
Tliere is no name in the annals of North Caro- 
lina, (hat is more deserving of being perpetu- 
ated than the subject of this sketch. His 
family were the devoted friends of liberty, and 
many of them martyrs to its cause. In the 
Re\-olutionary war there wei'e eight brotliers 
of this name anil family, all patriots. Some of 
them were massacred at Groton, Connecticut, 
and at Fort Griswold; some perished at Wyo- 
ming Valley. Some of this family still reside 
at Groton, Connecticut, (where the sulyect of 
this sketch was born;) sijme reside at (_)swego 
and Seneca Lake, and some came to Virginia. 

It was early in the year 1631 that the ship 
Arabella arris-ed in Alassachusetts Uay, from 
London, and landed passengers at the place 
where now stand Boston and Charlestown, 
and where Governor John Winthrop, senior, 
liad commenced an English settlement the 



year before. ' Among the passengeis were 
Christopher Avery, of Salisbury, England, and 
his little son James, then eleven years of :ige. 
They proceeded to the point of Cape Ann, 
where Gloucester now stands, which was at 
that time one of the most flourishing Hsliing 
establishments along the shore, where tish 
Were cured for the European markets by hsh- 
ermeu from England, and in connection with 
which were agricultural and other profitable 
industries. 

Christopher settled there as a farmer, and 
liecanie the possessor of valuable and produc- 
tive lands, which he cultivated to advantage. 
He had left Lis wife in England, like many of 
the leading men who tirst came over " to spy 
out the land," for it was not easy to persuade 
their wives to leave their comfortable Euglish 
homes and ventui'e olf upon the oceau on a 
passage of nearly a hundred days in a small 



BUKXE COUXTY. 



vessel, crowded witli passengers, to share the 
doubtful fortunes of an unknown wilderness. 
The vessels sent from England hj^ the mer- 
chant adventurers had for years rendezvoused 
at Cape Ann to cure and prepare the large 
quantities of fish taken by them for the Euro- 
pean markets, and it was a i-emunorative trade 
for the farmers there. It had been a fishing 
and curing station for j'ears, and with its 
variety of vegetables and abundance of fish, 
added to the game and other animid food 
obtained in trade with the Indians, the thriv- 
ing comniunit}' did not lack the means of 
good and wholesome living. They also had 
their little chapel where common pra3^er was 
offered on the Sabbath by '■ one Master Rash- 
ley, their cliaplain," as we are told by Leck- 
ford. AVhon the Puritans afterward settled 
at Boston they received and fellowshipped 
Chaplain Rashie}- for eight or ten 3'ears, 
although he was not of them exactly. 

For ten 3'ears Mr. Avery, with his son James, 
enjoyed that pleasant community, his greatest 
privation being that of tl;e disinclination of 
his wife to come over ami join them in their 
new home. As he could not persuade her to 
cross the ocean, he was compelled to send her 
so much of his earnings and savings as he 
■could spai'e for her support there. She never 
came to America. 

In 1642 the Cape Ann settlement had become 
so considerable that the General Court of the 
Colony incorporated it as the Town of Glou- 
cester, and the Rev. Mr. Blinraan,a Dissenting 
minister, who had made an unsuccessful eftbrt 
to settle with the Pilgrims at Plymouth, was, 
by the Boston authorities, sent to Gloucester 
with a small company of Welshmen, who bad 
accompanied him over the sea, to settle. This 
was not so pleasant for Christopher Aver^', who 
had so long been the leading man of the set- 
tlement with Chapla'-u Rashley, l)Ut he was a 
man of so decided mark that he was neverthe- 
•less elected over and over again as selectman 



of his new town, notwithstanding the per- 
sistent and shameful jicrsecution of the new- 
comers. 

In 1643 his son James Avery, then 23 3'ears 
old, went to Boston and brought to his home 
in Gloucester his young bride, Joanna Green- 
slade, who ha<l with her a certificate of good 
.standing in the Boston church, dated Januar^^ 
17, 1644. 

Notwithstanding Mr. Blinman's ecclesiasti- 
cal precedence, he was rather overshadowed 
by Christopher Aver}^ the civilian and some- 
times first selectman. Insomuclr that after he 
had been there six or seven years he became 
"dissatisfied with his teaching," (as old Gov- 
ernor Winthrop wrote to his son John, then 
Governorof Connecticut,) and gladly accepted 
the call to settle at the mouth of the Thames, 
(Pequot,) where New London now stands. 

He was accompanied by most of the leading 
members of his church at Gloucester, and 
among them James Avery with his young wife 
and three children. James sold all his land at 
Gloucester to his father Christopher in I60I, 
for he had settled at New L'lndon, October 
19, 1650, with what was called the Cape Ann 
Colony. Mr. Blinman preached at New Lon- 
don about as long as he bad at Gloucester, and 
then left, dissatisfied, for England, Christo- 
pher Avery remained in Massacliusetts until 
after Blinman had left for England, and then 
joined his son James at New London, and in 
the valley of the Pequounc. 

James Avery and Joanna Greenslade had 
ten children, three born at Gloucester, before 
1650, and seven at New London, afterwards. 
Their youngest son, Samuel, was born August 
14, 1664, wh.o married Susan Palmer, daughter 
of Major Edward Palmer and granddaughter 
of Governor John Winthrop, Jr., on the 27th 
of October, 1686, and with her had ten child- 
ren, to wit: Samuel, b. August 11,1687; Jona- 
than, b. January 18, 1689; William, b. August 
25,1692; Mai-y, b. January 10, 1695; Christo- 



78 WIIEELEK'S REMINISCENCES. 

pher, b. February 10, 1697; Ilniuplirey, b. July li. July 8, 170(5. The doacoii was a coteinpo- 

4, 1G99; Nathan, b. January 30, 1702; Lucy, li. rary of Samuel Avery, b. 1664, who was the 

April 17,1704; Waitstill, b. March 27,1708, si-randtather of Wai,2:htstiU, of Noith Care 

(had two wives;) Grace, b. June 2, 1712. lina. Alike prominent in Church and State 

When that portion of New London east of the affairs, Avery, the town's first selectman, and 

Tliamcs was set off as the se[iarate town of Seabury, the first deacon of the church, they 

Grotou, in 1705, Samuel Avery, the father, was were neighbors, friends, and tlieir families 

chosen the first moderator, and became the were intimate. 

first selectman, which resp^uisible position he Samuel Seabury, !>. July 8, 1700, was licensed 

held for twenty years —nearly up to the time and preached as a Coni^-regational minister in 

of his death. 1726, at the new church in North Groton. lie 

On the 5th of February'-, 1724, lln.niphrey declared himself a convert to Episcopacy in 

Avery, (the sixth child of Samuel,) b. July 4, 17.:jO, and next year went to London and was 

1690, married Jerusba Aidri^an, dan^-htei' ol' oi-dnined by the Uishop of London. Returned 

William and Margaret (Avery) Morgan, and in 1732, a,i)d was rector of the Episcopal 

had twelve chiidi'eii, to wit: IIum[)hrey^ b. church in Ni.-w Lundoii for eleven years. 

^Lirch 10, 1725; William, b. Septciriber 13, Moved to Hempstead, Long Island, in 174o, 

1726; Solomon, li. July 17, I72.'^, wlio died wliere he kept a hi_^h school as well as [ireached 

August, 1728; Solomon, b. June 17, 1729; Sam- until 1764, tiie year of his death. Hr it w,).s, 

uel, b. October 5, 1731; James, b. August 13, mdoaiU'db/, loho prfp rrcd WnUslUl Acerij for vol- 

17-'')3; Jerusba,!). June 7, 1735; I'auliua, b. [a/e, )rltirlt he cidcrxl lit 17G-2. 

A[iril 3, 1737; C'hristo[ihei', b. May 3, 1739; His son, Samuel, l)orii at Gr;)ton ^729,^vent 

Wailsiill, b. May 10, 1741; Isaac,!). Octoi)er to England in 1784, where he was consecrated 

27, 1743; Nathan, b. Novendjer 20, 1746. //,(■ lirsl Bislio/i of dir jE///'«-()/)«/ clmrch ui Aiiier- 

It wa^ this Waitstill, the tenth ehibl of /,.,/. On his return he took charge (jf the 

llumphrey, who, after graduating at I'rinee- church at Xew London, where he died in 

ton, (Nassau Hall) N. J., in 1766, studied law 179'i. My oj)ihion and belief is that on this 

in Maryland, and moved to North t'arolina in trip to England, he was accompanied by his 

1769, when he enteied college at the age of father's jiupil, Isaac, ^-oungest bi'other of 

twenty-one, he mat rieidated as Waightstill, Waiglitstill Av._-ry, wiio i)eeame a reetnr <.)f 

thus changing tb.e spelling of the old Wiiithrop tliat chureli in Virginia, and who is said to 

nanie. liis elilest br(jthei', liumphrey, mo\ed hu\'e iieen ordain jd in England. He was 21 

friun Groton, where his family and ancestors years old at the tiiue of ids old tutor's death, 

had lived so many years, to Hempstead, Long by wiiom, no doubt, he was educated for the 

Island, wdiere he raised a large fauiily. His Episcopal ministry, and about 40 whyn or- 

brother, Waitstill, sixteen years younger than dained in England. 

himself, as well as his youngest l)r(.)tlier, Isaac, There is ;i famil}' tradition in North Caro- 
lived with him in their youth, aid were b:)th Una that Waightstill graduated at Yale col- 
prepared for college at the select scIidqI of the lege bclore going to Trinceton, and that he 
Rev. Samuel Seabui-y there. was a tntur there; but his name nowhere ap- 

I>eacon John Seabury, of (Jroton, v.-ho had pears in tlie Yale catalogues, and all the dates 
married fjlizabeth Alden, in 1697, grand- and cii-cumstanees seem to show its incorrect- 
daughter of John Alden, of the Mayfiower, noss. L' lu' had graduated at Yale, the fact 
settled in Groton, 1704, and had ason, Samael, would be stated in the Princeton, as well as 



RFKKE CorXTY. 70 

Hie Yiile catalDUiU'S; Imt nowhere dors it so defended only I13' aliont IfiO Aiiiei'ieaiis. After 



ai-pear. 



a stont I'osistance tlit.-\- took it after luaw 



As the name Wait.^till is so historical, it is losses on bi>tli sides. Colonel Ledyard, coin- 
to l,e res^retted that the master spirit of the mander of tlie fort, had ordered his rncn to 
Mecklenburg declaration and the patriarch of cease tiring, and stood near the gates prepared 
the Xortii Carolina bar, ever changed the to surrender. The British entered; the officer 
spelling. .S7(7/ was the name of -ne of the shouted, " who commands this fort? " Colonel 
maternal ancestors of the Wintlirops, in Eng- Ledyard replied " I did, sir; but yon do now," 
land, at Grotou manor, and 15'/!/ was another, presenting his sword with its point towards 
Mrs. Susan (Palmer) Avery had an uncle, himself. His sword was thrust back through 
(['('(7 Slid, who in a matter of record at New his bo<ly and he fell prone on the earth. Tliis 
London, April 16, 1718, is s^iyled 3I/ijor Gen- was a signal of indiscriminate slaughter, and 
end Wiilt Still WinUirop, the middle name was the British crossed the parade ground in plat- 
often (unitted in the signature in those early toons, tiring upon the defenseless garrison, who- 
days. S;isun named her son, b. .March 27, 170S, had grounded their arms. With the bayonet 
lifter her distinguished uncle, and her son they stabbed the dead and dying. Of the 
llnnip'lu-eygavo the name to the distinguish ■(! command of IGO they loft scarce 20 able to 
North Carohnian. The first James Avery, and stand; there they in heaps fallen one upon 
Eilward ralmer,were distinguished in military another, as brave a band as fought with l^eon- 
aud civil life; both were high comnianding idas of Therniopyhw. Of these are " immortal 
officers in succ■,•s^ful wars with tlie Indians_ naTiies that were not doomed to die," and 
They liad served many years together in the eleven of the name of Avery perished in that 
Legislature and upon the bench, and in the most infamous massacre by this (Uiniou of de- 
early history of New London, they are con- struction. 

staiUly named together as taking the Irad in In a letter from his brother Solomon .Xvery, 

all jiuhlic alfairs. The families being so mti- of July 11, 178:% a Copy of the original is to 

mate, it is not remarkable that Samuel, the be found in " Uiii. .Mag.," IV, 245, he states: 

yonn^e.-t son of James Avcrv, should have wed i-n i • *i c ..^ ,f 

•> -^ - " Eleven Avervs were killed m the iort at 

Susan, the daughter of .Major I'almer, and Qi-oton, and seven wounded; many Aveiys 

gi-anddau^hler of Governor .J.'hn Wiiithrop, have been killed in this war. Tliere has been 

Jr., of Com.ecticut. »" '^'"^y "'""^'^^ ^^^'^''T '"' t^'^se parts." 

For tliis full and satisfactory account of the From smh a stick was Waigbtstill Avery 

early history of this fatnily, we are indebted descended. 

to the unpublislied manuscript of J. George Waigbtstill Avery came to North Carolina. 

Harris, of the United States Navy, residing He was truly an acquisition to any State. He 

at Grotoii, who is :i lineal descendant of Chris- was a gentleman and a scholar. He graduated 

topher Avery, the common ancestor of all the at Princeton in 17iH3, studied law with Little- 

Averys named. ton Dennis, of the eastern shore of .Maryland, 

Of this family there v.ere eleven who wtav and came to North Candina, entering that 

massacred at Fort Griswold, at Groton, Con- province February 4, 17(i9, (d)tainc(i a license 

necticut, by the English troops, commanded to practice his pi-ofession, through Governor 

by that infamous traitor, Benedict Arindd, Dolibs, April 5, 1769, and settled in Mecklen- 

011 the 6th of September, 1781; about 800 burg, at the house of Hezokiah Alexander, 

troops under his comnumd attacked this fort, His diary is preserved in the " University Mag- 



go WHEELEK'S KE.\nNISCEN.GES. 

aziuc-," vol. IV,j). oG6.giviiiy a niirraticin of his 1775, and the next year to the sairie, wliich 

travels throui^'.i the State, tVoui wliich it will met at Halifax, November 12, 1771). This 

be seen that he waswelenmod and aii[:)i-eeiated l)ody formed the State Constitution, in which 

by the leading men of the country. he rendered important service, and was one 

After entering the State, February 4, 17C9, of the committee who formed this instrument, 
iiiivingj;)as3ed the Virginia line he arrived at so wisely and perfectly formed that under it 
Edenton, where he became acquainted with the State lived for nearly sixty years in pros- 
Mr. Johnston, then clerk of the court, after- perity and peace. The next year (1777,) he 
ward Governor and judge, and also Joseph represented the county of Mecklenburg in the 
Ilewes; he passed on to General Allen Jones' Legislature. WilliamSharp, Joseph Winston, 
plantation, near the present town of Gaston; Robert Lanier, and himself, made a treaty 
thence to Halifax, and arrived at Salisbury on with the Cherokee Indians at the Long Island 
March 2,1709. Here he met Edumnd Fan- of the Holstein, " a treaty made without an 
ning, who was a native of the same province, oath, and one that has never been vic^lated." 
a man of fine address, a scholar, and a lawyer On January' 12, 177'S, he was elected Attorney- 
of liigii attainment, who used every art and General of the State. 

blandishment to draw Avery into an alliance July 3, 1779, he was appointed colonel of 

with Tryon and the adherents of royalty. A Jones County, (where he had removed,) in 

personal frientlship grew up, but no politic.il pilace of Xathan Uryan, resigned, aiid tin. ling 

alliance. After traversing every section of the climate of the h)\v country was impairing 

the province, from the Albemarle and the Cape his health, he removed, in 1781, to the cjunty 

Fear to the mountains, we finally find liim of 13arke, and settled on a beautiful and fer- 

settled at the house Ilezekiah Alexander, who tile estate near Morgautoii, on the Catawba 

agreed to board him "at the rate of £12 for River. 

eight months, making allowance if he should The year previous (1778,) he had married, 
not be there so long in the year." Here he near New Berne, Mrs. Leah Frank, widow of 
associated with the patriots of the incipient Mr. Frank, who lived and died in New Berne, 
Revolution, the Alexanders, the Brevards, and daughter of W^illiam Probart, of Snow 
the Grahams, Davidsons, Polks and others. Hill, xMaryland, a wealthy merchant there, who 
with wlioiji he cordially sympathized and died on a visit to London, 
united in the spirit of liberty and independence In 1780, whilst the British occupied Char- 
that soon pervaded the lovely valleys of the lotte, under Lord Corn wal lis, his office was 
Yadkin and the Catawba. set on lire, and all his books and papers 

This period was one of stirring interest, destroyed. In 1781 he removed to Burke 

The sentiment of revolution was beginning to County, and there he resided, in the practice 

rouse the gallant men of that day to arms, and of his profession, until the date of his death, 

tJie section where he had located was the first 1821. He represented this county in the 

and foremost in the fray. He united with the Legislature in 1782, '83, '81, '85, '93, in the 

men of Mecklenburg "in the declaration of House, and in 1796 in the Senate. At the 

independence of the 20th May, 1775, and peiiod of his death he was considered " the 

pledged his life, his fortune, and most sacred patriarch of the bar." 

honor " to the sacred cause of liberty. It is doubtful if any one family iu this State 

He was elected a member of the Provincial suftered more severely than did the distin- 

Congress which met at Ilillsboro, August 21, guished and gallant Averys. 



BURKE COOXTY 



81 



Alphonso Calliouii Avery, now one of tho 
Judges of the Superior Court, son of Colonel 
Isaac T. Avery, resides in ]?urke County. lie 
is the eldest niaIesnr\ivor of thisdistingnished 
faniil}-. Ilis three elder brothers, Waightstill, 
Chxrk, and Isanc J., (as wo have recorded.) 
were killed in the late civil war. 

He was horn about 1837, liberally educated, 
gratluated at the University in a large class of 
70 n)end)ers in 1857, among whom were B. B. 
Barnes, John W. Graham, L. M. Jeggitts, 
Thomas S. Kenan and others. In the pro- 
ceedings of the commencement, Mr. Avery, 
then in his sophomore year, received at the 
hands of Governor Swain a copy of Sliake- 
speare, a prize oti'ered by the professor of 
rhetoric for the best composition in that class. 
"Uni. Mag.,"IV, 278. 

He stu<lied law, and was just comntencing 
the practice when he obeyed the call of his 
country to do duty for her defence. He was 
engaged at the Iiattle of Manassas, where his 
leader, the gallant Colonel C. F. Fisher, fell, 
and did noble service under Pender. During 
the last closing years of the war,, he was on 
the statf of General D. H. Hill. 

Since the war he has devoted himself to the 
practice of his profession, of which he was the 
pride and ornament, only occasionally inter- 
rupted by his election to the Legislature, lie 
was a member of the Senate in 1866 and again 
1867, and a member of the Constitutional Con- 
vention in 1875. 

He was the Democratic elector in the 8th 
district; and by his ability and exertions did 
much to insure its success. 

He was elected Judge of Superior Courts, 
which elevated position he holds now. He 
married Susan, youngest daughter of Rev. 
Robert A. Morrison, and sister of Mrs. Stone- 
wall Jackson. 

"William Waightstill Avery was i»orn at 
Swan Ponds, in Burke County, on the 25th of 
May^ 1816. He was the oldest child of Col- 



onel Isaac T. Avery and Harriet E. Avery. 
His father was the only son of Waightstill 
Avery, and his mother was the eldest daughter 
of William W. Erwin,an<l a granddaughter of 
William Sharpe. 

There were, during his bo3'hood,no classical 
schools in the Picdnioiit region e(iual to Bing- 
ham and others in the central counties, and on 
attempting to enter college, in the year 1832, 
W. W. Avery found that he was not thor- 
oughly prepared in the ancient languages. He 
remained at Chapel Hill during the vacation 
and prosecuted his studies under the instruc- 
tion of the late Dr. Mitchell and Abram More- 
head, Esi|., then a tutor, and so faithfully did 
he apply himself that in one year he stood at 
the head of his class, and graduated with the 
first honors ia 1837 in same class with Perrin 
Busbee, Peter W. Hairston, Pride Jones and 
others. 

He studied law with Judge Gaston and was 
licensed to practice in the Superior Courts in 
1838. 

He was from boyhood an ardent admirer of 
Mr. Calhoun, and naturally became a States- 
rights Democrat. He was unsuccessful as a 
candidate for the Legislature in 1840; but iu 
1842 was elected as a Democrat from Burke 
County, though Governor Morehead,the Whig 
candidate for Governor, carried the couiity by 
a veiT large majority. 

He had a large and lucrative practice as a 
lawyer, and did not appear again activeh' as 
a politician till the year 1850. In Ma^-, 1846, 
he was married to Corinna M. Morehead, a 
daughter of the late Governor Morehead. She 
is still living. 

He served afterwards in the Ihiuse of Com- 
mons, as a memlier from Burke, in 1850 and 
1852. 

In 1856 he was chairman of the North Caro- 
lina delegation in the National Democratic 
Convention that nominated President Buchan- 
an, and during the same year was elected to 



82 ■ WHEELER'S REMmiSCEXCER. 

the State Senate, of which body lie was cliosc!) After the expiration of his term in Con- 
Speaker, gress in 1862, he returned to his home with 

In 1858 he was a candidate for Congress, to antliority from the President to raise a regi- 
fill tlie vacancy made by the ap[)(>intment of ment; but was prevented from carr^-ing out 
lion. T. L. Clingman as United States Sen- his purpose b^' the earnest pmtests of his aged 
ator. Colonel David Coleman, who was also fatlier and four brothers, who were already in 
a Democrat, opjiosed him, and after they had active service. They insisted that he was be- 
canvassed a large portion of tlie district, Hon. yond the age for service, and it was his duty 
Z. B. Vance announced himself a candidate, to Ins family and country to remain at home, 
and Colonel Coleman withdrew; but the dis- He was an earnest and active supporter of 
trict had given Mr. Buchanan a very small the Confederate cause, and conlrilmted lib- 
majority, and the dissension was such that erally to the government and for the main- 
Vance was elected. tenance of the families of soldiers. 

In 18(J0, W. W. Avery was again chairman In 1864 an iiicni-siou was made bv a party 

of the North Car.ijina delegation in the Xa- of so-called Unionists from Tennessee, com- 

tional Convention at Charleston, and seceded manded by Colonel Kirk, who afterwards 

with the southern wing of the party that af- gained a very unenviable notoriety in Xorth 

terwards nominated Air. Breckeiiridge. I)ur- Carolina This party, after surprising and 

ing the same year he was again elected to the captniiiig a small body of conscripted boys in 

State Senate, and declined the nomination for Burke diuiity, retreated towards Tennessee. 

Speaker in favor of his friend II. T. Clark, Mr. Avery with a body of Noi-th Carolina 

who become (iovernor after the death of militia pui'sued the party, and in attacking the 

(/lovernor Ellis. After the election of .Vlr. retreating forces at a strong position in the 

Lincoln he Avas an avowed secessionist, and mountains, was mortally wounded. He was 

strongly urged the call of a convention during reinc.ived to his home in Morganton, where he 

the winter of 1860 and 1861. died on the od day of July, 1864. 

After the State seceded on' the 20th of In all the relations of life he was distin- 

May. 1861, he was elected by the Convention guished for his kindness and afl'abilit .\ and his 

as one of the members from the State at large unselHsh love for the comfort and happiness 

of the I'rovisiiiiial Congress. He served in of others. No man lias been more missed 

that body Uiitil the L'rovisional Government ami lamented by the community in wiiich 

was succ'ceded liy the permanent g(jverntnent, he lived, and his age<l father, ( then in his 

provided for in the Constitution adopted in eighti 'tli ye ir,) wont down to his grave sor- 

1861. He was a member and chairman on rowing for the loss of tliis the thii'd son who 

the Committee on Military Atfairs. had fdlc; in liaitlo within o:.e year. 

A majority of the Democrats in the Legis- For the LiMiealogy of the Avery family see 

lature of 1861 voted for Mr. Avery for Sena- Ap[>endi.\-. 
tor in the Congress of the Confederate States; 

but a large mi -ity supported Hon. T. L. M'T)owell F..\mily of Buuke Countv. 

Clingman, while the Whigs voted for a can- There are no iamiliesiu the State that have 

didate from their own party. After balloting rendered more imp.u'laut service to the State 

for several weeks the friends of the two candi- than the .McDowells. 

dates conipn.mised by electing Hon. W. T. Aliliough careful research has been made 

"'^^''^ h»r years in records of the State, and families, 



BrUKE COITIS'TY. 



83' 



ami bv extensive corrospoiulencc, yet, in the 
earlier periods of our history, the want of tiie 
facilities of the press, and a carelessness in 
preserving family records, some obscurity rests 
on the history of the early founders of this 
family. 

In my " History of North Carolina," as to 
this family, it is stated that Charles and Jo- 
se[ih Mc]')owell were brothers, the sons of 
Josepii. who, with his wife Margaret 0'Xe:il, 
had eniiurate<l from Ireland, sottlod in Win- 
chester, Virginia, wliiTe Charles and Joseph 
were liorn. Kor authority of these facts, state- 
ments were furnished from members of this 
family and others which were believed. Ke- 
eent and more thorough examinations make 
these statements doubtful. A letter from one 
of the family * to me, states: 

" It is siniTular how inaccni'ate has been any 
knowledge as to this family. An investiga- 
tion, instituted .some time ago, with a view of 
establLsbinga descent which would lead to the 
seeming of a large estate through Margaret 
C'^Seal^ deveU)[ied the fact, beyond all ques- 
tion, that her husband (the fatiier of General 
Charles McDowell, and Ceneral Joseph,) was 
named John instead of Josei>h,that they mar- 
ried in Irelaml, and livid ai Quiker Meadows, 
in Burke County.'' 

Lanman, in his " Biograi)hical Annals of 
Congress," states: 

'•Joseph McDowell was a Representative in 
Coiigress Irom 179;^ to 17!t'); and again from 
nof to 1799." 

The family tradition ar.d record is, he died 
in 1795. The tirst error does not destroy the 
truth of history tlia.t thefauiily were of Ii'ish 
origin; and.tl'.e second arises from there being 
iwo of the same name of the same family. 
Kvery ett'ort and [lains have been takeri to 
make the i>re.sent sketch correct. If any error 
oecurs. the corrections will be gratefully re- 



*l)r. a. W. Midail, of Newton. N. C. to wlioni I 
am ir.debted for nu;cU information us to tlie Mc1>n\veU 
family. 



eeived. In compiling gcnealngical tables, or 
pedigrees, great attention is necessary in 
clearl}- stating the nnmb:-r of genei-at ions, in 
any given period, as they form a guide to the 
probability of persons ha\"ing' sprung from any 
part ienlar ancest(U' or individual. A genera- 
tion is the interval lietween the birth of a 
father and the birth of sun. Thirty-three 
^•ears have been allowed to a generation, or 
three generations for every hundred years.- 
The bii'tli and death dates, as well as the loca- 
tion, should lie stated, since " cbrcuiology and' 
locality are the eyes of histcu'y." The ie[)eti- 
tion of the same names, without dates ov 
l]laec, creates confusion in oui- American gene-- 
alog}', as it has caused in this instance. 

John McDowell, called "Hunting .loliii," 
who resided at Pleasant Gardens, was one of 
the early i)ioneers of Western (.!arolin;i. Ik- 
was, it is believed, a nati\-e of Ireland, lie 
and a man by the name of Henry A\'idener, 
(many of whose descendanls now live in Ca- 
tawba County, known by tlu; namj of White- 
ner,) came to this eoimtiy when it was an im- 
hruken \\ilderness, for the piuipose of limiting 
and securing homes for their t'amilies. John 
McD(.)well built bis bouse on the west side oi 
the Catawba Kiver, on land now called the 
Ilany Field, a [lart of the tine body of land 
well known as "The Pleasant Gardens," which. 
f(U- fertility of soil, healthfulness of climate 
and splendor of scenery, cannot be excelled. 

The date of his biitli, or the time of his 
settling, or the date of his death, from the 
loss of family recoi-ds, caniiot lie given; hut 
from tradition, he lived in this lovely spot 
with his wife (Mrs. Annie Edmnndston) to 
a good old age. 

He was a famous hunter, and delighted in 
" trapping," and to a late period of his life, he 
could be seen on his way to the mountains, 
with tour large bear tn.ps tied behind him on 
his horse, with his trusty riHc on his shoulder. 
On these excursions lie would go alone, and be 



WllEELEUr^ ilh 1.: i-Li-XCES. 



aitrcnt K>r a wmth or m 
tarkies, ss-d bear-;, and : 



; re- 



TL' 



Il-i 



-n-h< 



:.,? 



n" 



M';; - "sn-, 

175^. at Pie. sant Gardens, in Barke County. 
He was aiwavri called -Colonel Joe of the 
Pk-asaut G;«rd-;ns," to distinzaish him from 
" fjerifrral J' e 

lie wa- a s . and the 

lii'. -" 

ih- ; joined <- 

an .-_ . , :n 1770. i._„ . 

I'idians, in which he di-plaved much gall -.ntry 

and de-pcratc- cmrage. It is known that in a 

lja;jd-to-han<i ii/!it he killed an Indian chief 

•.vi" ;. 

i. e in repre--iT>? the Tories, and 

t.'wjk pail iu the battle f - ilills. '-r. 

20th Jane. 1780, near .. . ^i.? men- 

tioned bj- General Graham in eulogistic terms, 
for hir conduct on that occa-ion. and mateTiallj 
aided in achieving a oraplete victory over a 
superior force. 

At Cane Creek, in Kutherford County, «nth 
General Charles McDo-vvelL he led thennlitia, 
■ hiefly of Burke County, and had a severe 
skiniiUh with a .strong detachment of Fer- 
gu&jn's army, then stationed at Gilbert Town, 
and drove them back. 

Irnmediately afttnvard he aided in measures 
which culminated in the glorious victoiy of 
Kinjf's Mountain. 



Tli'is was the darkest period of the dabioos 
conflict. Gates was defeated at Camden: 
Sii' . ,. .-lidered to the 

Br: J Creek, (18th 

Ar.^- valiL:, iu - all the pride 

ant; f a con'^aeror. hild the 

uiidispured possession of Charlotte and its 
vidnity. 

Fergasiii, with s: . '.vinning 

the " ' - -^ ■ r ^ rv; "1 liberty to 
loyt r ries rava^ied the whole 

. of 
Vi:. ^ ~'.-aX- 

ter-- , and 

these brave men felt that they mu:^ - do or 
die." 

Amid all these disxstroascircamstanees, the 
patrivtic ■ " jell, 

Sevier, a Jney 

determi; 
They w< 

Were in - iicL>jweii, ae 

wasenti:... . 

From H raanoscript letter of Shelby, ia my 
possesion, he s;»y-S: 

.-; f vj^.^^1 \{..]^>o^^<aii «vas t';*? c^m'Tianding 
offi jm- 

roii - ini- 

: ivas 
- too 
' 'm- 
nia 

-• ; J send to heatlquarters for 

some 5"ci.ci... v>iiiu<;i- to comiaaad the expedi- 
li-jii. 

his 

CO.'. 

be ■- - r tj go •- He 

ace - .rted ixnm- -' his 

me.'i under his brother, Alajur Jv*»>;pii Me- 
DowelL" 

The next day Shelby urged that time was 
precious and delays dangerous. The advance 
was made. Colonel Joseph McDowell, the 
subject of our present sketch, led the boys of 



:i corxTT 



Td Ct'QDties to buTile and J: 



>d in sratirarie : 
•'■ towB of Bnrke. 



' 'iri-ih tl 



e in 17i<: 



8f)' 



WHEELER'S reminiscences; 



James McDowell, the second son of Colonel 
Joseph McDowell tiiat lived to iiianiiood, pos- 
sessed the esteem of all who knew him. 

He was a meniber of the Senate in the Lea:is- 



olutionary tronl)les, he was the commander of ' 
an extensive district in his section of country, 
and was a brave and daring officer. 

It was not until the year 1780 that western 



lature, from Burke County, in 1832, and filled North Carolina became the field of military 



other offices of trust. Like each one of Col- 
onel Jose])h McDowell's children, he was 



operations in tlie Revolutionary war. After 
<ubduinii the States of Georijia and South 



remarkable for his modesty, for his integrity, Carolina, the British forces adv.mced to this 



State and commenced making demonstrations. 
McDowell was active in counteracting their 



and his open-handed charity. 

lie owned the Pleasant Gardens, where he 

lived until advanced in life. He then moved movements. 

to Yancey County, where he died. He married In June, 178(J, having been joined by Shelby, 

Margaret Erwin, and left five children, name- Sevier, and Clarke, of Georgia, near Cherokee 

ly: Dr. Joseph McDowell, Dr. John. Mc- Ford on Broad River, McDowell determined 

Dowell, of Burke County; William McDowell, to attack the British at a strongly fortitied 

of Asheville; Kate, who ujairied Montraville p)Ost on the Bacolet River, under c Humaiid of 

Patton; Margaret, who married Marcus Eiwin. Patrick Moore, which he gallantly, performed 

These are the descendants of the branch of and compielled him to surrender, 

which "Hunting John " was the ancestor. He also attacked the Tories at Musgrove 

John McDowell, of Quaker Meadows, was Mill on the Enoree River and routed them, 

the cousin of "Hunting John," (Dr. W. A. Many other brilliant aft'airs in this section 

Michal.) He was one of the pioneers of this marked iiis energy and efficiency as a soldier. 

regit)u of country, and settled "at Quaker We have recortled the facts of his missing a 

Meadows," on the Catawba River, about a participation in the battle of King's Moun- 

mile from Morganton. He was a native of tain. 

L'eland, and married Margaret O'Neal, (the As tiie several officers held e^ual rank, by a 

widow of Mr. (ireenlee,) by whom he had three council of officers McDowell was dispatched 

sons: Hugh McDowell, General Charles Mc- to headquarters, then near Salisbury, to have 

Dowell, Major John McDowell. General Sumner or General Davidson, who had 

Hugh McDowell, son of John and .Margaret been a.p[i(_>inted brigadier ge:iei'al in place of 

O'Neal, of <^)nakei' Meadows, left three daugh- General Rutherford, taken [uisoiier at Gates' 

ters: Mrs. Mc(Tintry, Mrs. McKinsey; Mai'- defeat. 

garet, who married James Murphy, who left This closed his military career. The people 
one son, John Murphy, who married Margaret of his county Were not ungrateful, to him for 
= Avery, and left three daughters and one son: his long and successful military service. He- 
Margaret, who married Thomas G. Walton; was the Senator from Burke from 1782 to 
Sarah, who married Alexander F. Gaston, 1788, and he had been also in 1778, and mem- 
son of Judge Gaston; Harriet, who married ber of the House 180y-'10-'ll. He died olst 
William M. Walton; John H. McDowell, who March, 1815. He married Grace Greenlee, who 
■^married Clara Patton. was distinguished among "the women of the 

General Charles McDowell, (son of John and Revolution." She W'as a woman of remarka- 
Mai'garet O'Neal, of (Quaker Meadows,) born ble emu-gy and firmness. Mrs. EUet has re- 
in 1743; died 1815, was probably a native of corded her extraordinary character, and relates 
Ireland. On the commencement of our Rev- that on one occasion some bummers, in the 



BmiKE COUNTY. ST 

nhsence of lici- linsliaiiil, I'liiiidfred hor hoiiso. Athuii A Mi-!)o\vell serveil in tlic Creek 

"Witli sinne to \v friends she imrsiied the nia- war. lie was slierilf of Biiri<e Comity. Sen- 

raiulers and compelled them, at the muzzle of ator in the Legislature, 1815. He removed to 

a niusk.t. to give up iier property. While her Henderson County. He married Ann (Jood- 

hushand was .serretly making powder in a son, the stepdaugliter of Coloucd William 

cave, sjie aided him, and i)nrnt the charcoal Davenport, of Caldwell Comity, and left one 

herself. This very powder did good service ill son, (■liarles. and one daughtei-, Ijouisa, who 

the liattle of King''s .Mountain. I'revions to married Hon. James C. Har[ier, whose 

her mairiage with General Charles McDowell, daughter marrieil Hon. .ludge Cilly. 

she was the v.ife of Captain Uowman, who James K. McDowell lived a bachelor, and 

fell ill the battle of Ramsour's mill. She was died at the old homestead. He was a very 

the daughter of Margaret O'Xeal, by Mr. great favorite with all who knew him. lie 

Greenlee, anterior to the union with the father often contended with Hon. Samuel W Carson 

of General Charles McDowtdl. She had a in the political tield, with alternate success, 

daughter by this marriage wit h Captain IJow- Jle was a mendjer of the House in 1817-'18 

man, named Mary, who marrie<l C'olonel Wil- and '19, and of the Senate, in 1823-'25. 

liam Tate, and who was the niotiier of Junius Sarah married Colonel William I'axfcon, 

Tate, and Louisa, who was the mother of the In-other of Judge Paxton; had several chil- 

tirst Mrs. Z. B. Vance. dren; one of whom married Rev. Brank Mer- 

She had by (leneral Charles McDowell, three rimoii, father of Hon. A. S. .Merrimon, 

sons and luiir daughters: Captain Charles Mc- United States Senator; Kliza (iraee married 

Dowell; Athan A.; James U.; Sarah; Eliza Stanlioi.e Erwin; Margaret married Colonel 

Gr:;ce; .M;iigaret ; Sallie; in whom and in William J)ickson, whose son was in the Legisla- 

whose descendants, the blood of Grace Green- t'lre ]842-'44; Sallie; Mrs. Christian, 

it-e courses. It is curious as well as interesting, Major John McDowell, third son of John 

to observe the efi'ect of blood. Dr. Rush de- aiid Margaret O'Xeal, of Quaker Meadows, 

clared that '• the Idood of one intelligent :>nd brotlier of General Charles McDowell., 

woman would redeem three generations of live<l on Silver Creek, in Burke County, about 

fcKils." nine miles from .Morganton, 

This, like the golden tliread of Ariadne, is He was a member of the Legislature in 

clearly traceable in the genealogy of this 1792-'94. 

family, marking with intellect, beauty, and in He had the sad mishap to lose his sons 

enterprise, in clear and definite lines. As Dr. (three,) and a nephew, at the .same tinie,-hy 

Johnson, in bis epitai.h of Goldsmith, ex- the burning of his house. 

piesses the beautiful idea- He left two daughters: Margaret, whomar- 

Xiltetiget. iiuod noil oniavit. ried Robert McElrath; and Hannah, married 

Of these Captain Charles McDowell, who was J"'"' McElrath. 

always called •' Captain Charles," owned the General Joseph McDowell w-as the son of 
homestead of "The Quaker Meadows." He John and Margaret (of Quaker Meadows,) had 
was a member of the Legislature from J5urke the reputation of a brave officer of the Rev- 
County in 18O'.l-'10-'ll. He was much res- olution, a soldier and a statesman. We regret 
spected; an ardent politician. (For bis de- that so little is kiH)wn of his character and 
scendants see sketch of Annie McDowell, services. The aged men of l>urke that knew 
whom he married.) him describe him as beinggenial in his temper 



88 WIIEELEire KE-MINISC^ENCES. 

.ami heiievdieiit. In ajijicai ;i:ifo ho was tall Geoige Moti'ett, of Ai\n-iista County, Va., and 

anil commanding. tla^ sister of Margaret, wife of General .roso[ih 

He was a great favoiite with the people. ?\leDowcll. 

lie was for eight years snecessivcly elected to Their eliiidren wer^.' Samuel I'rice; ^^'illiam 

tlie House <if Commons, 1750 to 1758, and Sen- M.; Matilda; George and Jomilhan L. 

ator in 1791 to 17SI5. lie was elected a mem- Colnnel John Carson died on the 5tli of 

lier of Cm-rei^s in 17l»7-"09. He married March, 1S41. 

Margaret ?\l(di'ett, sister of the wife ol' Colonel Joseph McDowell Carson, son of John Car- 
Joseph McDowell. He lived on the east side son and Rachel McDowell, his first wife, was 
of Jolin's Riv.u-, ahont seven miles fi'(Mn Mor- distinguished for Ids integrity and hrilliant 
ganton. intelleet. lie practiced law for lUiiny years 

One of \n'A s-.nis, Ilugli Harvey, reddes in with emiin.'nt success. He much preferred 

Mi-souri and is the father of Mrs. Governor the st-.'ady and unif irm life of a juri-t to the 

Parsjus. uncerlain and titful career (d' a politician. ' Yet 

Another !-":i ■Jo-'0|ih J,,) is a citizen of he rejiresented his county in lihe Legislature; 

^>hio, ar.d \\-a> elected a memher of Congress in the C.imnrnrs i;i 181:2, 1813, 1814 anil 18a5; 

fiiun (ddii in 1813-'d7. and in theSeuaio in 18o2, 1836, and 1838, and 

Cue of his daughters nnirried Clndst- was a mendter id' the State Convention of 

unm, and after his death mairied Judge \\"ake, 1835, to amend the Constitutioiu He lived on 

of Kentucky. Green Uiver, in Rutherford Gountv. IIj mar- 



TuE Cai;sons of TkiuKR County. 



ried his cousin Rehecca, daughter of James 
Wilson, and Imd many descendants; Tench, 

John C.irson was the [irogenilor of this farn- wlio nnirried a ilaiighter of Vardy McBee; 

ily, so distinguishcil in the annals nf our Ste.te. R iciiel, who mari'ied Otis; Jason, who married 

He was a native of Ireland, horn on :24tli Moore; Margaret; Charles; Joseph McDo'.ve:'; 

day of Mardi, 1752; came to America and John; Catherine; James; Milton, 

settled in Burke (\)unty about 1773. One of his grandihuighters, Kehecca, was 

He possessed naturally a poweil'ul inlelieet, the wife of the late Washington M. Hardy, 

great decision of character, mie-h ca[>acity for librarian of the pre-e.it, House of Representa- 

basiiiess, quick, resolute, impidsive. He was tives, ( liS71'.) 

consequently a man of prominent character Willi. im M. Cars.m, son of Colonel ,)<diii 

and of much iniiuenee in his cmmiy, and for Carson, liy hks second wife, u'as born Decem- 

maiiy years its leaiiing magistrate. her iJ, 1801. 

In 1805 and 18';(.) he was a member of tlie ile reiUX-scntcid Burice County in 1833 and 

Legislature from iUirke County. . 1840. He had no fondness for political life, 

He lived on liuck Cieek, aecuinulatid a but was desei'vedly very popular, and rceeived 

hirge estate, runl ■aised a large faiidly. He nearl}' a unanimous vote for the Legislature, 

was twice imiiried. His iir,-r wife, as before iJut having id political aspii'ations decliaod 

•-tatcd, was the d,;Ughte!' of •vHmiting" [uiidie sei'\ ice. 

dohn AieDcweil, and their cidldren were He was twice mariled, first to Almyra, 

J:,mes, das '11, doscp'h McDowell, Rebecca, daughter of Samuel Wds)n, of Tennessee; and 

dohn, Charlrs and. Sally. his second wife was Catherine, the widow uf 

His second wife we.s tiie widow of Colonel Samuel P. Carson, daughter of James Wilson, 

Joseph McDowell, who was the daughter of of Tennessee. He lived on Buck Creek, in 



BUKKE COUNTY, 



89 



'.McDowell County, wiiere ho died in tlse fall of 
1862. 

But the most distinguished of this family 
was Samuel 1'. Carson. 

Samuel Price Carson was the eldest son o( 
Colonel John Carson by ins last wife, who 
was the widow of Colonel .)ose[)h .McDowell, 
of the Pleasant Gardens. 

He was horn in tlie county of Burke, on 
the 22d day of January, 1798. 

His life, although short, was an eventful 
one. He entered political life early, and was 
elected to the State Senate in 1822. and again 
in 1824. But this was a iield much too small 
for his aspirations. In 182'), he became a 
candidate for a seat in tbo United States 
Congress. His competitors were the Hon. 
Felix Walker, Hon. Robert B. Vance, and 
Hon. James (iraham. 

Mr. Walker was an old man, and had been 
the member from 1817 to 1823. lie seemed 
highly amused at the idi-a of Carson's aspiring 
to such a position. In his final speech he 
announced Vance and Graham as his com- 
petitors, and added, '-and I'm told there's a 
boy from Burke, who wa(d:< to be a candi- 
date."' 

In their speeches, Vance, who was then Con- 
gressman, and Graham made the usual excuses 
for being candidates. Each had had so many, 
and such strong solicitations, that he was 
unable to resist the juvssure upon him, and 
had at last, as a matter of duty, consented to 
present iiimself. Carson was not looked upon 
as being in the way by either, and idl their 
batteries were turned upon Walker. They 
told the people that at Washington City 
he boarded onl. of town, and w.iUed in; and rid- 
iculed the old man without stint or mercy. 

Carson, when he took the stand, told the 
people that all his friends had solicited him 
not to run, and he was a candidate because he 
icnited to r/o to Coiirjre.is. He treated Mr. Wal- 
ker with the greatest respect; spoke of him as 



u Kevolutionury soldier, and delivered a iiand- 
some eulogy upon iiim. 

.\s the canvass progressed, it became evi- 
dent to ^'anee and Graham, that Carson, al- 
though so young, was not only a candidate, 
but I bat he possessed talents of a high order, 
and was winning hosts of friends. The con- 
test became warm, and l)efore the time for the 
election, Walker, who had been completely 
won by Carson's kind and considerate treat- 
ment, withdrew from the contest and gave 
him the whole weight of his inlluenc^o. 

This decided the contest, ami Carson was 
elected. 

The contest in 1827, between Carson and 
Vance, terminated in an uahapiiy manner. 

Samuel P. Carson's temperament was such 
th:it he could not ijcsai' confinement ; therefore, 
slow, plodding study, was out of the question, 
and regular systematic learning be did not 
possess. Yet his inquiring mind caused him 
to read with avidity whatever came to hand, 
and witli powerful perceptive faculties, and a 
remarkaitl^' teiuici.us memory, he understood 
his sul)ject at a glance, and whatever he read 
he retained, consu(iueutl3' he was a well-in- 
formed man. 

Fond of merriment, with a genial, social 
disposition, and [lossessing great wit, he was a 
delightful companion, and "the soul" of every 
social circle which he entered. 

A great judge of human luiture, he could 
a<hipt himself to every one; and with the most 
ca[itivating manners he won all whom he met. 
Generous to a fault, a man so endowed could 
not be otherwise than innnensely popular with 
the people. And, with a superior intellect^ 
tine conversational powers, a chivalrous sense 
of iionor, and devoted attaeliment to his 
friends, he was as much sought by the great 
as by the more humble. 

L'erba[)S no man ever possessed warmer or 
more devoted friends. 

As a speaker he was argumentative, and his 



90 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

powers of analysis were very great, eiiabliiio' taking his position he told liis second, the Hon-, 
him to make liis sulijeet [)hiin to the must sim- Warren R. Davis, of Sonth Carolina, that he 
pie. At times, not otteii, he would illustrate did not intend to kill him ; tliat he could hit 
a point with anecdote, and always with him anywhere he pleased, (.Carson was a re- 
effect, lie had great command of huiguage, markahly good sliot with a pistol,) and that 
p)0ssessed a jiMwerful imagination, and a charm- he intended otdy to wound hinj. I)a\is re- 

ing voice. Perfectly- free from affectation, self- plied to him that Vance had coinetliere 

]iosscssed, with a manner dignified, easy, and to kill him; that if he only woumled him, au- 

graceful, he liad the p.iwer of swaying the other meeting would he the I'esult, and if he 

feelings of the crowd at will, and often held did not prorinse to tiy to kill him, that he 

his hearers, as if spell-honnd, hy his eloquence. (Davis) could not lie a party in the affair, and 

He was indeed au oi-atur. that he must seek another second. This had 

lie was said to he the l)est impromptu its influence on the mind of if.s prim-ipal, an<l 

.speaker in Congress. a tragic effect. 

The next event to he noticed in this sketch. Their positions Avere taken; tlie word was 

is one which could not hut have saddened the given, and A'ance fell to die in a i'evv hours, 

wlude after life of a man possessing the kind, Carson, like llannlton, was \ei'y much averse 

warm heart, and henevolent feelings of Samuel to duelling, and although on two occasions 

P. Carson. afterwards, he irgreed to act as second in affairs 

In that day, duelling was sustained hy pnl)- of honor, he only accepted the position in each 

lie s;'ntiment,and it heing ruinous to character instance with the hojie and for the purpose of 

to decline a challenge, or to neglect to send effecting an amicable adjustment of the difii- 

oue, niider projier provocation, it was a com- culty, and in li<'.t h instance^ he succeeded, 

mon thing, particularly among gt'ntlemen in In one of the-e, a strong and decided politi- 

political life. cal opponent of Samuel 1'. Carson, evinced 

Dr. Robert D. Vance, Carson's ri\al befoi'e his aiipreriation of the man isy calling on him 

the people, and his conipetittn- in the last two to act as his seroud in a diiKculty with one 

elections for Congress, was a nian of brilliant wliu was l)oth a [lolitiial-and personal tVieud 

talents, and i)ossessed many noble traits of oi' Cai'son. The paities alluded to were the 

character. lie was very popular witli the lion. J)a,vid F. Caldwell and the lion. Charles 

people; and ('arson's own personal friends Fisher, ol' Salisbui-y. In the other, he acted 

esteemed him highly. as second to (lovernor Praucli,of iNorth Caro- 

Unfortunately, passions amused in political liiui, in a dilHcnlty with Governor Forsyth, of 

contests became morl)id with him, and he was Georgia; A rehei', of Virginia, l>eing the friend 

led by them to provoke a challenge in siirh a, of the latter. 

way that Carson could not decline to send it ; General Jackson was t'leeted President of 

this was l)y an insult to his father. The cbal- the United States in the fall of 1828, and on 

lenge was promptl}- accepted. They met at the -Ith of March, 1S2'.), commenced an ad- 

Saluda Gap, on the South Carolina State ministration which will ever bo memorable in 

line. the annals of the country. 

Carson was accompanied to tTie Held liy the In that year Carson was re-elected to Con- 

H<in. David Crockett, and other friends, lie gress. lie and General Jackson belonged to 

shrank from the idea of taking Vanee'.s life; the same [lolitical part3', and a warm and inti- 

and, perfectly cool and self-possessed, before mate personal friendship grew up between 



BURKE CO [TXT Y. 91 

tlu'in, which was destined to l>e tried hrjiolit- Tii noitlier of the States, however, was tlierc 

ieai dissensions that divided jiarties, alienated sneh unanimity among- tite friends of nuilili- 

fi'iends, and came veiy ni'ar dissolvino; tiie cation as to make it pnident, in their judirinent, 

bonds of the Uni(in itself. to aftempt to jiiit it into jiraetieal effect. 

Leadini,- statesmen of the South considered '1'''^' '■l':i"K'N *"", i" t'"^' ndniinistratiun led' 

high rates of tariff upon forei.srn importations t'lom to i.xj.ect a satisfactory moditication c^' 

asdestructive to tlie interests of the non- the obnoxious law,- and during tlie summer of 

manufacturing States. Tiiey regarded it as 182iUheir efforts were directed towards iti- 

exccedingly unjust on the part of the General fl'i«"<!iiiK the public mind in opposition to it. 

Governni^ent to institute such a policy. They "•'''« opponents of the administration hud a 

conceived that no siicli imposition isanthorized «l<'*i'le<l majority in Congress, and tlie Presi- 

by the Constitution of the United States, and ''''-'^ vetoed several Inlls that had been passed 

that any act of (^ongress, providing for the '-.v that body, which were antag.mistie to the 

collection of excessive duties, is in violation views(,f the States Rights party ; ar.d for some 

of the true intent and meaning of that instrn- time there was no open breaeh between Gen- 

ment, and is theref .re " null and void, and no ^''=>' •^'^^'l^-"'"" :i"f^ '"« P^i'-t.'' iViends, and to all 

[.,^y -I apiiearances they \verein harmony. Rut vari- 

„,, , ■ T , ■ T - •''•'■"* disturl)inii- elements :vero in existence 

1 liose wlio entertained those vu'ws retjarded , . , ' 

, • , ,. 1 ,,',., ii'id inl'uences were at work wliieii, by the 

the cause in the fundamental law which , . ' 

,,,,,; , , , end of the second session ot the 21st Congress, 
acknowledges that all powers nut delegated 

,,,,,-, " , the beginning ot 1831, imliealed plainly that 

to the General Government are reserved , " I . 

,. , . there was a dis'ision among the triends of the 

to ttie States ;'.s one ot tlie greatest imiiort- .... 

, , ,..,.,'", adnmnstration. 
ance; and that on its taitblul observance de- 

, , , , , , , Ri the election for members ot (Congress in 

pends llie growtii, devekii'nient and welfare ,„.,,,,, . , , 

,.,.,.".,,, " , . . 18.31, Mr. (-arson was again elected, 

ot th:' individual Mates, and the iierpetuitvof ^ , ^ .,.,", . .. , 

... ■ . j,j ^iig I'resulential election wtucli took 

the L nion. . , , .^ 

place in 183-2, tlie uitia States Rights men 

Li 1824, a vehement but inetlectual oppo..i- i,.,,.-„^. ,,,,f ,.<,nfidenee m General Jackson, re- 

tinn was made in Congre.ss to a protective fnse.l to support him, and there were different 

tariff bill; and when tliat body passed a law parties, some of which possessed great strength, 

increasing the rates of duty, as was done in i„ opposition to him; but the elements of op- 

1828, the whole country became pn.fonndly position were too incongruous to admit of any 

agitated. The delegation in Congress from „„ion between them, and General Jackson 

Siiiitli Carolina held a meeting, and discussed ^as re-elocteil. 

the rjuestion of resigning their seats; and also ^ever had there been rpiestions presented to 

the q.ne.stion of declaring the law to be void, ^\^^ country wliieh involved such interests. 

and of no effect within the State. ^n the 27th of November, of the .same year, 

Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and the Convention of South Carolina met, and 

other Southern States passed resolutions in soon after the Act of Nullification was passed, 

their respective Legislatures, exhibiting their Everywhere the feelings of the people were 

extreme opposition to the measure; and every wrought up to the highest pitch of excitement, 

where throughout the South there were in- Passions were aroused in many places, almost 

dieations of imminent danger of a disruption to a state of frenzy, and to all appearances 

of the Union. civil war was inevitable. 



92 WIIEELEK'S IJEMINISCEXCES. 

Cdiigros-i mot, and by a iiioditicatiou uf the iiianncr which shows tlie kimlly impulsive na- 

tariff, oil was [inured u[i()n the troubled tare of Mr. Carson. At a large public ball, 

waters. Soon all warlike demo;isti'ati(jiis Mr. C'arsou in turning saw Mr. \Vel)Sler, who 

ceased, but still bitterness I'unkled in the was standing with his arms folded in rather 

bosoms of many. an absti'acted manner. Giving way to the 

Sainnel i'. C.ir.-on Ijelievcd that the doctrine impulse of the moment, he immediately- ad- 

of States liiglits contained a vital principle in vaiiced to him with his hand extended, and 

our (Jovernnient, autl was. 'lierefore, one of its said, in his usual hearty nuiniier, "How do 

warmest advocates. A large aiajoiity of the you do, sir V Mr. Wei)ster grasped his hand 

peopile of his district I'egarded the preserv;ition most cordially and exclaimed: "Carson, I al- 

of the Union paramount to every other bless- ways liked you, I knew j'ou to be an honest 

ing, and at the Congressional election which man." And they were friends ever after, 

took jilace in iSoo, he was defeated by the Mr. Carson continued feeble; and indeed, he 

lion, .lames Gi-aham. never regained Ids health. ile passed Ids 

But Mr. Carson liad lost his health, and was time in the ipiiet enjoyment of the so(nety of 
not able to canvass his diotrict. ]jis fi-iends, until the year 18o5, when he re- 
lic never" ap[ieared before the people of his solved to remove to Texas — then struggling 
district again. under tlie o[i[iressions of .Mexico. In that 

Mr. Carson knew tlie strength of General year he visited that country for tlie purpose 

Jackson's prejudices, and the vigoi- of his tern- of selecting a home: and when he returned, he 

per, and l.ieing a ver^- warm personal friend, could not but have been gratilied at thcstrik- 

lelt anxious to know what ills feelings tow ai'ds ing evidence which the people of his native 

liim were after the cluinge in tlieir political county had given of their confidence in him, and 

relations. th ir Idgli esteem. They had elected him, 

Therefore, upon meeting General Jackson's during liis absence, as their mcndier of the 

biother-in-la\'.', immediately after returning to State Convention, which was held that year, 

Waouington, he iiKpiired wdiat the General's 18.3;3. He accept. -d the position, and discharged 

feelings toward liim \vere. lie replied: "liiey the duties with lidelity and acceptalnlity. 

always were to be cjf the kindest sort, he is In the fall of i8-j(J, he removed with his 

fond ot' your com[ian_)'; that he does not dis- family' to the county wduch he had selected; 

li.^e you or Sam lioUston," and the same year was elected member of the 

I'here never seemed the slightest abatement Convention of i'exas, of which G^uieral l)a\id 

iu the warmth of his feelings for Carson, iiis G. Burnett was President, and whic'n created 

invitations to him were just, us freijuent as the iiepublic. 

ever; tbeii' friendly and Svicial relations were Tins was a dark and gloomy houi'. Gladly 

never disturbed in tile slightest degree. When did fcxas welcome such a man as Samuel P. 

in 'w'a^hington City Mr. Carsoii was a genei'ai (jarson. In the iirganization ho was made 

favoiite among tlie Uiembei's of Cmigress, their Secretary of State; and it was owing to his 

relations were \ery kind, and his intercourse intimate acquidntance ami personal }iopularity 

\vith them was very [ileasant. with the public men of the United States he 

A coolne.is occurred between him and the was sent to Washington City to intercede for 

great Daniel W'eiister, which preventtal them the recognition of the Kepubiic among the 

from speaking to each other for three or four nations of the ea.i'th. 

years. It was terminated however, and in a At this time the whole civilized world was 



r.UHKE COUXTY. 93 

shocked at tlic liorril)lc inassaci'c of Alamo, and material as to the McDowell fnmil}', I must 

sympathized \\ith Texas, strng'ffliii,<; acaiiist ai^ain express my thanks to Dr. Michal. 

the immense armies wliich .\Uxico had hiuled Israel Piiikons represented TJiirkc County in 

npon her. Her destruction seemed inevitahle. the Senate in 1808 and 1809. ■with Isaac T. 

I'nder these cir('um.--tances, rei'Ognitinn was Avery and Charles McDowell as colluai^ncs the 

out of the question. But when Texas, on the latter year. 

field of San Jacinto, had scattered the hosts lie was a nati\e of Mecklenhnrg County, of 

of Mexico, and made manifest her al>ilit_y to that part now Caharrus; horn oOth .January, 

maintain herself ai^ainst that power, recoifni- 1780. 

tion hy the I'nited Stairs came, and Mr. ile was theson of Saninel I'ickens, who i). i,- 

Carson, without douht. did niuch towards good service in the Revolutionary war against 

prepai'ing this country i'or it. the lii'itlsh and Tories. 

lie was not al>le much longer to discharge He was educated in Iredell County, ar.d fin- 

the active duties of life. ished his education at Washington College, 

His wife was Catherine, a daughter of I'ennsylvania, where he also completed his law 

James Wilson, of 'fennessoe. to whom he was ^t'ulies. lie was licensed to plead, and settled 

married on the lOtii d;iy of May, 1831. With '" Moiganton. 

her and Ids little dangiitcr, to whom he was He was the Representative in Congress from 

devoted, he spent the most of tlie remainder of ^''i'' 'li^f"''t in 1«!1 to 1817, and was suc- 



his life. 



ceeded hy Hon. i*\'!ix Walker. 



He -lied at Little Rock, Arkansas, in No- ^^^ ''''^'■'- *''"' the waruf 1812, and wasaiirm 

veniher, 1840, leavir.g one daughter, who is •'^upi''>''ter of Madis^.n. 

the wife of Dr. J. McD. Whitson, of Talla- In 1817 he removed to .\labama. and settled 

dc-ga, Alabama, ugreat gi'andson tif •'Hunting'' at St. Stevens, and was iippointcd l>y the 

John McDowell. Trcsident, Register of the Land Ottice. On 

Bur Carson was never the same man after the "'^^ '^^"'^^'^ "*" «»^''''''i<"' l^'i'''', ''C was elected, 

atiair which terminated in the death of the '" '*^-l' Governor of that State, and again in 

feailess and talented Vance, the un.cle of the ^^-^' ''^'"^ '" ^^-''' "'" ^'^^ ^^"■•"^'^^ "^" l^'"- ^'''^''- 

(Jovein... and (4cneral Vance, as he was before "'^'■^' ^^^ "''''-^ appointed Somit »• in Congress 

the tragic event. From a ruddy and robust fi'o'n Alabama. 

con.plexion, his countenance .so expressive of ^^^' '^'="^ api.ointod United States Judge for 

genius and good humor, a frame active and Alabatna, which he declined to accept. In 

buoyant, in Ids pallid cheek, his sunken eye, the fall of 18:20, in consequence of a serious 

and tottering .step, he showed the deep pangs -'ff^'^^ti"" o^" t^^^ li"iS^> he resigned his seat in 

and ravages of remorse. As expre.ssed hy the Senate; he repaired to Cuba, hoping that 

Home in Domi-l-is- ''''^ bealth would be restored by the mild cli- 
mate, where he died 24th A[)ril, 1827.* 
Happy in my mind was he that died. 

For many deaths has the survivor suffered; David Xewland was a native of Burke 
111 tlie wild desert on a rock lie hits, /i i ^ i. i ^.i • loi- 
Or on Some nameless stream's initrodden banks, County, and rei>resented the county m 182o- 
AiulniMnnatesalldayonhis.iuhai|i,y fHte. '27 and '2.S iii the Commons, and in 1830 in 
At times alas! not lu his i)erlect iimid. 

Holds secret converse with hLs dejiarted friend, the Senate. In 1832 he was a candidate for 

And oft at ninlit forsakes liis re tless couch. , • rr t ,-i . i 

To make sad orizons for him he slow. Congress ag,nnst Hon. James Crruham, una 



For the above sketch, and for most of the *l'ickett s Alaljama, 11, 432. 



94 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

believed that lie was fairly elected. It was Ilokleti. in 1871, he succeeded him as Gover- 

iieai'ly a tie in the [lopiilai' vote, and (Ti'ahani's v.or. 

seat was contested by him. The House, uuaMe As a criminal lawyer he had much reputa- 

or unwilling to decide, referred- the election tion; and as a politician, much success, rarely 

back to the people, and (Ti'aham was elected, failing in an election lielbre the people. In 

lie immigrated to Wisconsin, and wasso sac- 1<S72 he was nominated as Governor, and 

cessful in politics that he was elected to the opposed by Judge Merrimou. After a heated 

Legislature, and on sevei'al occasions waschoseu canvass he was elected. 

Speaker. But broken down in fortune and He married the eldest daugliter of Willianr 

■health and hopes, lie went to Washington Cain, and niece of late Judge Ruffin. He 

Cit}', where ln' engaged in " thi; wild hunt for died, after a short illness, at Ilillsboro, on the 

office." AftT fruitless attein[>ts, failing to 11th Kebruary. 1874, and was succeeded as 

obtain any [losition, however menial, he sunk Governor by Hon. C. A. Brogden, of Wayne 

in despair, and on 2tlth December, 1857, his Comity. 

body was found in the Tiber. He had com- p^_ ,, Pearson was one of the most useful 

mitted suicide. .^ij^j patriotic citizens of Burke County, where 

Alas, poor Yorick! 1 knew hiin, Horatio. A j^g ^y^^ born lived and died 

fellow of infinite jest, ami most excelleut humor. ' 

He was an honest and intelligent merchant, 

Todd R. Caldwell was born in Morganton, a skillful financier (president of the branch 
February 19, 1818. His father, John Cald- b^nk of the State,) and one of the most earn- 
well, was a native of Ireland; settled in Mor- g^^, friends of internal imiu'ovenients in the 
ganton in 1800,and became a leading merchant g^ate. From the day he organized the finst 
in that place. stockholders' meeting in 1855, at Salisbury, of 

He was well educated, and graduated at the ^^j Western, N. C, Railroad, and throagh the 

University, 1840, in a largo class, with such .^g.^,.^ ^^.^.^.^ fj^.^t followed, he was the stay 

men as Judge Barnes, Judge Shipp, John W. .^„ j backbone of the belt of counties between 

Cunningiiain, William Johnston, and others, Rowan and Buncombe. What Alorehead was 

with honor. He read law with Governor to the Central, so was Pearson to the Western 

Swain, and was admitted to the bar in 1840, Kailpoad 



and sion attained an extensive practice. 

He entered the arena of politics in 1842, 
and eontinuevl in its exciting pursuit as long 
as he lived. He was an old Line Wliig of the 
strictest sense. 

In 1848 he was one of the electors, and cast 
the vote of the State for Taylor and Filmore. 
On the i)reaking out of the civil war, he was 
the friend of the Union and the foe of seces- 
sion. 

In lSti5, be was elected a delegate to the first 



But it was in pirivate life, as a friend and a 
neighbor, that the traits of his real character 
were most conspiicuons. During the long and 
bloody civil war, although firm in his devotion 
to his native land and people, his house and his 
heart was open to all Confederate wounded sol- 
diers, and an asylum for their widows and 
or[>haiis. Ills death caused a deeper sorrow than 
was ever evinced in our community, and bis 
memor\' — 



Slc-ejis iu blessings. 

State Convention that met after the war. In And has a tomb of orphan tears, 

10P0 1 • 1 1 T ■ 4. .. /I Wept over him. 
I8t)8 he was nominated as Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor on same ticket with Governor Holden, and He left several children to imitate his exam- 
was elected. On deposition of Governor pie and emulate bis virtues. 



CABARRUS COUNTY. 

CITAPTEK TX. 

CABARRUS COUNTY. 



Cabarrus County, during the Revolution and 
before a part of Mecklenburg, sbovved early 
resistance to the powers and oppressions of 
its rulers. The people lost no opportunity 
of opposing the Royal Government. 

I found, in the London Rolls Office, the list 
of persons who were concerned in destroying 
theanununition intended for Governor Tryon's 
army, en route from Charleston to Salisbury, 
in 1771, inclosed in a dispatch from Governor 
Martin; and they arc preserved, as numy of 
the descendants of these bold and patriotic 
men still reside in this section, as follows: 

James Ashmore; Benjamin Cochran; Rt)bcrt 
Caruthers; Robert Pavis; Joshua Iladley ; John 
"White; James White; William White, Jr. 

We present a name worthy of respect and 
remembrance. Our page^ have lieen hitherto 
devoted to the soldier and statesman, but we 
uow dwell upon one who stamped upon his 
day and generation, as a divine, a character 
worthy of all Grecian or Roman fame. 

Rev. John Robinson, D. D.,* was in all re- 
spects one of the highest type of men in mind 
and manners; resplendent in purity and use- 
fulness of his lite; peerless in consecrated 
genius; like Masselon, he was truly the Legate 
of the Skies. He was born in this county, 
near Sugar Creek Church, and received his ac- 
ademic education from Mr. Archibald, and 
completed it at Winnsboro, South Carolina. 
.He was licensed to preach in 1793, and becanie 
one of the most popular and acceptable minis- 
ters of the Presbyterian faith; ho taught 
school for many years, and some of the first 
minds of the country' were developed by his 
learning and assiduity, t These have adorned 



* Historical sketch of Poplar Tent C'lunc'n. by Wm. 
S. Harris. 

t As Governors Owen, rickens. Murphy, and Hon. 
Charles Fisher, D. M. Barriiiger, Col. Daniel Coleman 
and others. 



cvcrv stati(Mi of life; in testimony of their 
grateful appreciation of his services, his 
pupils built a handsome monument, on which 
is a beautiful inscription appropriate to his 
character. And although an ordinary life has 
ehqised since his decease, his memory is still 
cherished by m:iny with attection. 

lie married Mary Baldwin, whose lovely 
character did much to temper the ardent en- 
thusiasm of her husband. Only four children 
reached maturity, two sons and two (laughters. 
llis eldest, Samuel, was adventurous and daring 
in temper. lie participated in the South 
American and Turkish-Grecian struggles, and 
attained command of a splendid ship, which 
was lost at sea in February, 1843, with all 'm 
board. 

Connected with Cabarrus County and the 
church is the name of Rev. Ilezekiah .James 
Balch, who was born at Deer Creek, Harford' 
County, Maryland, in 1748. He was a gifted 
divine and a finished scholar. lie graduated 
at Princeton in 1766, in the same class with 
Waighstill Avery, Oliver Ellswi)rth, of Con- 
necticut, Luther Martin, of Maryland, and 
others. He came to North Carolina in 1761*. 
He was the first pastor of Poplar Tent Church, 
and remained so until his death. He com- 
bined in his character unspotted piety, enthu- 
siasm, and firmness. He was earnest and 
patriotic in the cause of liberty; and took an 
active part with the men of Mecklenburg, to 
which Cabarrus then belonged, in the conven- 
tion that declared Independence on the 20th 
of May, 1775. He did not, however, live to 
see the warmest wish of his heart gratified, 
the independence of his country, for which he 
was ready to give up his life. He died in 
1776. 

In the ancient graveyard of the ven- 
erable Poplar Tent Church, stands a moss- 



cnrretl. 

The i'HiFEK Family. 



9*3 WIIEELEirS RtMINISCEXCES. 

covered momimont wliich bears this iiiscrip- of General John Phifer, (son of Martin and 

^'°"~ Betsy Locke.) He was a usoful man, of deci- 

■ are ^'^i^Kj:^!^ .t ^^"" "*' ^^'^^^^^^ Patriotic and enterprising^ 

Hezekiah Jaiues l'>;ilcli. He oiten represented Cabarrus in the Le^isla- 

first pastorof Pophu- 7ent CoiioTesatitm. and one of ^„,.„ r ' io,..>^ 101- -. • , , ■> 

tlie niioiiial meuil)ers of the Oraiise i resbytery. He ti'ietioni l«0.j to 181i), and wielded great in- 

Wrts licensed a iireacher of the Everlasting Goipel of flncneo in unbli,- •itf-nr<j TTo ■H7.,a .,,> ^"l-, „t i 

the Presl,ytery of Don.^gal in 176(1, and rest?d from his °"'-"^" '" 1'"'^"^ altaiis. tie was an educated 

hibonrs in A. D. 177C; having been Pastor of the Uni- man; graduated at the University in 1709 
ted Congregations of I'ophxr Tent and I^ocky I?iver t ^■ ^ , , , " '"' 

ahont seven years. and died on the 18th October, 18-15, near 

Hewas distingni.-Iiedasoneof aCoininittee of three Po„,.nril * 

wlin prcjiared the I'edaniti(>n of Independence; ^ ""-'""• 
and hiseloqnence. tlie moreeftVctnal from liisacknowl- rp Fiirrr^- «,. P .,>„T^T ^„ ^ n 
edjied Wisdom, i.nrity Of motive, and diointy Of cliarac- ^"'' ^ '^^"" 01' bARRiNUERs OF C.vbarrtis. 
ter, contrihnted mnch to tlie nnanimons ad' ption of t ,1, , p,,,i t> ■ / , 
tliat instnimen- on 2i!th May, 1775. JolHiiaul bai'i'inger, (or as he wrote Ins 

Yet there are some few of mo.lern times "^""°' ''*'"' -=^''''5".'^<'''0 tl'e founder of the 

who alleged that no such e.,nvention ever oc- ^^nuly m ^orth Carolina, was burn in Wartom- 

Imrg, in Germany, on 4th of Juno, 1721. lie 
settled first ni J'ennsylvania, and afterwards 
in Cabarrus, tlieu Mecklenburg, about 17r;0. 

Tlie ancestor of this large family, Mar- When the Kovolution broke out, he took a 

tin I'hifer. (orPiifer,) was a mitive of Switz- decided stand with the o[ipressGd people of 

erland, and emigrated to America; went first Jii« ^tate, and from bis devotion to their cau.se, 

to Pennsylvania, and afterwards came to North 1"- suffered severely, for he was taken prisoner 

Cai-oliua, with the current of German, Irish '^J ' ''© Tories, and carried to 8outii Carolina, 

and Scotch, and settled in the then Mecklen- lie was elected a member of the Legisla- 

burg County. lie was much respected for his turo, the first from Cabarrus after its division 

industry, frugality, and sound sense. He was *'''>'" Mecklenburg in 1793, and was a pi'omi- 

elected in 1777 a mcndier of the Legislature "ent and influential citizen to the day of his 

from Mtcklcniiurg. witli Waightstill Avery as death, which occurred oji 1st January, 1807. 

a colleague in thi' Commons, and John Mc- He married, first, Ann Elizabeth Iseman ; and 

Knitt Alexander in the Sen;,te. He married second, Catlierinc Plackweldei', by whom he 

Margaret Blackwelder. He died in 1789^ had several chiblren, viz: 

leaving three sons. Daniel L. Barringer, born in Mecklen- 

For the (Genealogy of the Phifer Fannly, burg County, October 1st, 1788, studied law, 

sec Appeudi.x. and settled at R^deigli. He was elected a 

The genealogical table h:;s been carefully memlier of the House of Commons from Wake 

comjiiled, ;ind it is believed to be accurate. It County, 1813-'lll-'21 ; and a member of Con- 

emi'iaccs three generations and can be e.\- gress from 182tJ to KS'Jo. 

tended. It presents the members of a hirge Ite removed to Tennessee, and was one of 

family, many of whom are distinguished .for the Presidential electors in 1844, voting for 

their services and talents, :jnd all for their Mr. Clay. He v/as the Speaker of the House 

sterling virtues and exemplary chara.'ters. The of Representatives of that State. He married 

services 'of John Phifer. son of Martin and 

Margaret PlackN^'elder, in the war of the * ^Mach of the materi.U of the sketch of tlie Phifers 

^ ' has Ijeen gathered troni correspondence, and from an 

Ivovolnticm, and in the Councils of the State, excellent article in North Carolina University Maga- 

, 1 1 I, , 1 zinc (Vol. V-, p. -its, November, 1S5G,) entitled A 

de^ ei ve a pcrp< tual 1 en:end)rance; as also those memoir of Colonel John Phifer. 



CABARRUS COUNTY. «)7 

Miss White, sister of Mrs. D. L. Swain, lie Colonel GeorL;;e Alexamler and .Major Tho.-;. 

died October 16th, 1852. -~_ Harris were natives of Cabarrus and officers of 

General Paul Rarringor, the eldest son the Continental line. They both were brave 

by a secoiul marriage, was horn 1778. Here- and true t'oiin-ht nnder the rvc of Washington 

ceived a good Knglish education, and was at Monmouth and Trenton and in t'ho battle 

distinguished tor his lousiness habits and his of Camden, where both were taken i)risonei'S 

Btrong praetical sense. lie was a member of and Harris severely wounded.* 

the House of Commons from 1806 to 1815, and Dr. Charles Harris was born in 1703; while 

in 1822 in the Senate of the Legislature. but a youth pursuing his studies in Charlotte, 

He married a second time, Elizabeth, he jf)ined the corps of cavalry under Genei'al 

daughter of Matthew Hrandon, of Rowan, \V. R. Davie, and rendered good service 

whose family arc distinguished for their abil- under that bra\'e and daring officer. After 

ities, patriotism and love of indejiendence. the war was ()\er ho resunied iiis studies, and 

Matthew Hrandon was a soldier of the be finished his classical as -well as his medical 

Revolution, and was v,ith General Joseph study in riiiladelpliia, under the charge of 

Graham and Colonel Locke in opposing the that eminent professor, Renjaniin Ru«li. On 

advance of the British near Charlotte, when his return he settled first in Salishury, and 

(iraham was severeh' wounded and Locke practised with great success. He then moved 

killed. His relati\-e, William Brandon,. was a to Cabarrus, where be lived a long and useful 

lieutenant in the Continental arm}', and was life, and died in lrS25. 

the tii.st child born south of the Vadkin. L'e He e.-tablished a medical school, and was 

died in Tennessee m 1836, aged ninety-nine eminent as a physician and surgeon. 

3'6^''^- His school was well patronized for more 

General Rarringcr died at Lincolnton (ui tlian forty years; pcrha^.s the only one ever 

June I'Oth, 1844, and his wife followed him established in the State. Among bis pupils 

soon after, (in November of the .same year.) ^vere Dr. Charles Caldwell, formerly a Rrofes- 

For Genealogy vi the J'.arringer family, .see j,,,,.;,, Transylvania University, Louisville, Ken- 

^I'Pendix. tucky. Dr. Robert MeKensie, and Dr. Robert 

Nathaniel Alexander was a native of this B. Vance, member of Congress from Asheville. 

county when yet a portion of Mecklenburg. m^ g„„^ William Shake.speare Harris, was 

His early education was commenced in a hum- ,„„ch esteemed for his talents and worth. He 

hie log cabin at Poplar Tent, near his paternal ,ei)resented Cabarrus in 1840. 

mansion, the Morebead Place, thence he went Kobert Simonton Young was a distiii- 

to Princeton, where he graduated in 1776. He guished, useful and exemplary citizen of tliis 

studied medicine, and was a successful phy- eonnty. Active and patriotic, he was much 

^^'''^"- esteemed. He was an officer in the Confed- 

He represented Mecklenburg in the House grate Army, ami fell in battle near Peters- 

of Commons in 1797, and in the Senate in 1802. bursj in 1864. 

In 1803 he was elected a member of the Sth Ug married first a daughter of John Phifer; 

Congress, 1803- '05. In 1805 he was elected second, a daughter of A. M. Burton. No nobler 

GovernoroftheState,and.servedtillhisdeath, offering was ever laid on the altar of public 

Sth March, 1808. He married a daughter of service. 

Colonel Thos. L'olk. His renu^ins lie in the 

Preslnteriau chui\b yard at Charlotte. *MSS. letters of Win. S. Harris. 



98 WIIEELEK'S KEMIXISCEXCnUS. 

Daniel 'Cnleiiuin, ( horn 2Stli Marcli, 17"J9,) trict. After 'serving for four years he retired 

was horn in Ifowaii Comity; moved to Caliar- from tlie practice, and engaged in construc- 

rus in 1823. tion, with Dr. E. R. Gibson, of tlie North Cnro- 

Educated at Rocky River Academy, con- lina Raih'oad. Appointed to office in the 

ducted by Dr. J. M. Wil.son, father of J. liar- Treasury, in 1871, which position he held 

vey Wil-on, of Charlotte, and finished under until the time of his demise. 

l)v. John Rol)inson, at Poplar Tent, 182o, and He married Maria, daughter of John E. 

the latter part of this year s-ttled at Concord. Mahan, of Concord, and had two sons, William 

In the Spring following lie was elei'ted Clerk M., late Attorney General of J!^^orth Carolina, 

of the County Court, and served till 1828. and Daniel Raymond, who is now a teacher in 

Read law with Judge David F. Caldwell, and the Deaf and Dumb Institution, at city of 

was licensed to practice. In 1830 to '33 he Belville, Province of Ontario, Canada, 

was engrossing clei-k, and lS3i -'35, reading J. .M(;Calili Wiley was borti in Caiiarrus 

clerk of the State Senate. County, in 1806; removed to Bibb County, 

In 1830 he was ap[iointed Third Assistant Alabama, 1836; sei'ved in the army in the war 

Postmaster-Creneral under Amos Kendall, and with Mexico; member of Board of Visitors 

served till -May, 18-11. to West Point; elected Judge of the Eighth 

lie returned home ami resumed his practice Circuit of Alabama 1865; elected member of 

at the bar, and in 1848, was elected by the 39th _ Congress, and in 1871, again elected 

Legislature, Solicitor of the Sixth Judicial Dis- judge. 



CALDWELL COUNTY. 

Caldwell County has no Revolutionary wor- Patterson, worthily enjoyed the regard and 

thies to present, having been formed in 1841, respect of his country. lie died recently, 

I'rom the counties of Burke and Wilkes. But much regretted. 

slie presents a nunilier of names worthy of James C. Harper, who represented the dis- 
regard, trict in 42d Congress (1871-'73;) resides in 

Samuel F. Pattersor. lived and died in this this county. He is a native of Pennsylvania, 

county. He was highly esteemed, and tilled born in Cumberland County, 0th December, 

many positions of much rcsponsildlity with in- 1819; raised in (_)hio on a farm, and settled in 

tegritv and honor. As a linancier he had few this county in 1840, which he represented in 

superiors. He was, in 1836, Treasurer of the the Legislature in 180G and 1868. He in 

State, and President of th.e Raleigh and Gas- Congress, as in the Legislature, was distiu- 

ton Railroad. He was averse to popular [U-o- gui.shed for his clo.se and faithful attention to 

motions, but was elected to the Senate of the his duties, never in the way in obstructing 

State Legislature in 1864. useful legislation, and never out of the way iu 

He married a daughter of General Edmund opposing wild and extravagant measures. 

Jones, long a member of the Legislature from He married Louisa, daughter of Athan AIc- 

Wilkes, and universally respected for his Dowell, and the granddaughter of General 

probity and intelligence. His son, Rufus L. Charles and Grace Greenlee McDowell. The 



CALDWELL COUNTY— CAMDEX COUXTY. 



■99 



patriotic charactor of Grace Greenlee has al- 
read\' been alluded to. 

One of .Mr. Harper's dani>liters, Emma, mar- 
ried Clinton A. Ciily, who was, in 1868, one 
of the Judsjes of the Superior Courts of North 
Carolina. Judge Ciliy is a native of New 
Ilaiupshire, and was iui otiicei' in tlie army of 
the United States during the whole war. lie 
is a nephrw of the Hon. Jonathan Cilly.a dis- 
rt tinguislied member of Congress, who fell 
: February 24, 1838, at BJadejisburg, MaryUxnd, 
in a duel with William J. Graves, of Ken- 
tucky. 

Judge Ciliy, having settled since the war in 
North Carolina, is a standing reproof to the 
idea that meritorious men of northern biith 
are not welcome to tlie State, and an evidence 



that North Carolina appreciates and elevates 
integrity and talent wherever found. 

George Nathaniel Folk resides at Lenoir,—^ 
Caldwell County. He is a native of Isle of 
Wight County, Virginia; born in February, 
18.31. He removed to Watauga County in 
1852, and represented that county in 1856 and 
1861. He entered the Confederate army and 
served two years in the 1st Regiment Xorth 
Carolina Cavahy, and was proniote<l to a colo- 
nelcy of the 6th North Carolina Cavalry. 
Wounded at the battles of Chickamauga, Vine 
Vino, and in East Tennessee. He removed to 
Le-ioir in 1866, and represented that district 
in the Legislature in 1876. He is esteemed as 
an able lawyer, and was Chairman of the Ju- 
diciary C'ommittee. 



CAMDEN COUNTY. 



General Isaac Gregor}- was born, lived and 
died in this county. He was a brave and 
patriotic officer in the Revolutionary army, 
and did some service in the cause of Inde- 
pendence. He was one of the Committee 
of Safety in 177() for the Edenton district, 
and by the rroviucial Congress that met at 
Halifax, April 4, 1776, be was appointed 
one of the Held officers of one of the regi- 
ments of Pasquotank, of w-hich Camden 
was then a part.* He commanded a bri- 
gade of St;ite troops at the ilUfated battle of 
Camden, and was wounded severely. But. he 
was more of a politician than a soldier. He 
was the first Senator from Camden County in 
the Legislature, 1778, in which he was con- 
tinued, with some intermission, until 1796. 

We regret our material is so scant of the 
services and the character of General Gregory. 
He left a sou, General William Gregory, that 

* Autobiography of Lemuel Siiwyer, page 7. 



that many rocolK.'Ct, who was renuu'kable for 
style of dress and tine equipage, which won 
for biiu the sobriquet of " Beau Gregory."' His 
resemblance to General LaFayette was a sub- 
ject of remark by all who knew them both. 

He was fond of gay life and pleasure, 
but not of labor, either mental or physiciil. 
He was a member of the Legislature frt)ni 
I'asquotank in 1828. Sheritt' for some years, 
and postuuister at Elizabeth City. 

Dempsey Burgess, who resided and died in 
this couut3% was also one of the field officers 
appointed lieutenant-colonel with Genera! 
Gregory. He succeeded William Johnson 
Dawson as a member of Congress 1795 and 
1797, and re-elected in 1797 and 1799. 

His brother-in-law, Lemuel Sawyer, born 
1777, died 1852, was one of the moet eccentric 
men and successful politicians who entered 
public life about this time. He was elected 
a member of the Legislature iu 1800. 



100 



WHEELER'S KEMINISCENCES. 



He belonged to a large and distinguished wrote " The Life of John Randolph," his own 

family. His brother Enoch was the first col- biograiahy, " Black Beard," and other produc- 

lector of the customs, appointed in 1791 by tions. His easy disposition, his liberality, and 

Washington, and filled this responsible office his social eccentricities, while they made him 

till his death, in 1827. many friends, brought him, at the close of life, 

He was hern in Carnden County in 1777. to sntfering, if not to want. His life was pro- 
He was educated at Flatbrnsh Academy, on longed beyond its usefulness, if he ever wa« 
Long Island, under charge of Dr. Peter Wil- useful in any capacity. 

son, with such distinguished associates as Wil- His latter days were s|»ent in Washington 

liamand John Duer, Troop and Telfair, of Geor- City. He was another of the many instances 

gia. He studied law, but never made the pro- of persons who, charmed in more prosperous 

fession his oi>ject in life. He preferred the days by the glamor of this gay metropolis, 

giddy pursuits of politics and of pleasure. After feel, as did Madame Maintenon, that "there 

serving a session in the Legislature, he was were a hundred gates b}- which one nuiy enter 

elected one of the electors in 1804 for Presi- Paris, Imt only one by which you sliould leave 

dent, and voted for Jefferson, to whose prin- it." This he realized, fur he died 1852, aged 

ciples and jiolitics he was a constant follower. 75, in Washington, whore he had eked out a 

On the retiring of General Thomas Wynns, precarious existence from the salary of as-mall 

of Hertford County, from Congress in 1807, office in one of the departments.* 

Mr. Sawyer was elected to the I3th Congress His autobiography draws the last melan- 

over William H. Murfree, and from that date choly scene of his life, which, in his own lan- 

to 1829 (with but few intermissions,) he was gusvge — 

re-elected by the people over the most prom- " I have drained the bitter cup of existence 

inent and powerful opponents; amon"- them ff> the dregs. I have no earthly object to live 

^-K, ., r- ,, T 1 II .'^ , t'oi'; nor have I the mcaris to do SO with that 

^^ ere Mr. Murfree, G..veraor Iredell and others, eomfort and ease which alone can recmS 

\V hat was the secret of this extraordinary superannuated infirmity." 

success of twenty years' service it is difficult His nephew, Samuel T. Sawyer, lived in 

to conjecture, for he was not gifted as a Edenton, son of Dr. Matthias E. Sawyer. He 

speaker; he was negligent of his duties, often was a lawyer by profession; often in the Le^jis- 

a whole session passing without liis appearing laturc (1S29 to '32, and in Senate, 1834,) and 

a single day in his seat; eccentric in his con- elected to Congress 1837-'39. 



He was appointed by Mr. Pierce collector of 
Norfolk; he became the editor of the Argus, 
and served as commissary in the late civil 
war. He died in New Jersey, 29th Noveui- 



duct and private life, if not disreputable in 

some instances, as he himself confesses in his 

autobiography. Doubtless his principles, as 

his votes and his speeches in Congress show, 

were of the straightest sect of Democracy, ber, ItOo, aged 65 years.f 

and stern advocate of the rights of States. 

He commenced his political career by vt)ting 

for Jefferson, and ended it by advocating 

Jackson, Van Buren and Polk. 

He had a great fondness for literature, and 



*Froin National Intelligencer, of lotli January, 1852: 
Died.— Suddenly, on Friday, 9th January, 1852. at the 
residence of G. R^ Adams, 11th street, near F, (in Wash- 
ington City,) of a disease of the heart, Hon. Lemuel 
.Sawyer, for many years a member of Congress from 
North Carolina, 
tl^aimian s Biographical Annals. 



CARTERET COUNTY. 101 

ClIAL'TKli X. 
CARTERET COUNTY. 

Tins .■oiiiity has the honor of lu'iiig t1ie first carved (^ii tlic l)ark ofa tree. I) )uhtlo-;s they 

huid sighted by the expedition s, 'lit out under had becouic anr,il«-amatc'd with the native 

the iUispiees (if Sir Walter Ra'oii^h to this, con- Indians, for some of tliese had hhic eye-, and 

tinent. Two sliips, one called "the Tiger," said •' their parents could road from a hi>ok;" 

and the other "the Admiral," commanded by and there are names extant in Carteret .-orres- 

PhilipAmadasatid ArthurBarlowc.afterenter- ponding with the names of White's colony.* 

ing the Ocracoelce Inlet, sailed up the sound, Suhseqnently ( 1712,) the Indians, csjicdally 

and landed on Roanoke Island, viow in Dare tlic Cores and Tuscaroras, waged a. l)Ioo<1y and 

County, in July, 1584. destructive war upon the whites in this region. 

ThG-i.atent from Queen Elizabeth to Sir Much property an.l many lives were destroyed, 

Walter Raleigh, as well as the report of the ;';""'>>^ /l'^;"'^ -f"'"; ^';^""^'''^ '"'"f* 
officers, is recorded in Ilakluyt's Voyages, HI., 
301. 



historian' of the state. His work was pnb- 

lislied in Eondon in 1709. and is considered as 

good authoritv, giving the best descri[iUon of 
No people have a clearer, and more perfect ^. r " -^ ' i ^ ^ * ,. i i,; 

' / _ ' "^ ^North Carolina, its products and natui'ai lus- 



record of history than the people of our state 
From thirj time to the pi-eseiit, it is p 
in veritable and intelligilde languase. 



• ■ tor v. 

From tliirj time to the pi-eseiit, it is preserved ■■ , , i i i i- ii 

.\ '^ Lhwsou s liook has been so highly aiinre 



[> 
iated, that the legislature ordered it be re- 
No fabled fugitives from justice, no Norman pvinted. The original copies are very nsre. 
tyrant with force of arms, no i'izarro bent on ^j^, i^ives a particular account of the man- 
spoil and plunder, Ibrmed the tir.st civilized „g,.,, .,,,^1 eustcuus of the different tribes of 
settlement of our country; but "men, high- Indians of Carolina. The account he gives of 
minded men," under the [leaceful commis- ti,,.;,. (.[-uelty to piisoners is graidiic and terri- 
.sioii of lawful authorit}, and v/itii the cordial l)|^,^;,||d was most fearfully realized by LawsoU' 
consent of the native inhabitants of the in his own iiersou. lie savs: 

"'""*'*'*'' "Their cruelties to their i)risoners are 

•■ were the first that ever burst sueli as none l)ut Devils out of Hell could 

Into that silent scii/' invent. They never miss skniping of them, 

which is to cut the- skin from tlie tem- 

Wli:it a proud record for our contemplation pies, and taking the whole b.cad of hair along 

and pride' ^^'''^'^ ^^- f^O'i'^^times they take the to[p of the 

'■" "" ■ , ^, . skull with it, which thev preserve and carefully 

Connectcu with the name ol Carteret, is a j_.^^,^^ |^^, ^j^^,,,, j-^„. .^ f^.;,pi,y ^,t' their conquest 

tradition th.it this was the refuge of the over their onemie-. Others keep tlieir enemy's 

colonv of White, who was the Governor of teeth which are taken in war, \yhilst others 

,, ". r 1 1 T ^1 i-n> I <• 1 split i.iiie into splinters and stick them into 

ItoanoKC Island In the year l.-,y.), he returned ^|^^ j,',i,o„er's body, yet alive, then they light 

to Carolina, after a visit in England of over tliem which burn like so many torches, aud in. 

a year's duration, but his colony bad di.sap- this manner they make bim dance around a. 

l)eared. ^ ^^^^ iiiiwk's History ot North C'aro'.hia. I.. 100, 

White only discovered the word "Croaton" tH)-. 



102 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

greatfire, every one buffeting ;uid (leriiliiig him and she was full\- armed and equipped with 

till he expires." caiinoii, guns, and men. 

This cruel fate was fearfully realized hy The swiftness of the vessel, the skill with 

Lawson and his negro servant, and would have which she was managed by Bums, his intimate 

Ijeen liy his associiito, the Bardu De Graaf- knowledge of the dreaded and dangerous coast 

fcnreidf, whose life was only saved liy liis fine of Carolina, and the daring of a chosen crew of 

appearance, and because ho wore a gold medal men, soon made the name of Otwa}' Burns a 

which the Indians thought was an indication terror to all the British in American waters. 

of high rank. He captured and destroyed a large number 

Colonel Moore, of whom we have already of English prizes, and amassed fortunes for 

written, idosed this \\ar by marching into himself and his compatriots. 

Carteret, and coiiiph'tely subduing the He brought into Beaufort heavy cargoes of 

savages in a decisive l>attle near the pres- valuables, and established quite a market for 

ent ti'wn of Beaufort. Here, witliin -'the the merchants of all eastern Carolina. His 

sound of the cliurcli-going bells,'" oecured the house was bat a slnu't distance from the pres- 

last desperate struggle of the re<l man in this ent Atlantic Hotel, on the top of which he 

sectii.m fordoniinion over his nati\'e soil, wliich estalilished an ol)sei'vatory, from which he, by 

he could not, and ought not hold. aid of a spy-glass, commanded an extensive 

In 1712, a fort v/as built on Core Sound, view of the ocean. Here would the daring 

named in honor of Governor Hyde, to protect sailor watch and wait, while his ship was kept 

the inhabitants. with a ready crew and anchor tri[)ped. When 

There are many names connected with Car- ever he espied a vessel sailing under English 

teret worthy of record, as the Bells, Fullers, colors, he would hurry up the "Snai> Dragon" 

Bordens,HeUens,Marsballs,Sheppard,Piggots, and pursue the prize. From the sailing quali- 

Wards, and otlaers. ties of his ship, Burns would soon overhaul and 

Otwuy Burns, who represented this county capture the pursued vessel, 
often, (1822 to 1834,) is worthy of oui' mem- Such was the damage done by Captain 
ory. His name is more securely i)reserved in the Burns to the commerce of England, that the 
capital of the County ol' Yancey. He repre- British Council held consultations to devise 
sented Carteret County in the state senate, some meansforhiscapture. Finally, tliey order- 
when (1834) Yancey County was erected, ed the construction of a fast sailing vessel, fully 
Doubtless the C(un[iliinent secui'ed his ready armed, with a large crew, but built as a mer- 
advocacy for its formation. chant ship. This ship met our gallant " tar 

He came to Beaufort IVom Onslow County, heel" on the coast, and by a ruse, captured 

where lie was born, wlien (piite young, and him and his crew without firing a gun. The 

engaged in a seafaring life. He became a cap- Englishman, rigged as a merchantman, with 

tain lui a coasting vessel plying l)etween Beau- his guns concealed as well as his crew, suffered 

fort and INew York. the "Snap Dragon" to run alongside, and 

When the wa)' of 1812 commenced, he oh- hauled down his colors in token of surrender, 

tained from the Go\'eriiment of the Cnited As Bui'iis and his men commenced to board 

States, letters of marque and rejirisal, and the prize, her guns were run out and manned 

built, through the aid of several wealthy per- b\' the crew, who suddenly' appeared on deck, 

sons, as a stock company, a fast sailing ship ; on and the harmless nierchantmaii was presto con- 

her he bestowed the name of " Snap Dragon," verted into a terrible man-of-war, with shotted 



CASWELL COUNTY. 103 

cannon ready to tire. 15nriis, with heai'tfolt daring e.xploits at sea, (about which he was 

cliagrin, was compelled to siii render. Thus he very fond of talking-.) made him a great favor- 

and his crew were taken prisoners. ite of the [jcopie. He was" sudden and <inick 

After the close of the war he was released, in quai'rel, " lull of frolic, fun and .fight, and 

and he returned home. With the character- towards the close of his life became very dis- 

istic extravagance of a sailor, lie squandered sipated. He died in 1849, while in command 

his propert}' and was very poor in the declin- of a light hoaf. His eventful life was so in- 

ing years of his life. His generous qualities terosting that it otice formed the subject of 

and social tcm})cramcnt, with the fame of his a lecture by Governor Swain. 



CHAPTEK XI. 
CASWELL COUNTY. 

This county having l)een formed since our represent them in the as.sembly in 175-i. So 
Declaration of Independence, her revolutionary acceptable were his .'services that he was con- 
history is connected with that of Orange tinned until 1771, being chosen speaker during 
County, from which it was taken. It preserves the last two sessii)Ms. He was the colonel of 
the name of Richard Caswell, who was one the county, and as such eomniiinded the riglit- 
ofthe most active and efficient patriots of wing of Tryon's army at Alamance, May 16, 
that eventi'ul epoch. He was the first gov- 1771. This was his first appearance in the 
ernor after t!ie Ilo3'al governor had left, and profession of arms, which was congenial to 
did great service, not only as governor, but as Jiis iiature, and in which he was destined to 
a soldier and statesman. be so conspicuous. 

He was a native of Maryland; born in Cecil Lilce many other [latriots of that day, they 

County on August 3-, 1729. The year in which forbore, as lung as patience n'ould allow them, 

the Lord I'roprietors of North Carolina sur- the cruelties of the mother country towards 

rendered their charter to the Crown, George the colonies, but when the attempts of Eng- 

11. then being King. laiid to subjugate the liberties of the people 

Mr. Caswell came to North Carolina when became too oppressive he did not hesitate to 
quite a youth to seek fame and fortune. He advocate the rights of the many thus threat- 
was duly appreciated, and appointed clerk of ened by power and oppression. 
Orange County, and dejiuty surveyor of the By the first Provincial Congress that organ- 
colony, ized in opposition to the Royal Government, 

He read law, and practiced it with great (August 2.3th, 1774, at New Berne,) he was, 

success. He settled in Lenoir County, then with William Hooper and Joseph Hewes, ap- 

Dobbs, where he married Mary Mcllweane, pointed delegate to the Continental Congress 

and afterwards he removed to Johnston at Philadelphia, and attended for three years. 

County. The people were not slow to dis- He was looked upon with great respect by 

cern his abilities, and be was elected to the Royal Governor, Martin, and his course 



104 WHEELER'S KE.MI^N^ISCENCES. 

iiiivc Miirtin mncli .■liuLrnn, ;i8 will ;ippe:ir iVoni "Ann,t;-ent IkkI ln_>en dispatched to the iii- 

a ei.ja <.t his di,-;p:itch, dated— terior (•(niiitics of North Carolina to raise 

ti-<),)ps ill tliceoniitry to meet tlie troops cxpect- 

' A"(i ist -liitli, 1775. <?fl tVoiu !']i gland. Tiiree thousand men were 

"Ox Bo.\RD Ciit'isi'.K Sludp-of-wah. expeoted to he raised. 

"Ev(m'v device has l,ee;i practice.! l.v tiir sedi- .■,' '^'''7 liadheen checked, ahont seventeen 

tion-comniittee. to inflame the minds of the ""^'^'^ '}-'?^'^ \\ ilininoton, m an attempt to 

pe<.ph.; and most of all i.v f he retniii ni lihhar.l l'^'.«\"' '"■''^-.^ '''' -tehruary 2<th Alter sns- 

Casuell to tins provincJ, an,l no donl.t will in- ^"'."^"- ^^'?. '""" "^ Captain Donald .VlcLeod, a 

flame it with the extravaij-anl siiiiil .-f that •-'".''"'^ "^'^^'":''' ■""1 "^"'- t"'enty men killed 

darin- asseniMv at I'hiladelphia. At New i""l^V':'''"l^';K ""r forces were dispersed. 

Berne I am eredihlv inf,M-med ii • lia.i the in- . '' ^ ",^ nnlortnnate truth was too .soon con- 

solen.'eto ivpielaald the cn„in,irtee of ,h:,t ^''""^' '^^ H'l' '''''^"'' "^ ¥'; ^^^^^}''^ ^^'•• 

little town n.r sntlVrin- iie^ to remove fi,,i„ < ■'"'I'l'fH. -Mi. !^tuart, and .Mr. ^sichol, who, 

(•]j(-,,,i.,. with great dirncnlty, toniid their \vav to the 

» * * * # Scoi'niou, sloop-of-war, l\ing ai J>riinswiek. 

"1 his man. at his g.,ii,..- to the first eomn-ess. '^'''^ '■"''!'^' ^vas ahout 1,400 u^eii raised; hut tor 

appear,'.! to me t:. 'have <.;nhark.<l wilh re- W''"',"* ^'"^"'"'^15^'^"'".^ i'^ ^'"' '"'''• "''!?. 'y- 

liictancein the cause, that mn.h e.Ntenualed <1'" |^" to al.out ,00, ut them OOO were Iligh- 

hisg::ilt. Xowhcshowshimself a mosi active ''"'''''''• 

tooi ot sedition " " ' K"^' "-'''""'' ex[ircsscs the opinion that 

this little cheek which the loyadists received 

On his return from conuress in tlic sprin-of "'^'O"^'' ii"t have a,ny extensive ill coiisefiuences, 

I — ,, , ■ -i-^ , ' , , , Vet he sutfei's every anguish, nioititication 

liib, his militarv aiidr was rraised at lie ' i r ■ f j. r i.t i j- ,. r i ■ 

and aisa[>pointmeut from the deteat ot his 

alarming state of affairs at Ihmie. The gre.it endeavors.''* 
fleets of England ho\-ered around the coast 



Some controversy- has in late years arisen as 
to whom the honor of the victorv of ,Mo.')re's 



while the whcile regi-n of the Tape E^ai 

swarmed \\-ith disalfeeted and druire: o.i- 

, • 1 1 1 .1 7 • , ,• , Cre k l>iidi;e helonfced, or, at least, whether 

tones, v.'ho had n'athered m st roie.;- lorce t' ' ^ . . 



unite \\-itli Ciinton in suhjugaiing i lie sVa^e 
In c njunction wiih Coh'nel Ei ilinglon. ie 
suninioni-'d the minute \n n wt' Doh'i^ O'Uir.iv, 



the honors shoidd not he divided. Iloeoralile 
(ieorge ]>avis aiid Professor Iluldiai'd were 
0|/pnsed on this question. This shiaild not 



, , ,1 , • , ,, , ,, i> '., afl' et the reputation of eithei- Lilline-ton or 

and met the tones under (hnieral ,\h'J)ona, : 

, ,, , , 1 ,, ■ 1 ,. , .- , Oasev ell; h 't h \\ere hrave p;itiiois, and hotli 

at \!i'ore's( re dv Jlridge. mi !• ehrnary -Jith, '■ 

1770. ;md coniplettdy routed them \vith gi'eat, 

slaughter. 

He received the thanks of tlie I 'roviiicial 

Congress (at Halifax. April 4th. 1776.) lor 

this lu-illi:iiit \ietorv, :ind ^^'.^r it he was pro. 

, , ^ ,, 1 \- 7. ■ T ,, I Cu.swell w:i,- president of tlie Provincial 

moted to the rank ot l)iig;nlier (.enei:d. ' 

n,, ■ , ^,, ,. ,r , ,. 1 1. ■ 1 L- Ce'im'res.s (wlilcli mct at Halifax Kovemher 

Jhis hattle ot .Moore- ( r>ek li'idge \vas ot - ^ 

1-, 1770.) and was one of the (;ommittee tlis.t 



lid theii' d it^'. The facts are that congress 
iluuiked Caswell, and in a iniisunic address 
hy Fr. jicois X. .M;irtin, deliwred sotju after 
this batth', at New Berne, he calls Caswell 
'■ the g;illant commander of .Moore's Creek." 



inlinite imp!irt;ince. as it pie\eiited the ,ju!ie- 
tion I'f the Scotch loyaii-ts wilh the British 
f.U'ces, and the cause of gr.';it illsMinfort r:> 
(ro\'. rimr M;irtin. 

In ;i dispat( h of Goverie r M;irtin lo E ei'd 
(4erm;iine,dated March 2, 1770. ( i i om die liolis 
(_)flice ill Ei'iidmi, never hcfoic [lahlished,) 
G )Vcrnor -\Eirtin says: *CoIonial Cocs., page 224 



formed a state constitution. He w:is elected 
tlie tiri^t governor of the state under the coii- 
stitutioii. ,'!;■ conducted the ship* of state in 
its u.Urieil and perilous voyage with .singular 
lidclity and nnitcliless sagacity during his 
term of office. After tliis expired, his active 



CASWELL COUNTY. Hi.i 

aud patriotic spirit hrooked no ivpose. He iiiiindrr-in-Cliiof in and over the State of 

, ■ . ■ 1 ^ .-fX fi v„,.i u Noitli {'ai'olina, in wljicli ail <rood and licirc 

s;i\v Ills country m daniror, and with tli'o 2\oilh ' , /. .• f ,i " 

J '^ ' ^ p<.'()[ile arc to tal<o notice, and ii;ovcM-n tweni- 

Carolina troops was cnga.ued in the battle ot selves accordinsilv. 

Camden, Amjiist 16, 17S0. " " William Blouxt, 

The .lisordei-ed state of tlu' financvs of the "Speaker of the House of -Commons. 
, ,,..-.• 1,. n -'KiNSTONjTI/'/y 13, l/8o." 
state deninndcd attention, and governor Cas- 
well was elected coniptrolk'r general, wliich With tiic ex'ce|)tion of Caswell, Benjamin 
duties he discharii'cd with greiit ability until VViliianis, (Governor in 1799 and in 1807,) and 
1785, when he wa-^ again elected governor of Governors lieid and Vance, no instance occurs 
the state, an unusual cirrnnistance \\hich in our hi-tory ()f the same person being twice 
jiroves the great acceptability of his services, oleeled to this elevated po.-ition. 
and the grateful appreciation of them ijy the Clovernor Casweli was elected a member of 
state. the Convent ion to meet in Pbiladel[>hiu in 

The foUowina addi-ess on this occasion may .May, 17^7, to i'orm the Constitution of the 

beint>.resting,asshowing how such ceremonials United States. This he declined, 

were comlucted in the good old times of yore. His last public service was as Senator from 

From the journals of the assi ini)ly of the Dobbs County (since divided into Greene and 

State of Xoitb Carolina: Lenoir.) in tlie legislature, wliieli met at Fay- 

ctteville, 1780, of which he was elected 

'^The address of tlu' Speaker of the House g.^i^^,. 

of Conniions, William Blount, on the qualiti- ' ,''^.,' . ,. . , ^ , , 

cation of Govern.or Caswell, .May UJ, 1785. W hile presiding m the senate he was .struck, 

" Mk. IJicH.MU. Caswkll, November 5th, with paralysis, and he died on 

Sip.: Tb.e genera! assembly of the State of the 10th, of that year. 

Korth Carolina, :it their last session, pro- Mr. Gaston informs us that once whilst on a 

ceeded to the choice of a chief magistrate visit to Boston, he called on the illustrious and 

to nresicie over the r.vecaitive department , , t , i i t 

of the .^. ^ei'nment of this ^tate, when you venerable John Adams. In an .nter...ting 

were eleetel by a large majority of both conversation with him as to the revolutionary 

houses; and it uave- me -rcat pleasure that worthies of North Carolina, Mr. Adams asked: 

it falls to nie as Speaker of the House of . ^^here is the family of Richard Caswell? 

Commons, in tlie name ot the rep.resentatives •' 

of the freemen of the state, and in the -pres- for he was, sir, a model man and true patriot, 

enee of tlu'se honorable gentlemen, to call We always looked to Caswell for Morth Cai'o- 

npon yor: to qualify, in pursuance of this, tlu-ir ,j,,.^ „ ^jj^ character is one of which bis 

hiii-hest mark ot iiublic reii'ard, wbn'li can bv ,, , i v ^ i -u- *. 

them, ie shown to the mo.^t worthy citizen. «>""t'T "i«y ^^ell be proud. Not brilliant, 

(The Ljovernor now qualities.) but solid: useful rather than showy; deliber- 

'^To yoi), sir. as the first chief magistrate of ;,te in counsel and decided in action. Mr. .Macon 

this state, we cennmit and deliver the Bill of . +■ ,< fi + , .„r^,.f,,i ,,,,,,, 

^,■ ,. ,.,/-, 4.-^ .• .1 ^■ „ dec are( him one ot " the most powertui men 

Ki^ht- a! (I the Constitution; the one asserting ' 

the ciV! :,nd iiolitical rights of the freemen that ever lived in this or any other country." 

of til' MMiy, the other giving existence to In bis career be closelv resembled the father 

>■'""■' :m(i the present happy form of gov- ^^,. ,^.^ ^„^,„t,,.; if Vi",-inia be proud of her 

ernme r. ; nat the same under voui' 2;nardi:in- ■ , " ,. 

shipn, , l^e sn.-tained,supporte<l, maintained Washington, North Carolina may be ot her 

and p -erved inviolate, and as an emblem of C'asweU. 

that p.) «cr:md aui-hority with which you are Governor Caswell's will is on record in 

inve:-ted. we present vou this sword, and do . i • i ^ i t i o it^t 

annou .cr .„d proclaiin you, Kichard Caswell, I^^noir county, and is dated July 2, 1(8/. 

Esq., Co.eiuor, Captain-General and Com- He left one son and one daughter. Ot bis son 



106 WHEELER'S REMINISCEXCES. 

("Winston) but little is known to ns. His publican part}'. On bis retirin,£f from congress 

dang'hter, Anna, niarrieil twice. First Fon- he resolved to devote himself to bis profession, 

ville'^ and second to William White, who was but the people would not permit him to retire. 

Secretary of State from 1778 to 1811. Mrs. The next year thi^y elected him to represent 

White left three daughters:* the county in the senate, in which position he 

I. Anna, wlio married Governor David L. was continued until his death. The senate 
Swam. each year elected him unanimously its speaker. 

II. Another married General Daniel L. Bar- No one piossessed more popularity. On some 
ringer. occasions he received nearly every vote in 

III. Another married General Boone Felton, Caswell County. 

of Hertford County. (University Magazine As presiding ofRcer of a deliberate body 

IV., 1772.) he was pre-eminent, and scarcely ever ri- 

General Felton was a mitive of Hertford valed. Blessed with a manly person, of 

County, and a man of some wealth and cul- most engaging and bland manners, a (juick 

ture. He represented this county in 1809, and and well balanced mind, an accurate memory 

frequently afterwards. Ten years afterwards and clear and harmonious voice, he was pecu- 

he had a difficulty with his relative and col- liarly qualified for the duties of a speaker, 

league, which was the cause of much excite- As the journals will show, in Congress, the 

ment in the count} . speaker (Mr. Clay) often supplied his own 

The capital town of the county preserves a place by the suljstitution of Mr. Yance}'. His 

name equall}' as illustrious as the nameof Cas- efibrts for the benefit of the state arc monu- 

well, it is that of Bartlett Yancey, who was ments of his greatness as a statesman. The 

liorn, lived and dieil in Caswell County. He was organization of the judiciary; the system of 

educated at the university, although his name finance in the treasury and comptroller's 

doesnot appear among the list of graduates, and offices as also of the common schools, and 

for a time was a tutor in that institution. He other public measures attest his sagacity and 

studied law, and attained great eminence in usefulness. 

the profession. But political life was his He died in the meridian of his life and use- 
jM-oper element, and there he shone conspic- fulness in 1828. This sudden and unexpected 
uous. His first appearance in iiublic life was as a event caused a deep sensation of sorrow 
mendier of the Thirteenth Congress, 1818, -'15, throughout the state. All eyes were turned 
and again in the Fourteenth, (1815,-17.) Here, to him as the .successor of Governor Branch, 
by the solidity of his judgement, the suavity of in the United States Senate. He left five 
his manners, and the extent of his acquirements, daughters: Mrs. McAdden, Mrs. Giles Mebaue, 
he attained a high i)osition among such states- Mrs. Lemuel Mobane, Mrs. Thomas J. AVom- 
men as William Gaston, William K. King, mack and .Mrs. George W. Swep.son; and two 
William II. Murfree, Israel Pickens, Nathaniel sons: Rufns A., who graduated at the nniver- 
Macon, all of whom were his colleagues. He sity, with great credit, in 1829, in the same 
was the firm and fearless supporter of the class with Burton Craige, William Eaton, Dr. 
adnnnistration of Mr. Madison and the re- Sidney X. Johnston and others, he died in 
Richmond, Va., aliout 18-35 ; and Algernon 

*One of Goveruor Caswell's daughters married a flat- Sidney, who was a lawyer, died in 1840. 
Ini. -Ur. John (-iatlm.wlio was a surgeon ni the United -' -^ ' 

(States army, and was massacred at Dade's Defeat by Brobably there are few men, in either public 
the Seniinoles, in Florida, was a grandson of Caswell. . " ,.,. , ■,■,■,. 

Geneial Gatlin was a brother of Dr. Gatliii. or private lite, who occupied during their 



CASWELL COUNTY. 



107 



term of life more of public notice than Komu- 
1ns M. Saunders. 

From the time lie entered the legislature, 
in his 24th year, until his doatli, at which time 
he held the office of judge, he was either in 
office, or an applicant for otlice, or an aspirant 
for position, lie was the son of William 
Saunders, horn in Caswell County, 1791. His 
early education was defective.* He studied 
law, and practiced th.-it profession with suc- 
cess. He early entered political life, which 
was more germane to his tastes than law. From 
1815 to 1820, he was a member of the House 
of Commons, and twice its speaker. In 1821 to 
1827, he was in Congress. In 1828, he was 
elected attorney general, which position he 
filled till 1833, when he was appointed a com- 
niis-sioncr under the French Treaty, in which 
he served till 1835, when he was elected judge, 
which he resigned on being, in 18-10, nominated 
.candidate for governor, but was defeated by 
John M. Morehead. In 1841, elected to Con- 
gress, in which he served until 1846, when he 
was appointed Envoy to Spain, where he ser- 
ved till 1849; and in 1850, he was again elected 
a member of the House of Commons. In 1852, 
elected to House of Commons, and again he 
became Judge of Superior Courts, in which 
office he died, April 21, 1867. 

A good story (says Moore I., 463) is told by 
Judge Badger, of this extraordinary propensity 
for office. Mr. Badger was asked who would 
be the new Bishop, in place of Ives, on that 
prelate's defection to Rome: " I can't tell you 

who it will be, but I am certain Judge 

will be a candidate, a.s he wants everything 
else," replied the great lawyer. 

From History of North Carolina, by J. W. 
Moore, XL, page 98: 

" In 1852-'53, the democrats had a majority 

*From l^iilcigh Star, of March 20, ISl '. The trustees 
of the university of Xorth Ciiroliiia. liave lieen obliged 
to perform the [lainful duty of exi)ellius from the in 
stitution John Allen, of Pitt, Horace B rton, of 
Granville. Jiomulus Saunders, of Caswell Covuity. 
Pavid Stoke, President. 



in the legislature, Init failed to elect a senator 
to succeed Judge Mangnm. U. M. Saunders, 
as usual, was a candidate. He was one of our 
leading men but in.satiable in his thirst for 
office. He was equally profound and adroit 
as a lawyer, greatly respected as a judge, and 
unsurpassed as a stump orator. His four years 
of acquaintance with the formal etiquettcof the 
Sjianish Com't had failed to I'cmove his native 
aTul inherent roughness of manners." 

He was twice married; by his last marriage 
with a daughter of Judge William Johnson, of 
the Supreme Court of the United States, he 
left a son and tvv(.) daughters. 

That Judge Saunders possessed force of 
character and talents, the high positions he 
held are proof. But that he was seltish and 
uncertain in his friendships is admitted. The 
opinion expressed of Goldsmith by Dr. John- 
son was realized by him: " bis friondslii|)S were 
so easily acquired, and so lightly lost, as ren- 
dered them of JHit little consequence to any 
person." As a politician he was able and active, 
but even this character was obscured by the fact 
that he always hoped to be advanced personally-. 
In a memorable contest in 1852 for Senator in 
Congress, when his part}', with a majoi'ity of 
only one or two, and he himself a member of 
the body, nominated James C. Dobbin, than 
whom a purer man did not exist, SaUiiders 
refused to co-o[)erato, bolted the caucus ami 
with his friends, defeated the election of 
Dobbin. t 

In a subsequent contest for the same post he 
again played the same role, and thus defeated 
the election of Bedford Brown, who was the 
choice of the democratic party in 1842-'43, and 
so caused the election nf William H. Haywood, 
whose career as a senator not being successful, 
he resigned. Had Saunders followed the ad- 

tThis has been disputed by some friends of .fudge 
Saunders. We quote from History of North Carolina, 
by John W. >roore, 'page 227 ) 

•' Mr. Dolibin succeeded Governor Graham as Sec- 
retary of the Navy, Mr Dobbin was defeated for 
the United States" Senate by the friends of Judge 
Saunders, and Judge Manguni's term havmg expired, 
the state for the next two years had but one senator." 



108 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

vice of the great Girdiiial of Henry VIII. lie Colonel of a battalion raised in the Ilillsboro 

Wduhl have been a hajiiiier, if not a wiser and district. He was educated at t!)e Bingham 

better man. acadcmv in Orange, and sjient one vear at the 

•■ , I charge thee flmg away ambition. U"i^'^'''«ity. when he conunenced reading law 

By tliat sin fell the angels ; ;uk1 how can man tlien— with Judge Settle, his brother-in-law and 

ihe image of liis maker— liope to win by it '■ . , ■" ' 

finisned nntler Judge Henderson. He was 

AVe would fain have made this sketch more admitted to the Bar in 1827. His success in 

fa\i'rable, but in pen pictures as in portrait tl"- [iractice was flattering, but his tViiiie re.sts 

jiaiutiiig the truth demands a faithful, not a more on his efforts in t he legislature than his 

flattering, likeness. careei' as a jurist. 

Robei't AVilliams was a native of Cas- His flrst ap[iearaiice as a state.Mnaa was 

well County, distingiiish;.d I'or his attain- 'ts a nicmber of the eonveiiiion of 1;>J5 to 

meiits. He was adjutant-general of Noi'th reform the constitution. This was an able 

Cariiiina, and a representative in Congress, body of iiractieed statesmen, aiiil af- 

(Fiftli, Sixth and Seventh Congress) 1797 to forded an admiralde school for tlie young 

18(Jo, and was appointed commissioner of land politician. 'I'bis opjmiuinity was n>>; ne- 

titles in Mississippi Tci'ritory. He was also glected by .Mr. Graves In 1840 he was elected 

the govGrnor of the Tci'ritory of Mi.ssi.ssippi a meinber of the Hou.se, and in 1842 wh mi iie 

from 1805 to 1809. He died in Loui.siana.\ was made speaker. In 1844 he was r,g,iin a 

Marniaduke Williams, who succeeded his member, l)Ut the whig party having a iiuijority, 

brother in Congress, was a native of Caswell elected Mr. Stanley speaker. In 1846 ho was 

County, born in 1772; married Mrs. Agnes returned as a member of the senate. 

Harris, «(■(■ Payne. He was by profession a During this sessi(n) a party move of mueh sig- 

lawyer. Ho represented Caswidl County in nificancc was made to re-distri ct the slate, and 

the state senate in 1802, and the district in opposed by .Mr. Craves. In 1848 he wa . again 

(the Eighth, Ninth and I'eiith Congress) 1803" elected to the senate, when the parties 

180ii. In IMO he removed with his family were evenly balanced, he was elected .-peaker 

to Alabama. He w:is repeatedly elected to notwithstanding. 

the legislature of that state, and was a dele- This was an important session. The 
gate fii.im Tuscaloosa Coui;ty to the eonven- lunatic a.sylum was constructed, and the 
tion which formed the state constitution, lie proposition to make internal imprtn-oments by 
was a candidate for governor and defeated by a railroad connecting the mountains \'> it!i the 
William W. Bibb. Fn 182(> he was a commis- seaboard,invol ving an apiiropriation of -J^jOOOj- 
siouei' to adjust the unsett led accounts between 000. The latter bill [lassod the lower House 
Alabama and Mississippi. In 18:j2 he was hy a close vote, and after a warm and able 
elected judge of the county court, whii h he discussion, which was maintained i.iy both 
resigned, having attained the ivge of seventy, -ides with elo^ience and aliiiity, and listened 
V\Tiich the constitution declared a disqualiflca- to with breathless anxiety hy a cro\\'dcd gal- 
tion in ajudge. He died October 29, 185n. lery, the vote was taken, and stood yeas 24, 

C;d',in Craves was lie,rn in Caswell County, nays 24. The vote was handed by the 

in January, 1804. He was the son of Azariali clerk to the speaker, upon whom all eves were 

(.^ra\'es. His mother was the daughter of now turned; Mr. Graves arose froi.i his 

Cobniel John AVilliams, who took a decided chair, and in a clear and audible voice an- 

[•art ill the revolution, and was Lieutenant- noanccd the cote: " The clerk reports twenty- 



CASWELL COUXTY. 10!) 

fdur ill tlic affirniitivc aiul t\vc>nty-four ill the fnua public life, and moved to Mirisoiiri; hut 

ne','ative. The speaker votes in the afRrina- at'tvr a short time he returned to Nortli Caro- 

tive: the hill has passed the senate." lina, and was again elected a meniher ^f the 

The plaudits were deafenini;, and the session state senate from 1858 to 1862, and in ISOS. He 

of the senate hroken up, without adjourning; died at home December 6th, 1870, lamented 

tumultuous joy came from one side, and sullen by tlie state and nation. 

murmurs from the other. Whatever views His character as a statesman wa-; like 

may now he entertained .if the pdicy of this Bayard's," without fear or reproach." He was 

hnw,it was at the time an act of political suicide distinguished for his firmnchvs and unquestioned 

by Mr. Graves; lie never again appeared in the integrity. ILs friends did n^t claim f<.r him 

legislature. Like Coriolanus, when yielding an e<iual rank in the intellectual power winch 

to the entreaties of his mother, he might say: marked the career of many with whom ho 

" Mother, you may have saved your country, but you was associated, but he was the peer of aiiy in 

have lost your son." integrity, patriotism and purity of life. 

Mr. Graves married Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob Thompson is a native of diswell 

John C. Lea, by whom he had an interesting County; born May 15, 1810. His father, 

family. He died some few years ago. Nicholas Thompson, was a respectabb' and 

Bedford Brown was a native of Caswell, worthy man, wlio bestowed on his son every 

where he lived and died; he was born advantage of education. His early .-^tudic- 

in 1795, a farmer by profession, a patriotic were conducted by .\Ir. Bingham at Hillsboro, 

statesman, and an unflinching advocate of the and finished at the university, where he grad- 

ri"-hts of the state. uated in 1831, in a class with Thomas L. 

^He early embarked on the sea of politics, Clingman, James C. Dobbin, and others; and 

in which he bad a long and successful voy- he was for a time a tutor in the Cdllege. He 

age. He entered ihe House of Commons in studied law with Honorable John .\L Dick, and 

1815. At 'one time (1817,) this county was licensed in 1834, 

sent Bartlett Yancey to the senate, and Kom- The next year be moved to Pontotoc, Mis- 

nlus M. Saunders and Bedford Brown to sissippi, and entered at once upon the practice 

the commons. This was a triumvirate of of the law. 

ability r.ot excelled in the legislators of any He was elected a member of congress from 

other county in the state. Mr. Bn.wn entered Mississippi in 1839, and continued by suc- 

public life at an important epoch in our history, cessive elections in that position until 1851, 

The democratic principles he adopted then when he decline(i a re-uoinination. During 

and there, he maintained through life. He this period he passed though many scenes of 

was elected frequently to the legislature, and extraordinary interest and excitement. Ques- 

in 1828 and 1829 was chosen speaker of the i.ionsof importance were agitated, in which Mr. 

senate. In the latter year he was elected Thompson bore a distinguished part in defend- 

I'nited States Senator to succeed Governor ing the honor of the country and the interests 

r> ranch, who was appointed Secretary of the of his constituents. The sub-treasury, the 

Xavy. Here he served till 1840, when he re- Xew Jersey case, the Mexican war, Mississip^.i 

signed under instructions from the legislature, repudiations, and other questions agitated 

He again entered the legislature in 1842, the nation, 

and was again a candidate for the senate, but He bore himself as a statesman and a 

not elected. He then withdrew for a time patriot. 



110 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



On the resignation of Robert J. Walker mcnt. He and others were arrested by Georire 
as senator, in 1845, to assume the duties of W. Kirk. 



Secretary' of the Treasury under Mr. Polk, he 
was ap))ointed Senator of the United States; 
-but for some reason, he did not accept the 
commission. 

In 1857, he was appointed Secretary of the 



Upon Ids ai>plieation for a writ of liabeas 
cor[:ius, I copy from the records the following: 

''Before Chief Justice Pearson, cr-parte John 
Kerr, at chambers in the rooms of the supreme 
court, August 2nd, 1870. 

'The counsel for the petitioner, upon the re- 



Tnteri\ir by .M''. Buchanan, over which depart- {,„.„ f,f ^\^^^ marshal of the supreme court, and 

ment bo presided with unexampled integrity the communication from George W. Kirk 

and abilit v, rntil tlie great civil war between ^f^'^ ''e^^^ contended that Kirk's response to 

the service of the writ of habeas corpus upon 

the states began, when he resigned, preserving i^;,,^ ^^hat lie held the prisoner under order of 

the resi)ect and regard of his associates When Governor lloldcn,) was insutiiuent upon sev- 

Mississipi.i sei-edod, xMr. Thompson deemed it era! grounds, and that he ought to be attached 

, . , , , ,. n , ,. , TT foi" niakinsi' it. Ilie counsel, thereiore, moved 

his duty to share her fortunes and her fate. He j.^,. .^ ^^.^^^^.^ to have the body of the peti- 

wasemploycil l)v the Confederate government tioiier brouglit before the chief justice, &c." 



as a financial agent, and suftei'ed deeply in the 
wreck of his once princely estate. He now 
resides nea'' Memphis, pursuing the vocation 
of [ilanter. 

He married in 1838, Miss Jones, whose kind 
disposition and genial manners shed a charm 



On this the chief justice delivered the fol- 
Idwiug decision: 

"Tlie motion is not allowed. I can say no 
more tiian I have already said. The power of 
the judiciary is exhausted. I have no posse 
coinii)it(itt(s. In this particular, ray situation 



over every circle. Their only son was in the iliffcrs from tliat of Chief Justice Taney, in 



'Merriman's case.' He had a posic cotnmitntus 
at his command, but considered 'the power of 
judiciary exhausted.' He did not deem it his 
duty to command the marshal with n posse 'to 
storm a fort.' " 

The time has not yet come to comment upon 



Confederate army, and fell in battle. 

John Keri', late one of the judges of the 
superior courts, resided in this county. He 
■was the son of t he lieverend John Kerr, who was 
,in eminent Baptist preacher of great elo- 
quence; h- lopresented the Lynchluirg dis- all these circumstances, yet some of the re- 
trict, Vii-ginia, in the Thirteenth and Four- corded facts may be detailed for future refer- 
teenth Congress. Hi.s son, the subject of our ence. It was, indeed, a fearful epoch in our 
present sketch, was boi'n on Febrniiry 10th, 1811, history wlien the lives and liberties of inno- 
in Pittsylvania Ci)unty, Vii-ginia. Educated cent and wortliy citizens were exposed to the 
at home and at Richniond, lie read law with tender mercies of lawless power. 
Judge Pear.son. He was elected a member of TTiat " the great writ of right " was power- 
the Thirty-third Congress from this less and exhausted in the state struck the 
district; and >vas the whig candidate for gov- whole country with dismay. 
eriior in 1S51, but was defeated by (jov^rnor It forcibly brought to mind the prophetic 
Reid. He' represented Caswell C:-unty in the remarks of Lord Shelburne to Mr. Laurens, of 
legislature in 1 8.58 and ISGO. South Carolina, once our envoy to Holland and 

During ilie civil war, he was employed in liis Pu'esid-ent of Congress, who had Ijeen a prisoner 

professional and agricultural pursuits. Wiien in the Tower ( 1779j for some time; after his re- 

the v.-ar clusod he suffered much tribulation lease, in au interview with England's Secre- 

and in. 'lignity at the hands of those who were tary of State, the following conversation oc- 

atten.pting to reconstruct the state govern- curred: 



CA8WELL COUNTY. Ill 

"I am sorry for your people," said Lord Shcl- to tlic bench of the superior court.-, which ilis- 

huriie, "that thev liave gained their indcpen- tinsjuished post lie lield till Ids death, 

dence." "Why so ?" asked Mr. Laurens._ "We j^^^^ j^^.,.,. ,_^^,, ,,, -,,,,.0^ ,^^g„ app-i'itcd to 

Ensjlish people cnmed it, by centuries ot , , , , , wi 1 \ 

wrangling, years of battle and blood, and con- a seat on the bm,!; by the govcrMor, ( ( lark,) 

tinned it'hy at least fifty acts of parlianioiit," l,nt Judge' Gilliaui was elected by tlit- Icgisla- 

answered his lord.^hip. ' "All this taught the ^^^^.^^ 

nation its inestimable value, and it is so ' . , , . ... 

ingrained in their creed as to become the '^'^^^S^ Iv^-t, m the pahny day o. pohtic, 

foundation of our liberty and no judge or gained much reputation as a skiltul and elo- 

party will ever dare to trample upon it. quent debater; of a kind and social tempera- 

Your people will pick it up, and attempt „„„t, j,, „,,, ^^e who in the tilt and t<u,rha- 
to use It; but having cost them nothing, the} 

will not know how "to appreciate it. At the mcnt of the political arena, so bore hnasult that 

tirst internal feud you will have it trampled "the (.pposer would beware of him." Hut the 

under foot by the lawless power of the major- ,„g]|,3,,.j, . gft-^^.^ of i,ge lessened tbis trait, an<l 

ity; the people will permit It to be done, and ° .■ .^ n .■ ^ \ i 1 1 

away goes your boasted liberty." ^« ^ member ot the BaptKst church, he earned 

"gentle peace" and good will of all. He was 

An application was tlieii made to Judge an earnest advocate of education, one of the 

Brooks, of the United States District Court, trustees of the university, and the pre^ident 

on August 25th, 1870, for a writ. Tbis of the North Carolina Historical Society, 

he caused to be issued against Kirk, "reqnir- He died on September 5th, 1870,. at hi> 

ing him to bring before the court the prisoners home in Reidsville, after a lingering iUnoss 

detained in military custody." of several mDiitb-. 

Governor Graham, Judge Mcrrimon, and K. Connected with the memories of the past, 
H. Battle, jr., appeared for the petitioners, it may not be improper to record the myste- 
whilst the Attorney-General Olds, and Messrs. rious mui'der of John W. Stepli--ns, of this 
J. M. McCorkle and William H. Bailey, a[i- county, which occurred May 21, 1870. Stephens 
peared for the detViidant. On the return made was a native of Guilford County, loru Octo- 
to the writ, by Kirk, and after argument, the her, 1834; one of the disreputable waifs of cir- 
prisoners were released. No case had everoc- cumstance whom the troubled waves of civil 
(. urred that more excited the county. The war brought to the surface. ' He was of low 
course of Judge Brooks was commended, not origin, of dissolute habitsand disreputable char- 
only by public meetings in the state, but in acter. He had been arraigned for petit Larceny 
Baltimore and elsewhere. and other ofienses. His mother was found mur- 
On his return to his home in Elizabeth city, dered in his house in broad daylight, with her 
a perfect ovation by men of all parties awaited throat cut from ear to ear, and no one ever 
him. They expressed their "appreciation of knew, nor did the coroner's jury deciile, by 
his fidelity in er.foiving the law." No con- whom or how the murder was done. Yet, 
(lueringhero,returningfromthe field of victory, this man was, in 1868, elected senator over the 
could have received such applause. It was the Honorable Bedford Brown; and appointed by 
triumph of the law and of justice over misrule the governor, he served as a justice of the 
and oppression. (See sketch of Judge Brooks peace, and was granted a license l>) practice 
in Pasquotank County.) The sufferings and law by Judge A. \V. Tourgee. 
contumely thus endured by Judge Kerr e.x- On Saturday, May 21st, 1870, a meeting 
cited the sincere sympathy of the country, of the conservative party of Caswell County 
and he was elected by the legislature, in 1874, was held in the court house at l^'auceyville to 



112 WHEELER'S REMINISCEXOES. 

nominate candidates for tlie le^-islnturo. knife, two in the throat, tiie other stab on the 

Speeches were made by Samuel P. Hill, Bed- loft (.>f the breast bone, penetrating the cavity 

ford lli'own, and otliors. A large number at- of the chest, inflicted by the iiands of some per- 

tended, among them M'as Steiihens. At night sons unknown; of which wound the said John 

he was missing, and search was made. The W. Stephens died, on May 21st, 1870. between 

next morning, in one of the rooms in the Ijasc- the hours of four and seven o'clock, p. m." 

ment of the court liouse, the dead lioily of A^arions surmises have been made as to the per- 

Stephens was found. The jury of inrpiest re- sons and motives of this mysterious murder, 

ported "tlie death of John W. Stepliens was But no positive evidence was elicited, and per- 

causL'(l 03' a small rope drawn around his neck haps it is only when the secrets of all hearts 

in a noose, and by three stabs with a pocket are known, will the facts be ascertained. 



M;5 



CTTAPTER XII. 

CHATHAM COUNTY. 

There lived in this county during the rovo- bon>' ::!.l M-ized the Governor (Eurke.) and 

lutionai-y war, one of the most daring and des- other [,:ominent whigs, and carried them to 

perate tories that those dangiu-ous times pro- AVilmington as piison crs of war. 

duccd. by the name of David Fanning. lie I atlempted, in the history of K(U-th Caro- 

was born about 1754. in Wake County, and in linn, to give a brief sketch of this noted 

1778 moved to Chatham. The occupation of marauder Viudcr tliC liead of Chathani C(mnty. 

Wilmington by the British troops afforded an Since writing this, I have been so fortunate 

opportunity fu' his nefarious depredations, as to find in manuscript, an ant<'-biography 

One of the earliest sufferers was Charles Shear- writter. by Fanning himself, which is very 

inc, of Deep River, to whose house he went at lengtlir and minute; this has already l)een 

night, and shot him dead as he fled. His publifiiied. He was a refugee after the war 

energy and desperation were appreciated bj- closed, a.nd died in St. Johns, I'rovinee of Kew 

the British authorities, and be was made col- Brunswiek, in 1825. 

onel of the loyal militia, and Major Craig, at Ciiarles Manly, born 1795, died 1871, late 

Wilmington, presented him with a uniform Governor of Korth Carolina, was a native of 

and pisti)ls. this county. 

One of his earliest successes was the capture llis father, Basil Manly, was born and raised 

of Colonel Philip Alston, at his house. In July, in St. Mary's County, Mai'yhmd. II ,■ removed 

1784, be entered Canqibellton, now Fayette- to North Carolina before tlie revu!r,i-on, and 

ville, and ciirried oif Colonel P]imett, Captain seitled ir. Blailen Courity. He was ;^ bold and 

Winslow, and others. On Septendier 12th, active partizan ofiicer, holding the cj iimission 

following, he, with a troop, entered Hills- of captain during that war. 



CHATHAM COUXTV 



113 



He nianiod Elizabeth Maultshy. On iic- 
couiit of ill healtli, ho ixnnoved to Chathaiu 
County, where he died in 18:24, much respectoil 
I'or his high moral eouragc, and his intlexilile 
integrity. Having had hut a limited eduea- 
tion hiuiselt', he felt its importanee and ad- 
vantages, and he devoted all the energies 
of an indnstrioiis and frugal life to the ho- 
stowal of its benelits on his sons. Hl' lived 
to aeeomplish this cherished object of liis life, 
and with liis pious and exemplary wife, a 
woman of great mental endo\vmeMts, to rejoice 
in the happy result of their joint efforts and 
pravers, the eminent success in life of their 
three distinguished sons, Charles Manly, Basil 
Manly, (who graduated at the Siuth Carolina 
university, with the tirst honors of the institu- 
tion, liorn 1798- died at (Greenville, South 
Carolina, 18G8,) and Matthias Evans Manly, of 
New Berne, late judge of the superior and 
of the supreme courts in this state, also elected 
senator in congress, but denied his seat. 

Charles Manly, the eldest son, was born in 
-the County of Chatham, on May 13th, ITl'.J. 
He was prepared for college by that excellent 
classical schohir, the late William Bingham, 
at the Pittsboro academy, and graduated at t he 
university in 1814, with the tirst distinction in 
all his classes. In this class was AaronV. Brown, 
of Tennessee, (member of congress, 1839 to 
1843; Governor of Tennessee, 1844, and Post- 
master-General of the United States, 1857;) 
Hon.s. James Graham, and John Hill, both in 
after life members of congress, and others.* 

The treasurer of the state, the late John 
Haj'wood, attended this commencement, and 
was so attracted by the talents and proficiency 
of this young man, that he engaged him as a 
private tutor for his sons. This position \va.- 
highly advantageous. For besides the advai,t;i^ 
ges of enjoying the regard and society of Mr. 
Haywoe)d, one of the most popular men at 

*For much of this materi;il, I am indebted to a bio- 
graiihica! sketch by James M. Cleaveland. 



that time in the state, and an aseociation with 
prominent and leading men, he was enabled 
to [>ros(!cute the study of the law without 
eutrenehing upon the narrow income ot' his 
father, lie was admitted to the bar in 1816, 
and commenced the practice of law with great 
success. 

On the death of General Robert Williams, 
in whose office he read law, he was appointed 
his successor as treasvirer of the boaril of 
trustees of the university, and in that capacity, 
for a series of years, rendered faithful and 
signal ser\'ice to that venerable institution. 

In 1823, he was appointed, on the motion of 
John Stanley, the reading clerk of the House 
of Commons. The same year, (1823.) he was 
a[ipointed cderk to the commission under the 
treaty of Ghent, to examine the claims of 
American citizens for slaves and other proji- 
erty taken \>y the British, during the war 
of 1812. Langdon I'heves, of South Car- 
olina, and Henry Seawell, of North Carolina, 
were the American commissioners; George 
.Jackson and John .McTavish were the 
British commissioners. The board sat at 
Washingtiin. This was a position m :>.-t de- 
sirable and imiiroving to a young man. afford- 
ing a pa>s-port to the best society at the capital. 
But its duties interfered so much with his 
professional pursuits at home, that he soon 
resigned. 

The Alumni a.ssoeiation of the university 
resolved to have an annual address at each 
cornnieneemeMt, and Mr. Manly delivered the 
first in 1838, which was most acceptable, 
and was considereil a model of chaste and pop- 
ular elocution. 

In 1830, he succeeded that tine specimen of 
'• the old sch.iol gentlemen," Pleasant Hen- 
derson, as principal clerk of the House of Com- 
mons, aiid remained, by continuous elections 
in the san\(,' odice, with one intermission, until 
1848, v.-hen he was elected governor of the 
state. He had never been ambitious in polit- 



114 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

ical preferment. In 1S40, he was elected an ners, and nmgnetic humor. No or.e wasahetter 

elector, and in the electoral college of that year, conversationalist,oi' more abounded in anecdote 

cast the vote of North Carolina for Wil- and reminiscences of men and times. His 

liam II. Harrison and John Tyler. In 1S44, he keen sense of tiie ridiculous, and his inimita- 

was defeated as seiuitor foi' "VVake, Init he filled ble manner of narration, made him a welcome 

various otlier oiKces of confidence and trust guest, and " his flashes of men inient were wont 

with great credit to iiimself, and satisfaction to to set the table on a I'oar;" his wit was never 

the state. Among these positions were direct- used to wound, and left no sting behind. Pond 

or of the state l)ank, a commissioner to sell and of society, his house was the r^'sort of friends 

collect the proceeds of the sale of Cherokee who partook of his unstinted iios[iit;dity. To 

lands in the western part of the state, and the call of misfortune his hand was everopen. 

treasurer of the university-. As a counsellor he was an honest and safe one. 

In the campaign for governor in 1848, the Zealous in the interest of his client, and fair 

election being by popular suflrage, he can- in argument, respectful to the bench, and kind 

vassed the whole state with great satisfaction and considei'ate to the members of the bar, 

to his friends, and with the respect of his op- especially to his younger brethren. But with 

ponents. He was elected by a handsome all his other admirable traits of character, and 

majority; inaugurated governor on January nbove a\],he wasacliri.'^tiantjenllcm;//). He was 

1st, 1849, and served the constitutional for years in fidl communion and membership 

term of two years. In 1850, he was again of the Episcopal church; an admirer of its 

nominated by the whig convention tenets, and a follower of its pi-ecepts. 
was again op]iosed by that able and astute Such was Charles Manly. His latter days 

statesman, David S. Reid, and was defeated, were darkened by the cloud of civil war, and 

Afterwards he retired to private life. With him, the hand of disease. His substance was dis- 

" the sceptre departed " from the whig party poiled, his farms ravaged by hostile hands, and 

for a long time, for after Governor Reid. came his health prostrated. He dieil at Raleigh 

(Jovernors Bragg, Ellis, Clark and Vance. on May 1st, 1871. Like Wolsey 

Governor Manly married in 1817, Charity, '■ Full of repentance, 

daughter of William H. Haywood senior Contin.iecl meditations tears and sorrows. 

^ j^icij VI MDu, ^eijiui. He gave his honors to the world agam 

By this mari'iage he because the brother-in- His blessed part to Heaven, aud slept in peace." 

law of the late William H. Haywood, junior; Christopher Gale resided in Edenton 

senator in congress, (1843,) as also of E. B. and did such service in the defe.ise of the 

Dudley, the first governor of the state under colony that his name should be preserved. 
the amended constitution of 18:;5. We regret that neither traditi-u or record 

As might naturally be supposed, the promi- utfords much information as to his acts and 

nent positions he bad held, especially his long services, and that the dust of time is fast ob- 

connection witli the young and rising genera- scuring the little information we possess, yet 

tiou at the university, and with those in this should encourage others to rescue from 

active life in the legislature, as its principal oblivion bis life and character, 
clerk, and as governor, that he was extensively He was a native of England, bur:i in York 

known to every man of prominence and shire, son of Miles Gale, rector of a church in 

distinction, especially those in the South. He Yorkshire. He came t.) America, and in 1709 

was univerally respected wherever known, and was appointed receiver general, and in 1723 

became a great favorite with his genial man- was appointed one of the council of Governor 



CHATHAM COUNTY, 



115 



George rturrington, witli Tlioums I'ollock, and Craii^c on tlic other, while Roncher circu- 

Francis Forster, John Lovick and otliers; hited quietly among the peojile, and gained 

when he was at the same time chief justice of the votes. He was elected a nieniher of the 

the colony. In 1729, with Colonel John Tweiity-tirst, Twenty-second, Twenty-tiiird, 

Lovick, Edward Mosely, and William Little, Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Congress, 

he was appointed one of the commissioners to (1829 to ISSP.) He was again elected to the 

run the line hetween North Carolina and Vir- Twenty-seventh Congress, (1841 to 1843.) This 

ginia; Colonel William Byrd, Richard Fitz- was a stormy period of our political history. 

William and William nandri<lge, being the Harrison died after being in the presidential 

commissioners for Virginia. The journal of chair one m(»nth, and Tyler succeeded. The 

these commissioners has been preserved and friendsof the party calculated on Tylerpursuing 



printed.* 

William Little, chief justice, married a 
daughter of Judge Gale. He was active in 
resisting the attacks of the Tuscaroras, and 
went to South Carolina for aid, which was 
promptly furnished, and Colonel Moore was 
despatched with a sufficient force to subdue 
them. 

Chistouher Gale died in Edenton, where he 
lies buried, and left a name that was never 
mentioned but with respect. t 

Aliram Rencher resides in Chatham County, 
but was born in AYake about 1804. He fin- 
ished his education at the university where he 
graduated in 1822 In the same class was 
Bishop Davis, AYashington Morrison, and 



a course ditferent from the line he had marked 
out. Mr. Clay and other leaders often assailed 
him with great bitterness. This was a fierce 
and violent contest. A very few of the old 
whigs stood firm, and so they were called "the 
corporal's guard." One of these was Mr. 
Rencher. After his term in congress had ex- 
pired he was appointed, in 18i3 , eli'trge de ajf'aires 
to Portugal, where he remained four years. 

On his return home he took an active part 
in the election of Franklin Pierce, and was one 
of the electors of the state. 

He was made governor of the territory of 
New Mexico, by President Buchanan. 

John M. Mooring, speaker of the present 
house of representatives of the North Carolina 



others. He studied law with Judge Nash, at legislature, (1879,) is a native of Chatham 

IIillsbor(\ County, born March 11th, 1841. He was edu- 

Ile early engaged in political life. In 1829, cated at Graham, and at the university, and 

he was a candidate for the state senate, and would have graduated in the class of 1863 

was defeated; but in the same year, a vacancy had not the civil war prevented. He joined 

occuring in congress from this district, he be- the army as a private in company G, seventh 

came a candidate, with Judge Pearson and regiment, and was sergeant-major at the sur- 



Burton Craige as opponents. This was a strife 
involving much intellectual power, and the 
great question as to the power of the govern- 
ment, and the rights of the state, and other 
topics, were argued b}' Pearson on the one side 



* See W'estover Hss 

tKeconls from Board of Trade; University Magazine, 
volume v., 221.) 



render of Johnson at Greensboro, 1865. He 
studied law, and in 1872 elected member of 
the legislature, and re-elected in 1874, 1876 
and 1878, when he was chosen speaker. He 
is a good speaker, and a laborious member. 
His even touiper, genial disposition, and quick 
preception of jioints of order, render him an 
admirable presiding officer. 



116 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
CHOWAN COUNTY. 



Tills county, in tlio earlier days of the state, 
was the residence of the Ro\'ul governors, and 
its capital town preserves the name of Charles 
Eden, who was governor under the Lord 
Propiietors, from 1713 to 1722. The adminis- 
tratioii of Eden was eminently prosperous. His 
grave is still to be seen on Salmon Creek, in 
Bertie County, and tlie marble bears the in- 
scription tliat he governed the province for 
eight years; that he dietl March 26th, 1722, 
aged forty -nine years. Dining his adminis- 
tration a notorious pirate lived in North Caro- 
lina, and whose name is preserved by "Teach's 
Hole," near Ocracoke Inlet. Inasmuch as at 
this point be was in the habit of careening liis 
vessel, the "Adventure," and it was here, at 
the head of only seventeen inen, he met the 
Virginia naval expedition sent out for his cap- 
ture, of M'honi he killed and wounded thirty 
before he fell — gallantry and conduct worthy 
of a better cause! The reputation of Governor 
Eden suffered by a, supposed intimacy with 
Teach, and he was compelled to lay before the 
council an acc(.)unt of his conduct. 

I copy from a very scarce woi'k, "A General 
History of the 1 iratestrom their tii'st rise and 
settlement to the present time,'" by Charles 
Johnson, fourth edition: London 172G, referred 
to in AValdic's select circulating library, i'hil- 
adelphia, 1883,1., 123; 

"Edward Teach, better known as 'Black- 
iteard,' was born in Bristol, England. He was 
engaged as a private sailor till 1716, when a 
Captain Hornsgold,a noted pirate, placed him in 
command of a sloop which he had made prize 
of. They sailed together for the American coast, 
capturing mnuy ships and plundering them.' 
Alter various cruises they were shipwrecked 
on the coast of North Carolina. Teach hear- 
ing oi' a proclamation by which pirates who 



surrendered were to be pardoned, went with 
twenty of his men to the goveriKjr of the -tate, 
and received certificates of pardon from him. 
But it does not appear that their submission 
was from any reformation, but rather to gain 
time and opportunity for a renewal of their 
nefarious deeds. Teach had .succeeded in cul- 
tivating the kind offices of the governor, and 
soon after brought in, as a prize, a merchant 
ship, which the vice-admiralty court of the 
province awarded as a lawful prize to Teach. 
In June, 1718, he sailed for the Bermudas, and 
took many ships on his vo^-age, among them 
two French .ships, one was loaded with sugar 
and cocoa, and the other in ballast; the latter 
with both crews he released, and the other lie 
brought to North Carolina. Teach and his 
officers claimed them as lawful prizes, and 
made affidavits that they found the prize at 
sea without a smil on board, and the court 
condemned her. The governor (Eden,) re- 
ceived sixty hogsheads of sugar for his part, 
Mr. Kniglit, his secretary, one, and the collec- 
tor of the province twenty. 

"Thus countenanced and protected. Teach 
became most daring, desp'crate and dangerous, 
lie infested the whole coast, particularly the 
waters of Delaware, A^irginia, and the Caro- 
linas. In Novenilier, 1718, Governor Spotts- 
wood, of Virginia, offered a reward of £100 
for Teach, dead or alive. 

"On the 17th of the same month, Lieutenant 
Maynard sailed from Kicipietan, on the James 
river, in search of Blackbeard. On the 31st, 
at the mouth of Ocracoke Inlet, he came in 
sight of the pirate. Blackbeard had been ad- 
vised of this movement by a letter from Mr. 
Knight, Governor Eden's secretary. Ho im- 
mediately prepared for a desperate resistance. 
A terrible conliict ensued in which Blacicbeard 
Was slain, fighting with great fury and desper- 
ation. Maynard sailed up to Bath with the 
head of the pirate nailed to the bowsprit of 
his vessel. A letter was found in the pocket 
of the dead pirate from Kniglit, dated 
November 17th, 1717, a copy of which is 
preserved in Williamson's History of North 
Carolina. When the lieutenant came to Bath 
town lie seized the sugar that the governor 
and his secretary had received from Teach. 



(MIOWAN ("OrXTY. 117 

The statement goes oil to sav 'tliat the gov- 4tli, 1775, showing tliir> si.irit. Tlie coniiiiit- 

ernoi-, aiiprehensive tliat hf iiiiii'lit he called to j^,, ^-ere Kohort Ilaidy, (cliainnan.) Joseiili 

iK-eoant,hecamo ill of a fright ami died in a n^,^^.^,^ l^,l,oi-t Smith. Jasper Cliarlton, dulni 

icw days.' ' Kenihoiigh, William i'.ennet, Chailfs Bonti.dd, 

III an autohiographical sketrh of i'.eiiiaiiiin Thomas Jones, and John (^ree.,.^ 
Franklin, he sa\s that at a very eariy age Kven die menihers of tliv Kpiscopal clinrch, 
(ahout fourteen,") he took a strange fancy for who have been charged hy some as being op- 
poetry, and composed .several pieces, among P"sed to it.dapendence, were iirm and open 
thcm\vrie tu-o ballads, one called tho"Light- against the opiiressionn of the British Govern- 
hon.^e Tragedy," which contained an account nuMit, and resolved to stajid by the Contiuen- 
of the shipwreck of Captain AN^orthifake and tal C\nigre^s. 

his two daughters, the other was a sailor's We present a recv.rd from the proceedings 

song on the capture of the noted pirate called of the vestry of St. Paul's P^piscopal Church, at 

reach or BluckU'nrd. When they had been Edenton, copied by the kindness of Major 

printed, Franklin's brother sent iiini an-und Henry A. Gilliam, now of Kaleiglu 

the town to sell tlieiiK They had a prodigious ,,^ , ,■■,,■■ ii 

, ^ , "We, the undersigned, prote.ssing our alle- 

succcss, as the first event was then recent, and ^..^^^^^ ^^ ^j^^ j^.,,^^^ ^,,,^^ acknowledging the 

created much excitement. constitutional executive power of the govern- 

FoUowino- the sound advice of his father meiit, do solemnly profess and declare, that we 

., • * T-i 1 1 fi „ ,.,;c.f^,.fn.,a do absolutely believe that neither the Parha- 

this great philosopher escaped the m.sfo.tune ^^^^^^ ^^. ^^^^^ Britian, nor any member, or 

of being a poor poet, tor the success of these constituent branch thereof, have a right to 

two ballads had greatly elated his young impose taxes upon these colonies to regulate 

mind, an.lliutlittle'eucouragement was needed t'.e internal policy thereof; and that all at- 

° . tempt^s by fraud or torce to establish and ex- 

to set him permanently to verse making. gj.^-^^ ^^^^^ ^1.^-^^^^ 3^,^^ powers are violations of 

It is due to the truth of history to .say tlie peace and the security of the people, and 

that there was no evidence to implicate Gov- ought to be resisted to the utmost; and that 

,, , . ^, ... , ,. .■ the people of this province, singly and collec- 

ernor Eden in the nefarious transactions ot ^.^.^1^^,^ 1_.^ ,^^^^^^^j ^^^ ^,^^ ^^^^ ,^^^(^ resolutions 

Teach. As to the statement "that he was so j^f ^f^g Continental and Provincial Congress, 

aiiprehensive, and was so frightened, that he because- in both they are fully represented by 

,. , . ,. 1 ,. : ,„,„k". ;„„,.,.,„. f^,v + Ki„ iiersons chosen by themselves. And we do sol- 

diod ill a tew (lavs, is trrossJv m erroi, toriuis ' , , . •• , • ^ ^ . 

"'^ ' >uy , -, ,) ^ , emnly and sincerely promise and engage, under 

was ill 1717, and Giivernor Eden, as appears ^j^^ sanctions of virtue, honor, and tiie sacred 

by the ilate on his tiMiibstone, died live years love of liherty and our countiy, to maintain- 

•ifterward-; '""-^ support all tli& acts and resolutions of the 

,^ ,'. . '""■ . . TT i-i > Ti 1 • *i said Continental and Provincial Congress to 

Tradition points to Iloluday s Island, in the ^j^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^, ^^^^^g^, ^^^^ .^^-y^^^, 

Chowan river, as one of Blaekbeard's haunts, " i^ testimony whereof, we have hereunto 

and the mouth of J'otecasi Creek, where it set our hands, this 19th day of June, 1775. _ 

.1 .1 r.i \r V. ..r;,> ,.;,..,. n. tin^ " Richard Iloskens, Wm. Boyd, David Rice, 

enters the mouth ot the Meherrin n.vei, as the ,^.^^^^^^ Benbury,t Aaron Hill, Jacob Hunter, 

[loint where he buried his spoils. Felatiah Walton, John Beasely, William 

The people of this section were, in the revo- Ilinton, William Bennet, Thomas Bonner, 

iiition, the firm friends of independence, and William Roberts." 
the determined foes to oppression. The North 

Carolina Gazdte, of February 24th, 1775, con- ^'I'^se names are doubtless familiar with 

tains the proceedings of the Committee of ";;:;,,„,„ Records in Holls Office, copied by me. 

Safety for the town ot Edenton, on February fThomas Eenbury was speaker in 1778 to 1784. 



118 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



many yet residing in Edenton. llnw proml 
nia}' they be of !^<> glowing a record! 

The patriotism of the men was ef|Ualled by 
the self denial of the women. 

There was brought from Gibraltar, many 
years ago, a lovelj painting of "a meeting of 
the ladies of Edenton destroying the tea, their 
favorite beverage, when taxed by the English 
Parliament." I saw this picture in the hands 
of Mr. Ahmniug in 1S30. 

The following r,eeord is from Ftirce's Ameri- 
can Archives-. 

'' As wc cannot be inditf'erent on any 'Occa- 
sion that aftVets the peace and happiness of 
onr count}', and as it has been thought neces- 
sary for the public good to enter into several 
particular reso'lves Ijv a meeting of the depu- 
ties of tlie wliole provinice, it is a duty we owe, 
not oni}- to ourselves, hut to our near and dear 
relations, to do everything as far as lies in our 
power to testify to our sincere adherence to the 
same; we, tlierefore, do subscribe this paper 
as a witness to our tixed intention and solemn 
.determinatioiii." 

Sign<?d b\' fifty -six ladies of Edenton, North 
Cai-olina, October 2.3tii, 1771:. 

There are liut few s.x'tinns of the states in 
in which have resided men more illustrious 
for ability, or who have written their names 
more indolilily in the history of their country. 

Among the first of thes3 is Samuel John- 
ston; bill 11 lloo, <licd Iblt). lie was a native 
of Dundee, Scotland, the son of John John- 
ston and Helen Scrymsoui'. His father in 
1736, followed Gabriel Johnston, who was his 
hrother, and who was in I'^4 the governor of 
the province of North Carolina, and after 
whom Johnstmie Count}' is called. He died 
July 17tb, 17o2. 

He was a Scoteliman by birth, a man of 
liberal views, and a iJiysician by profession. 
He married Tenelope, the only child of Gov- 
ernor Eden, and his gi'andson, William John- 
stone Dawson, distinguislicd for his acquire- 
ments and talents, in 1793 represented the 



Edenton district in congress, and with Willie 
Jones, .'oseph McDowell, Thomas Blount and 
James Martin, was on the committee in 1791 
to fi.x a permanent [)lace for the seat of gov- 
ernment. He died in 1798; an event universall}' 
regretted. 

John, his brother, was appointed surve}'- 
or-general of the province, and settled in 
Onsk»w County, whilst the subject of this 
sketch was yet an infant. His advantages of 
education were the best the country afforded. 
He studied law in Edenton, under Thomas 
Barker, ami resided at Ha^'s, near Edenton. 
When only nineteen he was appointed one of 
the clerks of the superior court for the dis- 
trict, and afterwards deputy naval officer for 
the port. 

Although holding this position, ho was the 
ardent and unflinching advocate of the rights 
of the people. 

In 1773, he was appointed with Caswell, 
Harnett and Hooper a committee of corres- 
pondence with the other colonies on the sub- 
ject of the conduct of England towards the 
colonies. 

In a dispatch from Governor Martin to tlie 
Earl of Dartmouth, of September 1st, 1774, he 
tlins speaks of the influence and the character 
of Mr. Johnston : 

" I have known the general a.ssembly to 
sacrifice everything to a faction. 

"four of them, namely Currituck. Perquim- 
ons, Pasquotank and Chowan, send each five 
members; Tyrell, Bertie and Martin send eight, 
besides one tV>r Edenton. These are always 
led by a man or two. They are now aiisolutel}' 
under the guidance of a Air. J(dmstone, who 
is deputy naval officer, and was one of the 
clerks of the superior courts while they existed 
in the province, who, under the prejudices of a 
New England education, is b}' no means a 
friend of the government, having taken a fore- 
most part in all the late opposition, joined with 
the Southern interest, which at pre--ent sup- 
ports a Mr. Ashe. 

•■'Your lordsbiji will not be surprised to hear 
that the people of this province have followed 
the example of the rest of the continent in 



CI low AX COUNTY. 



119 



caballing ami fonniiis; resolutions against the 
lueasuros of the Goveninient."* 

As was to 1)0 expected, (Jovernor M-irtin 
SLispemloil Mr. Johnston from office, which 
drew t'nmi iiim the following dignitiod letter, 
now on tile in the Rolls Oflice in London: 

"Edenton, A^ovembcr 16th, 177."). 

"Silt: L iiave this day had the honor of re- 
ceiving your e.xeellency's letter, signifying tiiat 
you had heen pleased to suspend me from act- 
ing as deputy- to Mr. Turner, in the Naval 
otHce, with the I'easons for such removal, and 
it gives me pleasure that I do not find neglect 
of the duties of ni}' ofHce iu tlie catalogue of 
my crimes; at the same time I hold m_yself 
obliged to you for the polite manner iu which 
you are pleased to express yourself of my i)ri- 
vate character. You will pardon me for saying 
that I had reason to complain of the invidious 
point of view in which you place my public 
transactions, when you state that 'the late 
meeting of the inhabitants of this province at 
llill^boro, was a body of my own creation.' 

'•Your excellency cannot be ignorant tliat I 
was a mere instrument on this occasion, under 
the direction of the people; a people among 
whom I have long resided, wiio have on all 
occasions placed the greatest confidence in me, 
and to whom I am bound b}' gratitude (that 
powerful and inviolate tie in every honest 
miinl,) to render an^' service they can demand 
of me, in defense of what they esteem their 
riglits, at the risk of my life and property. 

"You will further, sir, be pleased to under- 
stand, that I never considered myself in that 
honorable light in which you place me — 'om of 
the Kijitfs .'<erv<nils,^ being entiiely unknown to 
those who liave the disposal of the King's 
favors. I never enjoyed, nor had I right 
to expect, ail}- office under His Majesty. The 
office I held, and for some years exercised under 
the depv.tation of Mr. Turner, was an hon- 
est purchase for which I paid punctual!}' an 
annual sum, and which I shall continue to [lay 
until the expiration of the term for which I 
would have held it, agreeably to our contract. 

" i'ermit me, sir, to add that had all the 
King's servants in this province been as ^vell 
informed as to the disposition of tlie inbaiji- 
tants, as they might have been, or taken the 
same pains to promote peace, good order, and 
obedience to the laws, that I flatter myself I 

*Coloni:il Documents, Rolls Office, p. 184. 



liave done, tiie .source of your excellency's un- 
ceasing lamentations had never existed; or had 
it existed, it would have been in so small a 
degree that e'er this it would have been 
nearl}' exhausted. 

"But, sir, a recapitulation of pasi errors, 
which it is now too late to corroel, would he 
painful to me, and might appear impertinent 
to you; I shall therefore decline the ungracious 
tasic, and by and with all due respect, subscribe 
myself, 

"Your excellency's most 

"obedient, bumble servant, 

" 8.\ .M U KL J IIXSTONE. " 

lie was a member from Chowan in 1775, to 
the provincial congri'ss of the state, and suc- 
ceeded, on the death of .lohn Harvey, as moder- 
ator or [)i'e.sident. 

He was present at Halifax at tiie formation 
of the constitution in November, 177G, and 
although not a member, afforded all the aid 
of his experience iuid ability to develope the 
conservative features of that instrument.. To 
man}' of the principles adopted, he was 
oi)i)Osed, fearing the depai'tui'e from the forms 
long established and practiced was too great 
to be useful. 

In 1780 to 1782, he was a member of the 
Continental Congress. f In 1787, he was elected 
govenor of the state. He was an ardent and 
enthusiastic admirer of tlie constitution of the 
United States, an<l presided at the convention, 
held July 21st, 1788, to consider that instru- 
ment, hut it was rejected by that body. 
In 17j9, he and Benjamin Hawkins were 
elected the first senators ?n>m North Corolina 
in the Congress of the United States: here 
they served till 1798. 

In February, 1800, he was appointed one of 
the judges of the superior courts of law and 
equity, which he resigned in November, 1803. 
Ho died in ISltb 

t While a meuiler of the (.'outinenta! ('oii}i:css he was 
elected to the hif,'h honor of i)resiilent of tlKit IhhIv: but 
he was coui|.i'11p(1 to forego this (li>tine(iiiii lucuuse of 
the condition of his fuKuices. This lonipelleil his re- 
turn to North Carolina, and he had thus to forego 
what was then the hitjhest civil function in America. 
— .Journal of Continental Consrcss- 



120 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

Governor Jolinston wns mentally and lie left two children, Reverend Samuel J. 
physically " eveiy inch a man." His intcllt'ct Johnston, D.D., for years routor of St. Paul's, 
was of the highest order, cultivated hy learn- Edenton, and Sallie Anne, who married James 
ing and experience. His person was imposing, H. Wynns. E.sther Cotten, the only otlier 
of a large and powerful frame, erect and stately child of Godwin Cotton, married in 1804 
in his carriage, and of ii'on will. He joined James Wright Moore, of Virginia. He was 
the graces of the scdiolar with the wisdom of the son of Captain William Edward Moore, 
the statesman.* and was noted for his manlj- and noble pres- 
He was a devoted advoca.to of masoniy, and cnce, and his devotion to field sports. He, too, 
was in 1788, grand master of the oi'der in the died early, leaving one son, Dr. Godwin C. 
state. t Moore, and two daughters, Emeline, who mar- 
He married Frances Catln-art, and had issue, ried first, ])r. N. W. Fletcher, of Virginia; her 
among them James C. Johnston, who lived .second husl)and was Mr. LeVert, of Alabama, 
ncai' Edenton, and died during the war he- and Sarah Matilda, married to Turner F. 
tweeu the states, al)ont 1804, one of the Westray, of Nash, since dead. 
wealthiest men of tlie state. He was so de- The genealogy of the Johnston family: 
cidedly opposed to secession tliat he disin- John Johnston, brotlier to Gabriel John- 
Iierited all his relatives, because they identified ston. Governor North Carolina 1734, married 
themselves witli this war, and left his Helen Scrymsour, and had seven children. I. 
property, amounting to many nnllions, to his Samuel. II. John, married Miss Williams and 
personal friends. At the outbreak of the had the following children: [a] John, mar- 
war he freed his slaves. He was a great ried Cotton, of Hertford County; (/^) Samuel 
admirer of Henry Clay, whose debts, to a large Iredell, university class 182G, rector of St. 
amount, Mv J(din.ston discharged witliout Paul's, Edenton; (c) Sally Ann, married to J. 
Mr. Clay's knowledge; nor was Mr. Clay ever I>. Wynns ; ((i) Elizabeth, married to Philip 
able to ascertain who was his benefactor. His Alston had .six children, and (< ) Anne, mar- 
will was contested by his legal heirs, on the ried to Hunter, no issue. 

ground of his biung nou coiiii>o.s- uniitis. III. Penelope, mari'ied to Parson Stuart, no 
About this time John Johnston, who had, in issue. IV. ,lane, married to George Blair, 
1787, 1788, 1789, represented P.ertie County and had {a) Helen, married to Tredwdl, had 
in the senate, became a citizen of Hertford four children; {/i) William; (r-) Margaret, 
County. He had married Betsey Cotten,daugh- married first to Dr. Hornier, and second to 
ter of Godwin Cotten, of Mullierr_> Grove, and Mr. Sawyer, and had seven children; («/) Sam- 
resided near there. He was of the same name uel, and (r) George, married Miss King, mem- 
and nephew of Governor Johnston, of Chowan, bcr of legislature in 1829. 

He was a man of high culture, but died too V. Anne died unmarried. VI. Isabella died 

3'Oung to attain the traditional prominence unman led. VII. Hannah, married to James 

and usefulness of his family. Iredell, (Judge of the Supreme Court of the 

* University Magazine, V!il., 1. United States, born 1750, died 1799,) and had 

t '-111 the loil'-e room at E.lenton,'- .says Mr. Banks four children: ('0 Thomas; (b) Annie- (,) 

mtheOb-erver," there is a remarkable chair of heavy ^^ , ,,,>t , ^„n„^ ^^"^ 

mahogany, carved with all tlic emblems of masonr.y, Helen, and ((/) James, born 1788. Governor of 

with the words, -'virtuleetsileuto." This chair is the tv- ,.i /-i r i oot t^ -i. i o^ . 

one which Genera] Washinstou occupied at miliains ^'^'■tl> Carolina 1827, I nited States Senator 

?^mf.Vv™;v f' ^^■=*Vl''l'"-"rr'. ''«!'*' '^""»g t'»e revohi- 1828. died 1853, leaving issue. 

tiouary war tor safety. It is a venerable relic, and ' , f^ 

possesses the reverence and regard of all masons." It's stated that this family is a lu'aneh of 



CI low AX COUNTY. 



121 



the house of Aiiiiaiuhile of Scotland. An ilhi- 
sion is made in McRoo's "Life and Correspon- 
dence of James Iredell," to the dorniant claim 
to the Marquisitc of Annamlale, as existinic in 
the Johnston laniily vi' North Carolina nor 
is this claim a myth. 

From a work on genealogy, reliable and \al- 
iiahle, (the Peerage of Scotland, containing an 
historical and genealogioid account of the no- 
hility of that kingdom from their origin to 
the present generation, by Sir Kohert Douglas, 
in quarto, 1813,) I extract the following: 

"George, third Marquis of Annandale, died 
April •29th, 1792. He left an estate of £415,000. 
It is understood that the title devolved on 
James, (third Earl of Hopetown,) who, how- 
ever, did not a.ssume the title but took the 
name of Johnstone in addition to that of 
Hope. It has not been determined whether 
the title of the Marquis of Annandale has 
become extinct, or devolves on the beir male 
general of the family, or who is such heir male 
general. 

''The motto of the f;unily is 'Ntmqiunn von 
paratwi.^ — Vol. I., 77. 

"The Johnston es were a race of brave and 
warlike men, of great aower and authority on 
the borders."— Vol. I.,'70. 

From Family Romance; or, Episodes in the 
Domestic Annals of the Aristocracy of Great 
Britain. A work by Sir Bernard Burke, au- 
thor of the Peerage, &c., fourth edition: Lon- 
don, 1876: 

•'Margaret, Lady Ogiivy, (wife of David, 
Lord Ogiivy and daughter of Sir James Jq]ni- 
stone,) Third Baronet of Westerhall and 
Dame Barbara Murray, was one of the keenest 
supporters of the unfortunate Prince Charles 
Edwanl, when be raised his standard in Scot- 
land in 1744. 

" When the fortunes of Charles apjiroached 
its close, Lord Ogilv}- was unwilling to continue 
liis su|iport, and as the only way of securing 
her hn.sband's attendance at the battle of Cul- 
loden. Lady Ogiivy rode herself with him at 
the head of the clan to the battle field, she 
w:;s beautiful and graceful, and an admirable 
rider. At the close of the day, her husband 
rode breathless up to her, and told her ' the 



battle was lo.st.' Tie escaped to France, where 
he entered the army, and attained the hiirb 
rank of Lieutenant-General under Najjoleon. 
Lady Ogiivy was taken prisoner, tried, con- 
victed, and sentenced to be executed in Edin- 
burgh. She made her escape, by a fearless 
stratagem, to France, where she joined her 
husband; there she died at the early age of 
tbirty-lhree. . She left one son, David, who 
died' without issue, and one daughter who 
nmrricd Sir John Wedderburn, heir of the 
lIou.se of Airlic. 

" She had several talented, distinguished and 
fortunate brothers. Her second brother, Wil- 
liam, married Miss Pulteney, daughter of 
Daniel Pulteney, sole heiress of the Earl of 
P>atb. In consequence of succeeding to her 
innnense fortune Mr. Johstone assumed the 
name of Pulteney. He became Fifth Baronet 
and claimant of the Marquisate of Annandale 
on the death of his eldest brother. Her only 
daughter was created Countess of Bath, died 
without issue. Her vast estates were inherit ed 
by her maternal relatives; the Duke of Cleve- 
land, and Sir Richard Sutton; Sir William 
Johnstone Pulteney, heir in the WeshrhuU 
estate, the American possessicns, and the claimant 
to the Marquisate of Annandale is Sir 
Frederick, the Eighth Baronet, great grand 
son of the third soli of Sir James and Dame 
Barbara. 

" Sir James's fourth son, John, went to India, 
made a fortune, and returned home, where he 
purchased large estates in his native country. 
Alva, ill the County of Clackmannan, and tiie 
Hanging Show, in the County of Selkirk. The 
family of Mr. .lohnstone's only son are numer- 
ous and ju-osperous." Many of them emigrated 
to America; pp. 108 to 173. 

Some members of tliis family were engaged 
in our late internicine war, and fell in batth-. 

Although it is unquestionable as stated by 
Whitman in his work on "American Geneal- 
ogy,'' that any given family in our country, 
claiming to be descended from any distin- 
o-uished English familv of the same name is 
doubtful, and .such claims should be severely 
scrutinized; yet en, ugh has been shown from 
the English authorities of unquestioned reli- 
ability, that the claim of the Johnston fam- 
ily in North Carolina to the title of the Mar- 
quisate of Annandale of Scotland has some 



122 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



fouHdution,aiul iiiiglit re\v;n'd the (lesceiidiuit.s 
in prosecuting tiie claim. 

Joseph Ilewes, horn 1735, died 1770, one of 
the signers of the Dechiration of Independence 
of July 4th, 1776, from North Carolina, was 
long a resident of Edenton. lie was a native 
of New Jersey, and a merchant. 

He was a member of the Colonial Congress 
at New Berne in 1774, and in Ilillshoro in 1775; 
olten a member of the House of Commons, 
and a member of the Continental Congress at 
Philadelphia, 1774 to 1777, and 1779 to 1780. 

He died while in Congress at Philadelphia, 
on November 10th, 1779. He left a large for- 
tune hut no children to inherit it. He was 
possessing in person, and of great amenity of 
manners. His original miniature, beautifidly 
executed, now in the possession of Miss Ire- 
dell, at Charlotte, shows that he was very 
handsome and of amiable countenance. 

Mr. Ilewes was a man of exquisite delicacy 
and retinement; he had been the accepted sui- 
tor of Isabella, the sister of Samuel Johnston. 
She died just previous to her nuptials, and he 
soon followed her to the grave.* 

It is not very complimentary to our state 
pride that neitlier one of the signers of the 
Declaration, as delegates from the state, were 
native sons of North Carolina. William 
Ilouper was a Roston man, Ilewes, a New 
Jersey man, and John Penn, a Virginian. 

Hugh Williamson, born 1735, died 1811), one 
of the signers of the Constitution of the 
United States, from North Carolina, resided 
for a long time in Edenton. 

He was a native of Pennsylvania, born De- 
cember 5th, 1735, at Nottingham, a phy- 
sician by profession. 

He represented the town in 1782, and the 
County of Chowan in 1785, in the legislature. 
In 1782, he was elected by the Provincial 
Congress of Nortli Carolina, a member of the 

*Moore's Historical Sl5;etches of Hertford Co. ntv 
XL, 556. ■^' 



Continental Congress at Philadelphia, and 
served till 1785, and again in 1787-'88. In 
1787 he, with William Blount and Richard 
Dobbs Spaight, was delegate to the conven- 
tion wiiich formed the Constitution uf the 
United States, and their names are appended 
to that immortal instrument. 

From his advocacy of the constitution,which 
was not accepted by North Carolina, he lost 
much popularity. But this was but momen- 
tary, for he represented the Edenton district 
in the Frst and Second Congress in the House 
of Representatives, (1789 to 1793.) 

He served his country faithfully at home and 
abroad; was appointed at the liead of the 
medical staff, liy Governor Caswell and was 
with him at the battle of Camden, 1780. He 
was literary in his tastes, and wrote (1812) a 
History of North Carolina. He died suddenly 
in New York, (where he had removed and 
where he had married,) on May 22d, 1819. 

Stephen Cabarrus, born 1754, died 180S, 
represented Edenton in the legislatui'e from 
1784 to 1787, and the county from 1788 
to 1805, with some intermission, and was an 
acceptable speaker of the House of Commons 
from 1800 to 1805; from him Cabarrus County 
derives its name. He resided and <lied at Pem- 
broke, near Edenton. 

He was a nativu of France, and posse-sed the 
usual great wit and vivacity of his countrymen. 
That he was popular is shown from the re- 
peated elections of the people, and that he 
was a useful member is evident by his long 
service as speaker. He lies buried at Pembroke, 
a large marble slat marks the spot t>f his last 
resting place. It is thus inscribed: 

" In memory of Stephen Cabarrus, who depiu'ted this 
life ou the 4th of August. 18.8, aged fifty-four yeare.'" 

Honorable Chailes Johnson was a useful and 
distinguished citizen of Chowan County. He 
often represented the county- in the senate, 
(1781 to '92,) and in 1782, 1789, was speaker 
of the senate. He represeiited the district in 



CHOWAN COUNTY 



123 



the Seveiitli Congress of tlie United States in 
1801; he died in congress in 1802. His son, 
Charles E. Johnson, represented tliis county 
frequently in the senate. 1817,-'19, 20, whose 
son, Dr. Charles Johnson, was surgeon-general 
of the state in the civil war, and who lived 
and died in Ealeigh. 

Thomas Henbury an early and active 
friend to the cause of the people — one of the 
Committee of Safety in 1775, was also a citi- 
zen of Chowan. He often represented the 
county in the legislature as early as 1774, and 
continued till 1781. He was speaker of the 
house in 1778,-'79,-'80,-'82. At one time 
Chowan County had her sons speakers of iioth 
houses of the asscmldy. One of his descend- 
ants I'epi'esented Chowan Count\' in the legis- 
lature in 18(52, -'f)4, with George M. L. Eure as 
colleague in the senate. 

James Iredell, born 1750, died 1799, one 
of the associate justices of the supreme court 
of the United States, resided in Edenton. 
He was a native of England. 

His father was a prosperous merchant at 
Bristol, eldest son of Francis Iredell, born at 
Lewes, in Sussex County, on October 5th, 1751. 

He came to North Carolina in the fall of 
1708, when only seventeen years old, and held 
the office of deput}' of the port of Edenton 
under his relative Henry Eustace McCullock. 
He was afterwards appointed collector, Feb- 
ruar}- 17th, 1774, by the Crown. He studied 
law, under Governor San)uel Johnston, whose 
sister, H.-innah, he ]^/^^ July 10th, 1773. 

He was licensed ^^^B)er 14th, 1770, and 
soon rose to eniineW^^i his profession. In 
1777, he was elected one of the judges of tlie 
superior courts, which he resigned in 1777. In 
July following he was made attorney general 
b\' Governor Caswell. In 1788, he was a 
member of the convention that met at Hills- 
boro to deliberate on the Constitution of the 
United States, and was the aide, l)ut unsuccess- 
ful, advocate of its adoption. 



Iti February, 1790, he was apjiointed I'y 
(Jeneral Washington, one of the justit-es of the 
supreme court of the United States. 

Full of years and honors he died at Edenton, 
October 20th, 1799. 

His name has been iiidelii)ly written on the 
history of the state, by calling after his name 
one of the most lovely counties of the state. 

Judge Iredell was, as expressed by Chief 
Justice Marshall in a letter to Judge Murphy, 
(October, 1S27,) a man of talents, and of great 
})rofessional worth. 

He left two daughters and one son: his 
death was hastened by his severe labors in 
riding the southern circuit. 

" Repeatedly," sa3-s McCree in his biography, 
" did this devoted public servant, in his stick 
gig, traverse the wide and weary distances 
between Philadelphia and Savannah." "The 
life and correspondence of Judge Iredell, by 
Griffith J. McCree," gives a full and accurate 
account of his character and services. This is 
the best work extract on North Carolina biog- 
raphy. 

James Iredell, junior, born 1788 died 1853, 
son of Judge Iredell, was born, lived and died 
in Edenton. He was liberally educated, a 
graduate of Princeton in 180G, and studied 
law. Both in his legal pursuits and in political 
life he attained great eminence. 

In the war of 1812, he raised a company of 
volunteers and became its captain. His asso- 
ciate and life long friend, Gavin IIogg,was one 
of the lieutenants. He marched with his 
company to Craney Island, near Norfolk, and 
aided in its defense against the Britisii. After 
the war he returned to his profession, of which 
he was a distinguished member. He entered 
public life in 1816 as a member from the town 
of Edenton; (in 1817 and 1818 he was speaker.) 
He was returned to the legislature for many 
years. In March, 1819, he was appointed a 
judge of the superior courts of law and equity, 
which, in the May following, he resigned. In 



124 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

1S27. he was elected Governor of the State of practice embraced the counties of Chowan, 
North Carolina, and the next year was elected Perquimons, Parqiiotatdc, Camden, P>ertie, 
a Senator in Congress, sncceeding Nathaniel Hertford and Martin, T.nt this large and 
Macon. He was succeeded by Judge Mangnm lucrative practice he was compelled to abandon 
as senator in congress. on account of his health. Apprehensive of the 
Ai'ter leaving the senate,where he was hn-ed consumption, he reimired to Philadelphia, 
by his associates, and esteemed by the nation, and consulted Dr. Rush, who prescribed along 
he retired to the practice of his profession, sea voyage. This advice was followed and for 
which the support of a young and increasing three years he was absent, visiting Calcutta 
family deman<led. He was for a time the able and other regions. He returned in restored 
and accurate reporter of the decisions of the health, and resumed his pra.-tice at Edenton. 
supreme court, which are regarded by the pro- Here he continued until his deatli. Ho was 
fession as models of their kind, and autluuity appointed surgeon in the army, which he soon 
in all the courts of the country. declined. lie was one of the first men of his 
Few men who knew Governt.a- Iredell that profession. He wrote much on medical sub- 
did not esteem him; and to his intimate jects, but only a few of his works have been 
friends he WHS an es[iecial favorite. Even in published. Among them were articles on 
the heat of political contests, he never forgot Tetanus, epidemic of 1816, on cholera, on 
the courtesy of life, or the dignity of agentle- scarlatina and on endemic fall and summer 
man. His social habits afiected much of his fever. He was a public spirited citizen and 
usefulness. christian patriot.* 

He married a daughter of Samuel Tread- Gavin Hogg was born in Orange County and 
well collector of Edenton, by whom he had an was distinguished as an advocate He corn- 
interesting and numerous family. One of his meueed the practice of the law in I3ertie 
daughters married Cadwallader Jones, now of County, and removed to Raleigh, where he 
South Carolina; another Griffith McRee, of lived for a long time, and where he died. He 
Wilmington; anotlier Dr. Charles E. Johnson, had few equals and no superiors as a lawyer, 
and another Honorable W. M. Shipp of Char- Hig family was distinguished in the revolu- 
jotte. tion. Governor Martin, the last of the Royal 
Governor Iredell died in Edenton on April Governors, in a dispatcli states: "The council 
13th, 1853. have maintained their loyalty, especially An - 
Dr. James Norcum, one of the most skillful drew Miller, John Hogg, and John Curden."t 
and successful physicians of the county, was Writing of Gavin Hogg, the Economist 
born and lived and died in Chowan County. (December 31st, 1878,) says " that Windsor 
He was l)orii in 1778, educated at the was the starting place of his professional ca- 
academy in Edenton, and studied his profes- reer, where he entered the legal arena, where 
siou under Dr. Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia, ■ he attained fame and f.jrtune; he was a great 
where he graduated in his twentieth year, hiwyer but had no social affinities. He was 
under such medical celebrities as Rush, Wistar, stern and austere. The people respected him 
Shippea and others. He returned home, and for his talents but never loved him as a friend. 
bv his skill and learning soon obtained an His learning and acumen gave him great 
extensive practice. So extensive that he was power and influence His argument in the 
often sent for in consultation from a distance — " ^^^ ^ ^^^^^^^^^ of Dr. Norcum by Dr. S. S. Satchell, 
of more than one hundred miles. His field of is.j2, tColonial Documents, 225. 



CHOWAN COUNTY. 



125 



case of Gregoiy agaiiis^t Hooker's administra- 
tor, is said to be one of the ablest aniong the 
reports of the supreme court, and when lie 
retired from the bar he left no superior. 

Joseph Bloiuit Skinticr, born 1780, died 
1851, distinguished as a lawyer and statesman, 
lived and died in Edenton. He was the 
eldest child of Joshua and Martha Skinner, of 
Harve^-'s Neck. After .^pending some time at 
Princeton C(illege,he read law under Governor 
Samuel Johnston, and attained distinction at 
the bar; so lucrative was his practice that in 
a few years he was the leading counsel in 
every case of importance in his circuit, and 
found himself possessed of ample competency. 
After the labors of iiiore than twenty years, 
he retired from the bar to the more congonial 
pursuits of agriculture; he purchased a farm 
near Edenton where he lived and died. In 
this, as in his profession, he was eminently 
successful. He was a model farmer, and caused 
the waste places in that section to rejoice and 
blossom as the rose. His large farm became 
the admiration of all in that section — beauti- 
ful beyond any other in our state. In other 
pursuits he was equally successful and enter- 
prising. He gave the first impulse in this sec- 
tion to that valuable industry, the herring and 
shad fisheries. Hitherto the fisheries had been 
confined to the Roanoke and Chowan rivers, 
and their triliutaries. They were few in num- 
ber and small in extent. iMr. Skinner, with 
his characteristic energ}-, ventured on the ex- 
periment, then deemed visionary and imprac- 
ticable, and boldly launched his seines on the 
broad and oft vexed Albemarle itself, and suc- 
ceeded beyond his own expectations. His 
example has been followed; previously the 
spring catch was confined to float nets and 
weirs, now the northern shore of the sound is 
literally studded with fisheries, and there are 
numerous seines 2,000 yards long, worked by 
windlass and horse power, creating a large in 
dustry, and adding annually hundreds of 



thousands of dollars to the wealth of this 
section. 

Such a man may empbatioaily i)e styled a 
public benefactor; the people of Chowan re- 
cognized his merits. In 1805 and 1807, be 
was elected a member of the legislature, and 
again in 1814 and 1815. He was a member of 
the convention in 1835 — the most distin- 
guished body of men ever assembled in tlie 
state. 

His course and po.sition in the public councils 
have thus been described by his friend, Judge 
Nash: "Ilis mind and character placed him 
among the ablest men of the legislature — and 
there were many of the highest range of in- 
tellect. Eminently practical, he brought to 
the discussions in that body a fund of knowl- 
edge and facts, and was always listened to 
with profound attention." 

lie died on December 23d, 1851. He mar- 
ried in early life Miss Lowtlier, the great grand 
daugher of Governor Gabriel Johnston, who 
died several years before him, leaving an only 
son and a grandaughter. This son. Major 
Tristam Lowther Skinner, fell in the battle of 
Ellison's Mill. He had several brothers. Rev- 
erend Dr. Thomas II. Skinner, distinguished 
as a Presbyterian divine, and Charles W. 
Skinner. 

Thomas J. Jarvis was born in this county, 
July 18th, 183G, and graduated at Randolph, 
Macon; he studied law and obtained his li- 
cense to practice. During the war between 
the states he served as Captain in the Eighth 
Regiment of North Carolina troops. In the 
constitutional convention of 1865, he served 
as a member, as also in the lower branch of 
the legislature in 1808, in 1870 he was elected 
speaker of that body. Removing to Pitt, he 
was cliusen a delegate to the constitutional 
convention of 1875. In 1876 he was elected 
lieutenant governor of the state for four 
years, 1877 to 1881, but on the election of 
Governor Z. B. Vance to the United States 



126 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

Senate in 1879, he became tlie occupiuit of the We might extend our sketches by recording 

Executive Chair, and in 1880, h}' the suffrages the character, and services of other distin- 

of his people, became their chief magistrate for guished men of Chowan County, " wlio have 

four years. done the state some service," as the Johnsons, 

Augustus Moore, born 1803, died 1851, lived Benlmrys, Coffields, Brownriggs, Haskens, 

and died in Edenton. lie graduated at the Warrens, IL-aths, and others, did the limits 

university in 1824, in a class distingui.shed for of our work allow. But before we close 

ability, compo.sed of B. B. Blume, John Bragg, our sketch we cannot refrain from presenting 

(member of congress from Alabama 1851, and an amusing incident, which, by its humor, 

a judge in that state.) James W. Bryan, Mat- may relieve the dry detail imposed on our 

thias E. Maidy, (judge of the supreme court kind readers. Tlie account is from th^' gifted 

of North Carolina,) David Outlaw, (memiierof pen of ''Traveller." " I will clo.se my letter 

congress 1747 to 1853,) and others; studied by relating a true story of one of Edenton's 

Law with Charles H. Kinny, of Elizabeth City, gifted sons, J)r. Edward Warren, surgeon- 

aud practiced with great success. general of the state during the war, and who 

As an advocate, he had no superior for has been serving a foreign power, and now 

learning, diligence, accumen, or address. He resides in Paris. General Winfield Scott ac- 

was appointed judge of the superior court in cepted an invitation to visit Xag's Head, on 

1848, and presided with great acceptability, one occasion. Dr. Warren (than whom there 

lenrning, and integrity, but resigned the same are few better speakers,) was elected to make 

year. lie died very suddenly at Edenton, in the reception address. As General Scott's 

IS'-^l. coming was doubtful, it was understood that 

He married Miss Armistead and left several if General Scott was on board, it was to be 

children. One of them, William Armistead made known by raising a flag on the boat 

.Moore, late one of the judges of the state, and when a short distance from the wharf at Nag's 

who wore with equal dignity and ability the Head, when the salute would commence. The 

ermine of his illustrious father. immense crowd on the boat at Blackwater, 

William Allen, a representative in congress and business caused General Scott to return to 

from Ohio, 1832, senator from 1837 to 1849, Norfolk, and the steamer went on without him. 

and Governor of Ohio in 1874, was born in Before reaching Nag's Head, it was suggested, 

Edenton, in 1806. and determined " to play a trick on the boys." 

He was the son of Nathaniel Allen, who Colonel John B. Odem, late of N'orthanipton 

represented the borough in the House of Com- County, now of Baltimore, the only living 

mons, in 1802, and was much esteemed for his man in America who not only equalled, hut 

genial qualities and generous di.sposition. He surpassed General Scott in person, air, and 

married a Miss Granbury, and their daughter tigure was .selected to personate cd interim the 

married Mr. Thurman, a iMethodist minister, hero of Lundy's Lane. General Lawrence 8. 

and was the mother of Allen Granbury Thur- Baker, who was also along, kindly furnished a 

Uian, kite a distinguished senator from Ohio, new uniform, epaulettes, chapeau, sword, sjish, 

and president of the senate. &c., to which chapeau was appended a flaming 

As a statesman and politician, Governor plume of red feathers. He " looked every inch 

.\llen enjoyed a world wide reputation, and a King." Colonel Odem was squeezed in the 

North Carolina is proud of her son. He died uniform, for he was "a world too large" for the 

July, 1879, universally loveil and respected. war clothes of General Baker. He played his 



CHOWAN C^OITNTY. 



127 



part to perfection, with foliled arms lio was 
stationed near the jiilot house and received 
" the upturned sea of faces " witii the dignity 
of a hero. As the hoat neared the wharf tiie 
flag was raised, loud cheers followed, and 
cannon after cannon runj^ out a cordial 
welcome. When the hoat gained the wharf, 
Colonel Odeni took oft" his chapeau and made 
a graceful and dignified ))0W. Then Dr. 
Warren mounted a harrel on the wharf, and 
with a loud voice comnieneed; "General 
Scott, we welcome you to North Carolina! 
We hail you with delight and glory, as the hero 
of Chippewa, Cerro Gordo, Lundy's Lane, and 
Mexico, the greatest living representative of 
the warrior, and the hero of two glorious 
wars. Like our Washingtoi:, without a model 
and without an equal, ' none I'ut thyself can 
he thy parallel.' " lie thus continued for ten 
minutes, making one of the most beautiful 
reception epieeches, which captivated his audi- 
ence. They expressed their admiration b}' loud 
and continued cheers. Now for General Scott. 
Colonel Odem, who stammers a little at times, 
and was evidently overcome, replied as fol- 
lows: 

" Gent-gentle-nien; if, if, I, I, were Gen- 
General Scott; (which he pronounced Scart, 
witli a slight hiss,) I would make you a speech- 
a speech. But I am not General Scart, Scart, 
I am only John B. Odem, -John B. Odem; 
and I shan't do it." 

" The crowd were furious, and madness ruled 
the hour; some were for throwing him over- 
board, unif<n'm, fcatlieis and all; some cried 
'kill him, kill him, for he has fooled us all.' 
But Major Henry IL (William, who was the mar- 
plot of the whole matter, and who knows very 
well how to get a fellow out of a bad scrape 
either in court, or out of court, interpiosed. 
He said, ' boys, hold on, what are 3-ou mad 
about? Warren has given us as a good speech 
as you ever heard. I propose to wash it down 
in champagne: come up to the hotel, it is my 
treat.' This was unanimously agreetl to, and 
the crowd went to the hotel; the first order 
was for six baskets, and how many more has 
not been ascertained. At any rate there was 



not a bottle to be found, until the next boat 
from Norfolk brought a fresh supply."* 

This section of the state suifered sadly from 
the ravages of warfare, for after the fall of 
Roanoke Island the sounds and navigable 
rivers were open to the enemy's gunboats. 
These coasted up and down, and bore oft' the 
means and necessaries of life, living freights 
of t'ugitive negroes, and the low and skulking 
butt'aloes. These were shameless and mean 
whites, who turned traitors to their friends, 
and betrayed tluun to their unrelenting foes. 
These were held in abliorence and contempt. 
They established a stronghold at Wingfield — 
the lovely homesteatl for 3'ears of the Brow- 
rigg family, previously occupied by Dr. Dillard, 
but the Buftaloes took possession, and the s[ia- 
cious halls, once the scene of elegance and 
beauty, were occupied by a foul and cowardly 
crew, who became such an intolerable nui- 
sance that the building was iired. 

These miscreants plundered all alike, tlie 
plate and pianos of the rich, as also the poultry 
and bread stuft' of the poor. 

The conduct of the colored population con- 
trasted most honorably with tlie conduct of 
their professed friends, and is recorded to 
their und3ing credit. While every white 
man capable of bearing arms was in the field, 
the colored men remained at home cultivating 
the crops for the support of the helpless white 
women and their children. Although free- 
dom, plunder, and every allurement was lield 
out to them to leave their old homes and their 
old masters, many of them utterly refused, 
ami nmny of them became warmly attached 
to the cause of their struggling masters. 
Moore, from whom I quote, states that in 
December, 18C2, at Fort Warren, the humane 
federal commander. Colonel Dimmick, of- 
fei'ed to release two colored men from cap- 
tivit}', William, the servant of Captain 

* Raleigh Observer. 



128 



WHEELER'8 REMINISCENCES. 



Clements, and Brooks, tlie servant of Cap- sent his man, Harvey, through the country, 

tain Sparrow, upon their taking the oath of then swarminiz; with federal troops, to his 

allegiance. wife with two valuable horses and a consider- 

They spurned the offer, and remained to able amount of money. Harvey had every 

share the fallen fortunes of their old friends indueeuient and opportunity offered to desert 

and the playmates of their youth. Major his service, but he proved faithful to his trust, 

Moore relates the fact that, when in command and returned to his master before his furlough 

of the Third North Carolina Battalion, he had expired. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
CRAVEN COUNTY. 



^ Craven County, like C^howan, contained 
many patriotic spirits of the early age of the 
state, and presents a glowing record of history. 
Around its venerable metropolis, New Berne, 
are clustered many memories of rare interest. 
Here landed the J'alatincs, led by the Baron 
DeGraaffenreidt, from Switzerlatid. The name 
of New Berne was bestowed by them in re- 
membrance of the vine clad hills of tb.eir na- 
tive land. 

Here, for a hmg tiriie, was the seat of the 
Royal government, and from here were the 
affairs of the colony directed 1)y the long and 
gentle rule of Governor Dobl)s, and here his 
successor, Governor Tryoii, held his vice-regal 
court, and erected a mansion more palatial 
than any ever before seen on this continent. 

A drawing of Tryon's palace and its ground 
has been preserved by Lossing, and it nnu,t 
have been a most magnificent structure. Time 
and the accident of tire have efFa«ed its 
lieauties, but the stables are still in a good 
state of preservation, and are now used as 
school rooms^ 

John Hawks, the grand-father of Rev. I)r. 
Francis L. Hawks, was the architect of the 



Tryon palace. Martin, in his history of North 
Carolina, states this building had at the time 
no superior in America, and that he in 1783, 
in compan}' with Miranda visited it, and he 
stated that it had no superior in South Amer- 
ica. In December, 1770, Governor Tryon, for 
the first time, received the legislature in its 
princely halls. 

After the revolutionary war, the property 
was confiscated and sold. It was purchased 
hy the Daves family. J. P. Daves donated 
tlie stable buildings to the Episcopal church. 
One of Mr. Daves's daughters married Governor 
John W. Ellis, and after his death J. E. Nash, 
of I'etersburg. Governor Tryon's clock is in 
the possession of Charles C. (Mark, and is still 
a good time keeper. His writing desk is the 
proiierty of Z. Shide. It is of solid mahogany, 
and in perfect state of pruservatinn.* 

About the year 1709, Baron Christopher de 
Graaffenriedt led a large colony from the Palat- 
inate of the Rhine, and in September, 1710, 
founded the town of New Berne. He was 
born in 10^, and was made a land-grave of 

*RecoIlections of New Berne, fifty years ago. By 
Stephen F. Miller; Living and the Dead, January, 1875. 



CRAVEN COUNTV^ 



T29 



Carolina by the lords proprietors. The Baron, 
after many trials and snfi'crings, nearly losing 
his life, became involved in pecuniarv difG- 
ciilties with Judge Gale, Governor Pollock 
and others. I fcinid a letter from the Palatines, 
among the records of the roll office, London, 
which is as follows: 

" Jnly 23d, 1747, letter received from the 
Palatines in is'^orth Carolina, to his majesty the 
King, that six hundred of them had been sent 
out under care of Christopher de Graaffenriedt ; 
that in 1711, an Indian war broke out; Graaffen- 
riedt was taken a prisoner by tliem; that 
Thomas Pollock, acting as governor, sent Cap- 
tain Bricc,and took everything they had, and 
in 1747, the heir of said Pollock came and 
turned them oif their lands, in order to settle 
the rebel soots." 

May 17th, 1748, letter from (Governor John- 
stOTi that the statement of the Palatines is 
true, that many of their relations were mur- 
dered by the Indians, and they had been dis- 
possessed as stated. 

'* Thej' are verj- sober and industrious. 

" Governor Johnston suggests that other 
lands be given tiien:i. Baron DeGraatfenriedt 
had returned home." 

•'M//r/, Wilt, 1748. 
■• Order of King in Council: 

" Govei'nor Johnston shall n.ake a grant of 
land to the Palatines as shall be equivalent to 
that that they have been di.spossessed of by 
one. Colonel Pollock, and his heirs."* 

J^)eGraaftenriedt's son. and Lewis Michel, of 
Berne, came with him to America. Some of 
the famii}' are still in this country. 

Inquiry has produced a letter to Mrs. Mary 
Ba3-ard Clark, dated Columbus, Georgia, Jan- 
tiary 18th, 1871, which shows the whereabouts 
ot the American branch of the family: 

" Christopher de Graaffenriedt (son of Baron 
Christopher de Graaffenriedt and Regina 
Tscharner, his wife,) married at Charleston, 
South Carolina, on Felu'uary 22d, 1714. They 
removed to Pliiladelphia, afterwards to Mary- 

*N. C, No. 11, B. 88. 



land, and linally to Williamsburg, Virginia, 
where, on November 28t!i, 1722, Tscharner, 
their son. was born, being the first of the 
name born in America, and from whom all 
the family in this country arc descended. 

'•■ This Tscharner was twice married, and had 
seven sons and four ilaughters. His oldest, 
Francis, the father of Dr. Edwin L. de Graaffen- 
riedt, is now the sole survivor. lie had sev- 
eral uncles who served in the revolutioary 
war; two of them killed in battle. His father 
was a captain in the revolution on the Amer- 
ican side. His brother, William, of Lunenburg, 
Virginia, was in the war of 1812. Matthew 
Fountaine, son of another uncle, was aid to 
General Jackson in the battle of New Orleans. 

" In the late civil war there were many <>f 
the name in the southern army. 

" Two of the daughters of Tscharner mar- 
ried brothers of John C. Calhoun, who were 
wealth}' planters, and lived on Broad river. 
South Carolina. 

' Christopher died in 1742, in Lunenburg, 
Virginia." 

These people were keenly alive to their' 
rights, and opposed to ever\- form "f oppres- 
sion. It was in New Berne that the first 
jirovincial congress was held, in open opposi- 
tion to tlie authority of England, (Augu.st 25, 
1774,] whieh appointed deputies to the Con- 
tinental Congress at Philadelphia, (Caswell, 
Ilewes and Hooper,) and sympathising with 
their oppressed and plundered countrymen at 
lioston, sent relief in the way of provisions 
and necessaries, declaring "the aiast- of Boston, 
is (he came of all." What an illustrious cxam- 
[ilo to many who would still further distract 
and divide the people of our county! The com- 
mittee of safety for New Berne, were Dr. Alex- 
ander Gaston, Richard Cogdell, John Easton, 
Major Croom, Roger Ormond, Edward Salter, 
George Burrow, James Glasgow, and others. 
The town of New Berne was incorporated in 
1723, by the legislature then sitting at Eden- 
ton. 

Francois Xavier Ahtrtiu, born 17G2, died 
184fJ, author of a bi.story of North Carolina, 
and some legal works, was long a resident of 
New Berne. 



130 



WHEELEirS REMINISCENCES. 



He was a native of France, born at .Mar- 
seille^;, 1762. IIo was a iu'lnterand editoi-, and 
studied law, in wliich be became learned luid 
distinguisbed. 

In 1806 and 1807, be was a member of the 
House of Commons from tlie borough of New 
Berne. 

He was appointed by Mr. Jefferson, a judge 



"The rebellion was a deliberate contrivance, 
sui)verting the govennnent, dis.solving the 
parliaments, imprisouing the lordship's depu- 
ties, putting the president of the country in 
jail, seizing and carrying away the records, 
assuming supreme power, convening assem- 
blies, and last of all, a most horrid and treas- 
sonable action, erecting courts to try cases of 
life and death without authority. 

" Captain Valentine Bird, collector, exported 



in tlie Mississippi Territory, and resided at 150,000 pounds of tobacco without paying any 

dues. On hearing that Eastchurst was comim. 



Natchez. So acceptable were his services that 
on Feliruary 1st, 1815, he was appointed one of 
the .supi'eme court judges of Louisiana, which 
elevated position he occupied till his death, 
December lOtli, 18-16. 

He became entiiely blind in his later years, 

but continued to [ireside with great accept- 

al)ility, and acknowledged ability. He wrote 

a histoiy of the State of Louisiana, as also of 

»-.-Nt)jrth Carolina. 

• The Blount family in North Carolina have 
been distinguished for more than a century for 
integrity, enterprise, intelligence and patriot- 
ism. 



as governor, and Miller as collector, he took 
up arms with the rest of the subscribers and 
opposed Miller on his first landing, and drew 
his sword. 

'• George Durant contemned and opposed tiie 
governor with a rebel rout. 

" Captain James Blount, one of the deputy's 
assistants, is one of the chief among the insur- 
rectors. I wrote to him and theother bur- 
gesses of Chowan precinct. When the sheriff 
came, he, with one Captain John Vernham, 
took the sheriff prisoner, and raised forces to 
oppose the governor."* 



Sir Walter Blount's next son was: 



4 



II. Thomas: he had five sons. 1st, Tbo 



i^ojj ias. 



who 



had five sons: [a) Thomas, who mflrried Eliza- 



According to a genealogical table, prepared beth Reading, distinguished in the Indian 

by the late Governor Clark, this family was of wars 1708: (A) James; (c) John; [d) Jacob 

English origin, and figured in the reigns of and (e) Esau, twins.t 

Charles I. (1625,) and Charles 11. (1660.} IIL Thomas (.son of Thomas who married 
The head of the family was created a Baronet Elizabeth Reading,) had four sons: (a) Read- 
in 1642, as Sir Walter Blount. ing; {[>) James, Captain in Second Continen- 

He left four .sons and four daugliters. The tal regiment; (e) John; (d) Jaco!>. 

younger sons sought their fortunes in America. IV. Jacob, son of Thomas, was at Inittle of 

From them, this family can be clearly traced Alamance, 1771; a member of the provincial 

in distinct lines to the present. congress, and an officer in the revolutionary 

From Sir Waltei- Blount descended: war. He married first Barbara Gray, second 

I.James; came to North Carolina about Mrs. Salter, was the progenitor of the family, 

1664, and settled in Craven. -- -n -, . ^^d ten children, viz: 

He was a member of the House of Burgesses, I. William, who was born in Craven County, 



and was active in the Culpepper rebellion, 
which, for a time, held and controlled the 
province. 

From the Rolls Office, in London, I copy a 
paper directed to the Lords Proprietor, " con- 
cerning the rebellion in Carolina, from 1663 to 
1687:" 



in 1749, married Miss Granger, of Wilmington. 
Elected member of legislature 1783,-'84; of the 
continental congress, 1782-'83-'86-'87; in the 
convention which formed Constitution of the 
United States, in 1787; appointed governor of 

^Colonial Documents, London, !•'). 

tSee Williamson s, Koith Carolina, I, 202. 



CRAVEN COUiSrTY. 



i;n 



ten-itoric-- ot" United States west of Ohio, 
1790; senator in congress tVoni Tennessee, 
179(5; expelled from senate in 17;i7; nieraber 
of the convention that formed state constitu- 
tion of Tennessee. Died in Knoxville, 1810. 
He left one son, William Granger, who was in 
congress from Tennessee, 1815 to 1819, and 
who died in 1827, unmarried ; and one daughter 
who was the first wife of General K. P. Gaines.* 

II. Ann, daiigliter of Jacob, married Henry. 

III. John Gray Blount, sou of Jacob, was 
horn 1752. Married Mary Harvey; he was 
often meiidjer of the legislature, from 1782 to 
1796, from Beaufort County. lie was an ex- 
tensive land owner and explorer. Often the 
companion of Daniel Boone. He died in 
January, 1S33, leaving six children, viz: («) 
Thomas Harvey, son of John Gray; (6) Jolwi 
Gray, in war of 1812; (c) William Augustus, 
(for sketch of whom see Beaufort County,) 
who died in 1867, leaving a son William, and 
a daughter who is the widow of General L. 
O'B. Branch, resides in Raleigh; (</) Polly, 
who married Rodman; (r) Lucy, who married 
General Grimes; [f) Patsy Baker, (unmar- 
ried.) 

IV. Louisa, who married to Richard l^ack- 
ledge. 

V. Reading, who married Lucy Harvey. 

VI. Thomas, born 1759, died 1807, was in 
tiie revolutionary war, sent to England a pris- 
oner. He was a meiidjer of the legislature from 
Edgecombe, 1798-'99, and a member of con- 
gress in 1793 to 1799, 1805 to 1809, and 1811, 
and 1812. He died at Washington, (without 
issue) leaving a widow, the daughter of 
General Jethro Sumner, named Mary Sum- 
ner Blount, who died near Tarboro in 
1822, made liberal bequests to Christ church 
in Raleigh, from which chietly funds were 
realized to buikl the beautiful stone edi- 
iice in that city. When the will was 
drawn, feai'ing that religious bodies could not 

*MSS. letter of Honorable Case Johnson. 



hold real estate against the clainjs of heirs at 
law, a provision was inserteil that in case of a 
contest t>ver the devises intended for Christ 
church, of Raleigh, those devises fihonld vest in 
Judge Cameron and Dr. Hooper in fee, to he 
disjiosed of as their consciences might dictate. 
The marl)le slab )narking her grave had been 
broken by the fall of a tree, or as scjmc say, by 
a stroke of lightning, and the \-os(ry of 
(yhrist's church, of Raleigh, determined to 
replace it, but these praise worthy intentions 
were frustrated by the inexcusable carlessness 
in the pi'eparation of the original epita[ili. It 
is verlHitim, as follows: 

" Sacred to the memory of 

MaBY SuMNEK BLOUNT 

relict of Ri'iil tliiinias lilount 

long a reiirt'scntiktivc in Uongre 

ss from this district 

and daughter of geul. jetliro hlount. 

Died the ISth Dec 1822 in her -ISth year " 

Mrs! Blount's father was General Jethro 
Sumner, not "Idonnt." It must have been a 
difficult task to comiiress so many errors in so 
small a space. 

VII. Jacob; l)orn 17C0; imvrried Collins. 

VIII. Barbara, born 1763. 

IX. Willie, son of Jacob, born 1768, secre- 
tary to his brother William, while governor of 
territory' west of the Ohio. Judge of the 
supreme court of Tennessee when only twentj-- 
two years old, and the Governor of Teunesse 
from 1809 to 1815, (.see Bertie County.) As 
governor he tendered to the United States 
2,500 volunteers in the war of 1812. He 
died near Na-shvilie, 1835, leaving two daugh- 
ters; one married Dr. J. T. Dabney, and 
another to Dortch. 

X. Sharp, who married Penelope Little, of 
Pitt County, who left two sons, William Little 
and George Little. 

I have thus endeavored to present a genea- 
logical diagram of a family whose members 
have been distinguished in the field, on the 
forum, and in legislative halls, as well as in. 
social life. 



132 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



The tnhle may be relied upon, as it has Iioeii 
the subject of imich labor and research. Their 
lives and offices have been briefly ailiideil to, 
figures and dates given, leaving to other hands 
the pious duty of comtiienting in detail on their 
character and services. 

Ahner Na.sh was l>orn in i'rince Edward 
County, Virginia. At an early ago he went 
to New Berne, whei'o he studied and practiced 
law with great success. 

He was an able and active friend to the 
rights of the people, and a member of [iro- 
vincial congress in 1774. 

In the dispatcVi of Governor Martin, dated 
March lOtli, 1775, he informs his govern- 
ment that tlie seditious Icatlei's of tlie peo- 
ple ha\-e ti'.o effectually pi'evented the 
King's speech from operating to the extent he 
■wished. Instead of yielding the}- talk of re- 
sorting to violence. 

Enclosed is an advertisement of the com- 
mittee at New Berne, \\liich he calls "atro- 
cious falsehoods," and the composition of 
a Mr. Nash, one of the subscribers, who is an 
eminent lawyer, but the most unprincipled 
character of the county. 

In another dispatch dated at Fort Johnston, 
June 30th, 1775, he writes: 

" Since I had the Ixjiior of representing to 
your lordship the state of this country, various 
circumstances have occuri-ed of which I think 
it my duty to give the best account mj' infor- 
mation Gnal)les me to lay before 3'ou. 

" On Tuesday, May 23d, 1775, a set of peo- 
ple calling themselves a committee, met at 
New Berne. A motly crew, without any pre- 
vious notice of their purpose, appeared, coming 
towards my house; I supposed they were the 
connnittee of whose meeting I had heard. I 
directed my secretary to signif}' mj' resolution 
not to see them He soon came back, however, 
with a message that tliej- were the inhabitants 
of tlie town of New Berne, who had come to 
wait upon me, and requested to speak to me. 

"I directed them to be shown in, and I im- 
mediately went down to them. 

" Mr. Abner Nash, an attorney and oracle uf 



the committee, (of whom I have had occasion 
to mention to j'our lordship Iiefore as principal 
promoter of sedition,) came forward out of 
the crov/d and said he had been choseii by the 
people of New Berne, then present, to repre- 
sent that their purpose in waiting on me was 
in consequence of a general alarm of the peo- 
ple of that place at my dismounting some 
pieces of cannon which occasionally had been 
made use of on rejoicing da^^s; that the Gov- 
ernor of Virginia had lately dejirived the peo- 
ple of that colon}- of arms and ammunition. 
The inhabitants therefore requested and hoped 
that I would order the cannon to be I'en^ounted 
and restored to their former cfuidition. 

" Unprepared, my lord, for such a visit, and 
tilled with indignation at the absurdity and 
impertinence of the cause assigned by Mr. 
Nash, I am satisfied that it was a more pre- 
tense to insult me. I replied that the guns I 
had dis7iiouiited belonged to the king, and I 
was only responsible to His Majesty for any 
disposition I made of them, &c." 

But the next day, so precarious had his po- 
sition became, that Governor Martin sent his 
family to New York, and he himself went in 
much haste on board of His .Majest^^'s sloop of 
war, the Cruiser, Captain Parry, commander, 
never to exercise again the functions of Gov- 
ernor of North Carolina. 

In the same dispatch, Governor Martin says 
" he had received an account on April 20th, 
between the king's troops and the people 
near Bostoii, which reached him a little more 
than two months after the event." 

In this dispatch, Governoi- Martin enclosed 
the resolves of the committee of Mecklenburg 
in the Cap? Fair Mercury, a copy of which he 
says was sent by express to the congress at 
Philadelphia. This official dispatch would 
settle a (piestion, about which there never 
should have been any cavil, question, or doubt. 

These extracts from official sources prove 
the course which Mr. Nash pursued in perilous 
times. He was nu)re of a statesman, however, 
than a soldioi-, yet he did the cause of his 
countr}- as much service as if he were in the 
field. He played a leading part in that great 



CRAVEN COUNTY. 



133 



drama in which men and guns are subordinate 
appendages. lie was a member of the Pro- 
vincial Congress in Novend)er 177*!, wiiicli met 
at Halifa.x, and formed the constitution of the 
state; and was tlietirst speai^cerof the iirst House 
of Commons that ever sat in tlie state. He was 
speaker in the senate in 1779, and was elected 
governor at that session and served till 1781. 
In 1782 and '83, he represented Jones County. 
He was elected a member of the Continental 
Congress in 1781, in which lie served till 178<j. 
He died at New "^'ork while attending con- 
gress, December 2d, 1780. 

He married the widow of Governor Dobbs. 
He was the brother of General Francis Nash, 
and the father of Frederick Nash, late Judge 
of supreme court of North Carolina, sketches 
of whom may be found in the I'ccord of Orange 
County. 

Richard Dobbs Spaight, of North Carolina, 
born March iJoth, 1758, died September 6th, 
1802. 

He was born, lived ainl died in the 
town of New Berne. ]Iis family was dis- 
tinguished in the early history of the coun- 
try. His father was the secretary and clerk 
of the crown ; * an office in dignity next 
to that of the governoi'. His mother was the 
sister of Arthur Dobbs, governor of the prov- 
ince from 1754: to 17GG. He lost his parents 
at an early age. Blest \\ith a sound mind in a 
sound body, his education was of the highest 
order. He was sent to Ireland, when only 
nine years of age, where he pursued his acad- 
emic studies, his education being comjileted at 
the university of (;!lasgow. He returned to 
his native country in 1778, and found it in- 
volved in the fearful struggle.^ of the revolu- 
tionar}- war, his immediate section was the 
scene of lierce and l)loody conflict. His chiv- 

*jixtrait from Colonial Records in Rolls office, Lon- 
don; " Kichanl Spaight appointed secrrtary and clerk 

of the Crown' "111- seneral assenibly prefer 

charges again.st (Jovernor Dobbs, amonj; them, that lie 
h'A appointed his nephew, Richard Spaight, a pay- 
master in the army." 



alrous temper caused him to volunteer his ser- 
vices to his country, and he was engaged in 
the disastrous battle of Cannlen, South Caro- 
lina, August 16th, 1780, as aid-de-camp to 
Governor Caswell. Although brave and en- 
thusiastic, there were fields otiier than those 
of war, more suited to his genius, where his 
services and talents could be as beneiicial to 
country's welfare and liberty, and in which 
men and arms are demanded, but not the most 
im[)cH-tant elements of success. His country- 
men apiireciated this fact, and the next year, 
he was elected a member of the general assem- 
bly from the borough of New Bjriie, and re- 
elected in 1782 and 1783. By the latter body, 
he was elected a member of the Continental 
Congress, (which met at Annapolis on the 13th 
December, 1783,) with Benjamin Hawkins 
and Hugh Williamson as colleagues. The war 
had ended, and he witnessed the resignation 
by General Washington to that congress of 
his commission as commander-in-chief. 
The appreciation of the character and patriot- 
ism of Mr. Spaight, was evinced by being 
selected as one of " the committee of states;" 
in whom all the powers of the new govern- 
ment, (executive, legislative and judicial) 
were vested. When the convention was called 
to form the Constitution of the United States, 
which met at Philadelphia, (on May 1-ith, 
1787,) lie was elected a memljei'. His name, 
with that of William Blount and Hugh Wil- 
liamson, is ap[iended to the constitutn)n. He 
was a member of the state convention whit-li 
met at Hillsboro, on July 21st, 1788, to con- 
sider the Federal Constitution, and advocated 
with all liis energies its adoption. In this lie 
was aided by such distinguished names as 
Samuel Johnston, James Iredell, William U. 
Diivie, Jolin Steele, Ste[iben Caliarrus and 
others. 

But the active opposition of Willie Jones, 
David Caldwell, Eiisha Battle, C. Dowd, 
Griffith Rutherford, and others, caused its re- 



134 WHEELER'8 REiVIINISCENCES. 

jection, and the State of North Carolina, from public life, hut private circles. Governor 

July, 1788, to November, 1789, (when the Cm- Spaight was the acknowledged leader of the 

stitution of the United States was ratified,) party which supported Mr. Jefferson and Mr. 

presented the extraordinary attitude of a sov- Stanly, its active adversary. Led on by the 

ereign state, independent and self-governing, maddening and malignant influence of party 

with no confusion within or coercion from spirit, on September 5th, 1802, Mr. Stanly 

without. This instructive page of history challenged Governor Spaight to tiglit a duel, in 

expresses the truth, tliat political reunion, like a note taunting in its terms, and very oppiobri- 

social union, can best be secured by concession, ous. They fought (.)u the same day. Gov- 

affection, and justice. ernor Spaight was mortally wounded, and died 

In 1792, Mr. Spaight was again returned to on the following day. This tragic event, from 

the general assenddy. and by that body was hislong, varied, and illustrious service, causoda 

chosen the governor of the state, which he deep sensation thi'oughout the state, and even 

held for three years, when he was succeeded by at this day is felt with sad regret. 
Samuel Ashe. Such were the [)ublic services of Richard 

He was the first native born son of North Dobbs Spaight. These are inscribed in the 

Carolina elected as governor. He served records of our nation. Of his private cliarac- 

while governor as presidential elector. ter we are not loft to conjecture. Cue who 

In 1797, he took his seat in the House of knew him long and well has informed us that 
Rejiresentatives, elected from North Carolina, "as a private citizen he v/as upright in his 
to lill the vacancy occasioned by the death of intentions, and sincere in his declarations. 
Honorable Nathan Bryan, (second session of Methodical aiul even mercantile in his busi- 
ihe Fifth Congress,) and re-elected a mendjcr ness; no errors of negligence or ignoran-e in- 
of the Sixth Congress, 1797 to 1799. This was volved him in litigation with his neighbors, 
an important epoch in our government. The Uniform in his conduct, resiioctful to author- 
two great parties (then called Federal and ity, and influential in his example. Hospitality 
Republican,) fought tierce and furious for was a conspicuous tiait of his character. The 
power. Governor Spaight voted with his re- stranger was welcouie, treated with cordiality, 
publican colleagues, Willis Alston, Nathaniel and entertained with kindness. His cliarity 
Macon, David Stone, and others. It wasdur- was universal For the tale of sorrow lie ever 
ing this congress that Governor William had a tear and relief. He was an atfeetionate 
Blount, Senator from Tennessee, was im- husiiand, an indulgent fatliei-, and a eompas- 
peached, (or threatened with impeachment,) sionate nuistei'; consistent in his hours of study 
and for the first time the election of a presi- and recreation, no ii'regularities disturbed his 
dent was made by the house. After these course, or improper indulgence his repose."* 
exciting scenes, Governor Spaight sought re- No one, as a public man, could have iield foi- 
tirement and repose. His health was seriously along and unintei-i-upted series of years, the 
imjiaired, and he sought relief in the milder affections, counten.nice, and support of his 
climate of the West Indies. But the people countrymen, without any effort on l;is part, 
called liim again to duty, and he was, in 1801, unless he possessed substantial merit aiid un- 
elected a senator in the general assendily. spotted integrity. 
This was destined to be his last public service. 

Party politics were never more active and *Reverend T. P Irvings^funeral discourse on the 

■^ ' . . death of Governor Richard Dobbs bi'aight, delivered at 

bitter. These animosities pervaded not only Kew iierue. isuii. 



CRAVEN COUNTY. 



135 



Like him of Scotland it may be truly said: 

' ilus Dunciin 

Ilath borne his faculties so meek, liatli been 
So clear in liis great office, that his virtues 
Will plead like angels, tnuupet tongued, against 
The deep damnation of liis taking off." 

By his marriage with Miss Polly Leach he 
had four children. 

I. "William, who died \ouiig. 

IL i\ichard Dohbs, a leading statesman in 
the state; for years in the legislature; in con- 
gress from 1823 to 1825; governor in 1835; 
died unmarried. 

IIL Charles, who (TumI nnmarricd. 

TV. Margaret, wlio mai'ried Honorable John 
R. Donnel, one of the judge.s of the state from 
1819 to 183G, who left four children." 

An accurate portrait of Governor Spaight 
hangs in one of the rooms of Independence 
Hall, rhiladelphia, 

DUELS IN NORTH CAROLINA. 

The kind dispositions of the people of the 
state, tlieir nnan)bitious tempers, together witli 
aversion to acts of violence and blood, have 
done much to discourage the practice of duel- 
ling. Of late years there have been but few 
" affairs of honor," so called. In our readings, 
however, we have niet some cases of a custom 
"more honored in the breach than in the ob- 
servance." Doubtless other cases have occurred 
that we have never heard of. 

Honorable John Baxter, (United States 
judge in Tennessee,) about 1850, met Colonel 
Marcus Erwin; exchanged tire, and Baxter 
slightly wounded; ca\ise, political. 

Bynum Jesse and Jennifer of Maryland, 
(same cause,) neither hurt. 

Honorable Duncan Cameron, and William 
Dutl'y, met near Ilillsboro; Judge Cameron 
wounded. Duffy represented Fayetteville in 
the legislature of 180G. 

Honorable Samuel ]'. Carson and Dr. R. B. 
Yi.iice, (see sketch of Carson.) 

*See sketch of Judge Dounel. 



Honorable Thomas L. Clingman and Wm L. 
Yancy, (see sketch of Clingman.) 

Joseph Klaniier and Walker, near Wilming- 
ton; latter killed. 

Louis D. Henry ami Thomas J. Stanly, 1812, 
latter killed. 

General Robert Howe and (iadsden, of 
South Carolina, fought May 13th, 1778, in 
South Carolina, neither hurt. 

Honorable J. J. Jackson and Jose^ih Pearson ; 
political, 1812, at Washington. 

Thomas F, Jones and Dr. Daniel Johnson 
at Bladensburg, 1840, latter killed. 

Law and Blanchard, (Bertie County.) 

Scattervvaite and Kennedy. 

Strong and Holmes, (Sampson County.) 

John_JStiHj.ly__and Governor Spaight, (see 
sketch of Spaight. ) 

Edward Stanly and Samuel W. Inge, of 
Alamance; political ; neither hurt. 

Montford Stokes and Jesse A. Pearson, 
(Roward County.) Governor Stokes wounded. 

Alexander Simpson and Thomas "White- 
hurst, in 1766; latter killed. 

Yellowby and Harris. 

John Stanly, born 1774^ died 1834, was a 
native of New Berne. The son of John "Wright 
Sianl^. He was educated for the law; strong 
in mental as well as personal gifts, he attained 
high distinction in his profession. Blessed 
with a clear and musical voice, with rnanneis 
at once graceful and dignified; bold and fear- 
less in his elocution, sarcastic and severe in ex- 
pression, he was in his day an advocate of great 
power and success. 

He early entered the stormy arena of ptJities, 
and took satisfaction in mingling in its fierce 
and furious strife. At an early age, (in 1798,) 
he was elected a member of the House of Com- 
mons, of which he was elecied speaker, ami in 
which he continued, with intermis.sions, until 
182ij, when he, whilst debating, was struck 
with paralysis and never recovered. He was 
a member of the Seventh Congress, 1801- '3, 



136 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



and ayiiin of tlie Eleventli Coiiyress, 1800-'ll. 
His aiiplication to Govei'iinr Williams for par- 
don, lias been published; and is ailniired as 
being eloquent and dignitied. 

I have in my possession, tlie original peti- 
tion of the niendiers of the legislature to tlie 
gdvernor, asking this pardon, signed by iJiincan 
Cameron, Calvin Jones, John Allison, Peter 
Hoyle, David Tate, Daniel Glisson, Durant 
Hatch, John G. Scull, W. Lord, Peter Forney, 
Ephin. Davidson, George Outlaw, Robert Wil- 
liams, and others. 

In his political campaigns, in discussions in 
the legislature, and in debate at the bar, and 
even in j)rivate life, Mr. Stanly's course to- 
wards his opponents was marked with vio- 
lence. Speaking of the unamiable trait in his 
character, Mr. Miller states: " Judge Donnell 
was an able, quiet, obstrusive, upright gentle- 
man. He bore with great equinamity the 
biting sarcasm which Mr. Stanly was in the 
habit of thrusting at the court, wliere Judge 
l)'>iniell presided, whenever it suited his 
l.oliL-y." Judge Donnell was the son-in-law 
lI' the first Governor Spaight. The same 
writer, speaking of Mr. Siiaight, the second, 
says: 

" ilichard D. Spaight held a license to 
practice law,l)ut was wealthy and diffident, lie 
was not destitute of talents and learning." 

" I always suspected that Mr. Stanly was an 
obstacle to the professional success of Mr. 
Spaight, as Stanly was a man of imperious 
temper, and not satisfied with killing tlie 
father of Mr. Spaight, he seemed to deliglit in 
tortui'ing the son, by looks and gestures, and 
intonations of his voice, when other methods 
were not used."* 

Mr. Stanly married a daughter of Mailin 
Frank, of Jones County, whose handsome 
estate laid the foundation of his fortu?je. Put 
it was not permanent. In the Recollections of 
New Berne lifty years ago, the writer says:t 

*See our Living and our Dead, November, 1S74. 
tStephen F. Miller, iu our Living and Dead, No- 
vember, 1874 



"Mrs. Stanly was a country heiress, with- 
out cultivation or opportunity. Their na- 
natures and habits were incompatible; she was 
a shouting Methodist, he a staid vestryman of 
the orthodox Episcopal church."' His affairs 
became so embarrassed, that debts and judg- 
ments pressed him. To the kindness of a per- 
sonal and political frieml, he owned the house 
in which he li\-ed and died. Here harrassed 
l)y creditors, witli a liody heljJess from disease, 
a mere wreck of his former self; he died 
August 3rd, 1835. We may well recall at 
such a scene, the words of Ophelia: 

" O, wliut a uolile mind is Iiere o'er thrown, 
The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue 

sword. * * * 
Now see tliat noble anil most sovereign reason, 
Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh." 

Mr. Stanly left one daughter, who married 
Walker K. Armstead, then an officer in the 
United States army, against Mr. Stanly's 
wishes. Mr. Miller says he never forgave hei'. 
When this worthy officer attained rank and 
distinction, in her old age Mrs. Stanly found a 
home under his hospitable roof, 'where she 
died. Mr. Stanly also died under General 
Arnistead's roof. 

His descendants, a number of sons, wore: 

I. John, idiotic from liirtb. 

II. Alfred, resided in Fairfax C(.unty. Vir- 
ginia. 

III. Frank, became a Methodist preacher. 

IV. Edward, was a member of the house 
from Beaufort, 1844 to 1847.^ 

V. Alexander.* 

VI. Faliius, United States navy (retired 
admiral,) resided in Washington. 

VII. Cicero. 
VIII James. 

Dr. Isaac Gnion,of New Perne, was surgeon 
to the First liegiment North Cart)lina Conti- 
nentals, commanded by Colonel James Moore. 
From neglect of duty he was suspended. 

On July 6th, 1776, he was appointed com- 

JFor his sketch see Beaufort County. 



CliAVEN (BOUNTY. 1;!7 

missary to an iiHle[iendont company under rliildron, a son, tlicn only three years i>lil, 1 ho 

Captain Selby JIarvey, stationed on tlie sea snhject ol' t his sketrli, an<l a. dan^ihter, who, in 

coast.* after years, hucanie the wife of Chief Jastire 

William (Taston,boni September 19th, 1778, Taylor, 
died January 23d, 1844, was the son of Dr llis early education was conducted under 
Alexander Gaston, wiio was one of the most the guidance of a pious ami patient mother, 
earnest and stevidfast friends of the people. In the fall of 1791 he was sent to the Catho- 
and one of the committee of safety for C!ravcn lir collc,i,'e at (leorgctown, where lie remained 
County. He gave up his lite to the cause of for two years, hut under the severe disci- 
liberty; for, as the tOAvn of Xew Berne was piine and rigors of a variahle climate, his 
attacked by the tories on August •20th, 1781, health gave away, and !)y advice of his physi- 
he escaped with his wife and children, lie cian, he returned to the inihl climatr.if his 
liad only time to pusli oft" in a boat, leaving nat ive land and the comforts of home. Under 
his wife and children on the wharf. One of the care of Reverend Thomas P. Irving, he 
these miscreants levelled his gun over the was prepared for Princeton, and where he cn- 
shoulder of Mrs. Gaston and tired. Her pa- tered the junior class. At the early age of 
triotic husband was shot. eighteen, he graduated with the tirst honors ot 

This tragic event has been graphically de- that icnovvned institution. lie returned home 

scried by a resident of this section of our and entered the law otHce of Judge Francois 

state, who states that Dr. Gaston and Colonel Xavier Martin. He was admitted to the bar 

Jolin Green were dining at Dr. Gaston's house, before reaching the age of twenty-one, and 

when an alarm was given that the tories were soon attained greet eminence in his profession, 

coming. Ga.ston and Green arose from the In 1799, he was ele^-ted to the state senate, 

table, hastened to the wharf only a few steps and LSU8 to the House of Commons, by which 

oft", and jumped into a canoe; when off Cornel's body he w-as chosen speaker. 

wharf a platoon of the tories tired np<m them, In 131 0, he was a candidate for congre-s, and 

and both fell. The tories then retraced their was defeated by William Blackledge, but was 

steps. The canoe was the property of an old ne- elected to the Thirteenth Congress, from 181.5 

gro, John, (vho, after some delay, procured aid to 1817, and tlie Fourteenth Congress, from 

and started in search of his canoe, which was 1817 to 1819. 

drifting about at the mercy of the winds and Hei'e be occupied a position as the peer of 
waves. On reaching it, he found lying at the Calhoun, Clay, Lowndes, Kandol^.h and Web- 
bottom of his boat Green, as he supposed dead, ster. His speeches on the loan bill and the 
and Gaston dying. He carried them back to previous question present some of the finest 
the wharf, and then to Dr. Ilazlin's house, specimens of reasoning and eloipience which 
The doctor pronounced Green mortally the country has ever furnished. He retired 
wounded, and Gaston seriously. Just the con- fi'om congress to pursue his law practice. 
verse of this ojiinion turned out true, for the I" 1824, he was elected to the House of (\)ni- 
latter soon died, and the former lived thirty mons, and in 1827-'28 and 1831. 
years afterwards. Dr. Gaston was buried in Here he rendered efficient and invaluable 
" Cedar Grove," tlie city cemetery. services to llie state. The perfect orgauiza- 
He left a disconsolate widow and two little tion of our then judicial system, and some of 
the best statutes of North Carolina, are the 

^Force's American Aichives. result of his sagacity and labor. 



138 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

Ill 1834,011 tlie death ot -liulyo nciKlevsni, was no sopliistr3- to mislead, no nieretvicious 
lie was elected one of the judges of the supreme ornament to beguile; his person seemed almost 
court, wliich eleviited position was so germane inspired, and his countenance expressed a be- 
to his talents and his tastes that he declined nignty of soul which ninrkod liis whole life and 
a seat in the Senate of the United States, which character. 

was tendered to iiim. Only once more did The writer (Dalton,) already quoted, says of 

lie appear as a statesman. lie was a member Jud^e Gaston: " lie was a great man in every 

of the convention of 1835, which liody was, sense of the word, (^ne was never tired of 

without doubt, the ablest that ever sat in the his compaiiv. His conversation was always 

state. Tlie tirst men from every section in the interesting and instructive. He did not pos- 

stute, of the highest positions, and of tlie sess the excursive genius of Mr. Badger, nor 

largest knowledge, were selected. the wit of Mr. Stanly. But his store of learn- 

Ile allied the conventinn in making health- ing and well balanced mind, added to his un- 

ful reforms, modified the thirty-second article sullied character, made him greatly their su- 

disfranchising Catholics, and opposed tlie prop- perior- He had more matter of fact than 

osition to deprive free colored people of the romance in his character. He would have 

right to vote. Until this time they had pos- made a better historian than a novelist, and 

sessod the right in North Carolina. The perhaps, too, a great actor." 

character of Judge Gaston asastatesmaii,pure His last days were bright and glorious, and 

and iiatriotic, is inscribed in the annals of the his end triumphant and happ}'. 

nation, and the state, llis ability and learn- On Januaiy 23d, 1844, while sitting on the 

ing as an advocate, none can question; and his bench of the supreme court at Raleigh, he 

jiatience with witnesses and suitors, his coiiqilained of a chilly sensation, attended with 

(irbanity to his associates, and Iiis respect to fainting feelings, and was carried from the 

untbority rendered him universally impular. court room to his chamber. On that evening 

His manii.er of aildress in a court or the he was better, many friends called wiio were 

legi dature was pM3culiar. charmed with his conversation ; and when relat- 

It was my fortune to sit two sessions of the ing an account of a convivial party at Washing- 
legislature in the next seat to. Judge Gaston, as tun, he spoke of one who avowed himself a 
alsooii thecommitteeon thejiidiciary vvithhim, free thinker in religion. 

and I had good opportunitiesof tibserving him. "From that time," be said, -'I regarded that 

He had, or seemed to have, when he first arose man with distrust. I do not say that sucli a 

to speak, a modesty that was as embarrassing to man niaj* not be an honorable man, but I dare 

himself as it was to bis audience. He trembled not trust him. A Ijelief in an all ruling 

percepitibly at first, but after a few monjents providence who shapes our deeds is necessary, 

his emphatic and deliberate manner and sub- We must believe and feel that there is a God, 

ducd times commanded profound silence and all wise and almighty " 

attention. He Ijecame [lerfectly possessed, and As lie pronounced these words, he raised 

he commenced his argument with matchless himself up from. his couch to give eni[ihasis to 

and thrilling elcxpience. As be [ir.igressed, the his expression, in a moment there seemed to 

grandeur of liis exiiression seemed to increase, be a rush of blood to the brain, and he fell 

whilst his illustrations were as Inminons as a backacor[ise. The spirit fied from the scenes of 

sunbeam, and his arguments carried conviction earth, to meet that God in whom he trusted, 

to the minds of his entranced auditors. There and whose name last vibrated on his tongue. 



CRAVEN COUNTY 



139 



Truly ilid his able associate, Judge Kuffin, 
say on the occasion of his death that he was '-a 
good man and a groat judge." His remains 
were deposited in the cemetery at New Berne. 
A ho.ivy hlock of marble, resting on the 
granite, surmounted b}- a cross, bears simply 
the name of William Gaston and the date of 
birth and death. 

"I saw," says the writer already quoted, 
"one morning, before the snn has risen Edward 
P^verett and John R. Doniiel standing together 
at tlie tomb of Gaston. Mr. Everett removed 
his hat, saying: 'This eminent man had low 
equals and no superior.' " 

Of sucli a man's memory- the state may Ije 
justly [irond. She has written his name on 
hei' towns and counties, and as long as talent 
is admired, cr virtue appreciated, so long will 
the name of Gaston be cherished. 

Judge Gaston was thrice married: 

I. Miss Ha}-, of Fayetteville; no issue. 

II. Hannah McClure,who died suddenly, in 
1814, from alarm at the incoming of the Brit- 
ish fleet. She left {<i) Alexander F. Gaston, 
who was in the legislature in 1830, and who 
mari'ied [Jini) Miss Jones, and (second) Miss 
Murphy of Burke, where he died; (h) and two 
daughters, one of whom was the first wife of 
Judge Manlj'; she left one child, Hannah, who 
married a son of the Rev. Dr. Francis L. Hawks; 
she has since died leaving several children. 
Tlie second daughter of Judge Gaston by this 
marriage was the wife of Robert Donaldson, 
of New York. 

III. MissWorthington, of Georgetown ; issue 
(r/) Mrs. Graham, who died recently near Marl- 
boro, Maryland; (6) Kate, single. 

John R. Donnel, born 1791, died 1864, a 
native of Ireland, and a mau of letters, was 
educated at the university of North Carolina, 
and graduated in 1807, in the same class with 
Gavin Hogg, and others. He studied law and 
practiced that profession with great success. 

In 1815, he was elected solicitor of the dis- 



trict, and in 1819 be was elecied judge nt" tin- 
superior courts of law, the duties of which be 
discharged with dignity and ability far st-ven- 
teen years. 

His extensive [U'operty suffered severely from 
the tumults and depredations of civil war. 

He died at lialeigb, October 15th, ISfU, a 
i-efugec from his large estates and i)rincely 
home. 

.ludge Doiinel married .Margaret, daughter 
of Governor Spaiubt, who left five children: 

I. Richard Spaight Donnel, distinguished as 
a lawyer.* 

II. Mary, who marrried Clnirles B. Sbep- 
pard. Mr. Sbeppard \\'as in congress 1839 to 
1841, and who died 1843, leaving two chil- 
dren; ('0 Margaret, who married Samuel S. 
Nelson; (li) Mary, who mari-ied James A. 
Bryan. 

III. Anne, single. 

lY. Fannie, who married James B. Shep- 
pard; Mr. Sheppard died in 1870, leaving ;m' 
son, John R. D. SlRq'pard, now in Paris. 

Y. C. Spaight Donnel, married Thomas M. 
Keerl, of Baltimore, where they reside. 

John Sitgreaves, late United States judge, 
was a resident of New Berne. The first United 
States district judge for the District of Kortb 
Carolina, was John Stokes, f ajipointed b\' 
Gen e ra I ^Yash i ngt on . 

He was succeeded i)y Jolm Sitgreaves in 
1790, a[ipointed by Jefi'erson. He was suc- 
ceeded by Henry Potter in 1803, who held the 
position until his death, December 20th, 1859. 
He was succeeded by Asa Biggs, apjioiuted by 
Bucb:inan; the war suspended his functions. 
George W. Brooks was appointed August 9th, 
1865. 

The state has been divided recently into two 
districts, and Robert P. Dick| was appointed 
for the Y''estern district by General Grant. 



*For sketch of whom see Beaufort Coimty. 

tFor sketch, see Stokes County. 

tSee sketch of Judge Dick, Guilford County. 



140 



WHEELER'S REMINISCEXCES. 



Jnd^-e Siticreavcs, was like his predecessor, a 
soldier of the revolution. 

It is a remarkable historical fact tliat after a, 
war, whether foi-eign or domestic, that the pop- 
ular feeliiiy centers on those " who have done 
the state sduie service " in the field. The re- 
mark (if Ldi'd Bacon is verified liy facts. "In 
the ycnth of a nation, the profession of arms 
Hoiirish; in its middle age, the useful arts; and 
in its old ai^'o, the tine arts." See America, 
England, and Italy to prove the truth of tliis 
dictum. 

dudge Sitgi'i\aves was apiiointe<l by the Pro- 
vincial Congress in ITTH, an officer in Captain 
Cassell's company, and was in the l)attle of 
Camden, August, 1780. 

lie was a member of the fjontinental Con- 
gress in 1784, and a member of the House of 
commons (1780 to 1789) from the borough of 
New Berne. 

Mr. Jefferson's diary contains the following: 

" 1789, Hawkins recommended John Sit- 
groaves, as a very clever gentlemen, of good 
;deportinent, well pkilled in the law for a man 
of his age, and if he lives long enough, will be 
.an ornament to Ids profession. Si>aight and 
Ijlount concurring, he was nominated." 

He .iied at Halifax, March 4th, 1802, where 
he lies buried. 

John Herritage Bryan, born 1798, died May 
loth, 1870, was a native of New Borne. 

In the J'rovincial Congress of Xovember, 
177(3, at Halifax, three of this name were 
meuibers. His early education was conducted 
by the Reverend T. P. Irving, and he gradu- 
ated at the university in 1815. in the same 
class with Isaac Ci'oom, Edward Hall, Francis 
L. Hawks, Willie P. Mangum, Ricliard Dobbs 
Spaiglit, and othei's. He read law and at- 
tained high rank in !iis profession. 

He was elected to the state senate in 1823 
and '24, and in the next year also, and at the 
same time he was elected a member of the 
Nineteenth Congress, from 1825 to 1827; an 



unprecedented event, and the more so as he 
was away from home when elected to both of 
these popular positions. He accepted the seat 
ill congress, and he was elected to the Twen- 
tieth Congress. He declined a re-election, 
the care of a young and increasing familj' 
demanding his services. He removed to Ra- 
leigh, where he lived many years, loved and 
respected li}- all who knew him, ami where he 
died, universally regretted, in 1870. 

He married the daughter of William Shep- 
ard, of New Berne, and leaves a large and 
interesting family. One of his sons, Francis, 
graduated at West Point, and was distin- 
guished in liattles in Mexico. 

F](hvard Graham, born 1765, died 1833, son 
of Edward Graham, (who came from Argyle- 
shire, Scotland,) was born in New York city, 
graduated at Princeton 1785, read law with 
Chief Justice Jay, and settled in New Berne. 

He was a member in the legislature from 
New Berne, in 1797 — his only public service. 
He was the second of Mr. Stanly in his fatal 
duel with Governor Spaight. He died in New 
Berne, March 22d, 1838. 

He married Elizabeth, the daughter of Ed- 
ward Batchelor, and had two children: 

I. Elizabeth, born 1804, who married John 
P. Daves. 

II. Jane Frances, married to William II. 
Haywood, late United States senator. 

Francis Lister Hawks, born W', died LSOfi, 
the son of John Hawks, was a native of New 
Berne, and distinguished as a writer and pul- 
[)it orator. 

One of his ancestors was the architect and 
superintended the building of the governor's 
residence at New Berne in 1771. Among the 
Colonial Records in London, I find that in 
June 20th, 1771, at a meeting of the eoancil, 
he suhmitted his accounts of expenses for 
building the palace. 

He graduated at the university in 1815, in 
the same class with Mr. Bryan, and others, as 



CRAVEN COUNTY. 



141 



alluded to in the sketch of Mr. Bryiin: studied 
Ihw and was the reporter of tlie decisions of 
tiie supreme court for five years, (1820 to '26.) 

In 1821, he was elected a mcndjer of the 
House of Commons from Xew Berne, l)ut he 
resolved to devote himself to the ministry, 
and was ordained hy Bishop Ravenscroft He, 
in 1827, was assistant minister of Dr. Harry 
Croswell, of New Haven, Conne'.:ticut. In 
1829, he was the assistant of P.ishop ^Yhite, 
at St. James, Philadelphia, and from 1832 
to 1834, was the rei:tor of St. Stejihen's 
church, New York; during which period he 
visited Europe, with an introduction to Ihe 
Archhishop of Canterbury, to collect material 
for a history of the Episcopal church in the 
United States, a fragment of which may be 
seen in his biography of Bishop White. 

From St. Stephen's he passed to St. Thomas 
in 1832, aud continued his connection with this 
parish until he removed to Mississippi in 1844. 
He was elected bishop of the diocese; which 
he declined, as also his election to be bishop of 
Rhode Island. At the close of 1844, he took 
charge of Christ church in New Orleans, where 
he continued for iive years, during which time 
he gave his aid to the establisl)mont of a .state 
university, of wliich he was made tho, presi- 
dent. But he was called to fill the pulpit of 
Cavalry church, and he returned to New York 
and continued in this charge until 1861; he 
then resigned because lie sympathized with 
the soutli, and took clnirge of a Baltimore 
church. One of his sons was major in the 
Confederate army. After the war was over 
he returned to and preached in tlie Cliurch of 
the Annunciation, New York, where he died 
Se[itember 27, 1666. 

He married a la<ly in Connecticut, by v/hom 
he had. several children. 

Dr. Hawks was true to North Carolina and 
proud of her glorious history.* 

* This sketch ia compiled from origiuiil doeuiuente 
and from a memorial of F. L. Hawk-, Di). LL1>., 



As a divine, his merits were brilliant and 
unsurpassed. An agreeable address, an amia- 
ble and placi<l countenance, a deep toned 
voice, expressive of pathos and feeling, modu- 
lated and eloquent in all its utterances, a warm 
southern sensibility and all markeil with 
maidy frankness, distinguished Dr. Hawks as 
one of the first pulpit orators of hia age. 

As an author he exhibited great learning 
and laborious research; the most voluminous 
our state has ever produced. Among his most 
important works are: 

I. Reports of Supreme Court of North 
Carolina, (182(1-'26,) in four volumes. 

II. Digest of all the cases decided and re- 
ported in North Carolina. 

HI. Contributiotis to the Ecclesiastical Ilis- 
tor}- of the United States, two volumes, em- 
bracing New York, Maryland, and Virginia. 

IV. Egypt and her Monuments, (1849.) 

V. Auricular Confession in the Protestant 
Episcopal Church, (1850.) 

VI. History of North Carolina, two volumos, 
(1857.) 

VII. Antiquities of Peru, (1854.) 

VIII. OtReial and Other Papers of Alexan- 
der Hamilton, (1842.) 

IX. Romance of Biography. 

X. Appleton's Cyclopedia; of Biography. 
XL Journal of General Conventions (1856) 

of the Protestant Episcopal church of the 
United States, from 1785. 

XII. Under the pseudonym of Uncle Philip, 
several juvenile works for Harper's "Boys' and 
Girls' Library." 

XIH. He compiled from Perry's original 
notes " the Narrative of Commodore Perry's 
Expedition to the China Seas and Japan," 
(1S52.) 

XIV. Lecture on Sir Walter Raleigh. 

by Everitt A. nuyckinck, read before Kew York 

Historical Society, May, 1867. 
'•Cyclopedia of American Literature.'' 
" Dictionary of American Biography by I'raucis.S. 

Drake, 1876." 



142 WHEELER'S KEMINISCEXCES. 

X^.^. Lecture estaMishiiig tiie authenticity appearance, of _ij;reat geniality of temper he 

of the Mecklenburg, North Carolina, Declara- was a favorite witii all liis associates, 

tion of Independence of May 2G'th, 1775. descended to the ludicrous. Of fine personal 

At the time of his death he was preparing But his transcendent powers as an advocate 

a work " on the Ancient Monuments of Cen- did iu)t detract from his usefulness; not unlike 

tral and Western America," and a Physical Erskine, the giant lawyer, they did not dwarf 

Geography. the aide statesman. It was liis custom wlien 

George Edmun<l Badger, horn 1795, died entering the senate, to linger in the morning 

1866, was a native of New Berne. His fathei', and have a pleasant word with neai'ly ewuy 

a devoted patriot, was a native of Connecticut, mend/er, lud'ore he took lii.^ seat. This he 

His mother was a daughter of Richard Cog- would not retain long, for he was less frerpient 

dell; who was one of the council of safety in in liis own seat than in that of other niend^ers. 

1775. He was educated at Yale College, grad- Yet, with liii^ aiiparent carelessness, he would 

uated in 1815, and studied law witli John catchaiid remoudru-cveiT word, whether trivial 

Stanly, who was his relative. or important, uttered in debate, and ready to 

He was elected a inendier of the legislature answer any ((iiestion. He had a I'ertain kind 

1816; and in 1820, at the early age of 25, elec- of hunioi- to riilicule, in a jileasant way, even 

ted one of the judges of the superior courts, tlie most digiiitied of that distinguished hody 

which he resigned in 1825. He then settled al.iout any little mistake or blunder, either in 

in Raleigh and pursued with great success his their speeches or conversutiiju. 
profession. He was appointed Secretary of (Mi one nc^•asion, when a senator was con- 

the Navy in 1841, but resigned on Tyler's ve- cludinga long and Iaboi-ed speech, (J. P. Hale) 

toing the re-charter of tlie United States he remarkcMl: " I guess I baves.iid enougli;" Mr. 

Bank.* Badger who was just behind him said " I know 

From 1846 to 1855 he was United States you have." This descent from the sublime to 

SL-natoi'. the ridiculous created a pleasant smile. 

In 1851, he was nominateil one of thejudges On another occasiMii, when he had moved 

of the Supreme Court of the United States, that the senate adjnni'u over ne.\t day, 

but was not confirmed by the senate. l>eing Good Friday, the metion was lost. 

In 1861, he was a member of the convention "Weil,' lie said, "I submit, but this is the 

and signed the ordinance of secession. His only judicial body that has ev(r sat on (.-iood 

adniiralde letter to Mr. Ely, already presented, Friday, since the days of Puntius Pilate, who 

(see Eeaurfort) gives the "form and jires- tried and condemned our Saviour." Mr. AVeb- 

sure " of those unhappy times. The attendant ster was present and remarked: " That Badger 

calamities (hiubtless shortened bis days. is the greatest tiifler I ever knew; we are all 

As an advocate he had few equals, and no afraid of him; he can make more out of a 

superior in the highest tribunals (.>f the country, trifling occurrence than any man I ever knew." 

As an orator he waseloquent, learned and able; But there ^vas pith and point in all he said 

aliounding in wit and humor, which sometimes and did. He had no ^n}leriol• or eipial in his 

matchless ability for winnowing cliatl' from 

" It is singular that North Carolina has rarely been , , ' i •ii- 
houored by liaviiig one of her citizen.s inade a cabhiet wheat, or tlie most brilliant flowers oi elo- 

S'ea'"''"'°^°''°'''^"'"'^°'"''"°'^^^^ a"ence from the dry detail of sophistry; and 

I. John IJranch, 1829; II. f^eorge E Badger, 1S41 ; wdiile he indulged in the humorous or ludicrous. 

lA. \Mlluim A. Graham, tSoO ; IV. James C. Dob- ,.,,,,'. 

bill. 1S53. he wielded his arguments with the force of 



CKAVEN (X)UNTY. 143 

aTilaii. ills iiiiiid seemed so construeteil, lie sttulii'il law with (Joveninr Manly and 
tliat like the proboscis of the elephant, it could settled in Xew i'xTne. lie entered the House 
pickup with etiual faeility the nnnutest oh- of Commons in 1S;!4, as the mend)er fnnn New 
ject or the most weighty subject in its course. Bcnie and re-elected in 1835, was last repre- 
lle would often treat theliiiht and feeble ar<?u- sentative from New Berne, for in that year the 
metit with great seriousness, while he struck convention abolished tiie borough membeis. 
with ponderous blows the more weighty. His He was elected in 1840 one of the judges of 
great power as a lawyer was acknowledged l)y the sujicrior courts, which he held until 1860, 
both bench and bar and the whole community, when lie was elected one of tlie justices of the 
He had no taste for mathematics, as he supreme court; this he r^^signed when 
used to say him-self he was never "skilled in war and violence "exhausted the judiciary." 
arithmetic;" his stnuig forte was his power of After the war Wius over, and the state re- 
analysis, bnrningeloquencc, his deep and vaiied eoustrncted, Judge Manly was elected senator 
knowledge of ids pi-ofes.<ion. Whatever argn- in congrers, but was not allowed to take his 
menl was made adversely to his cause, with a seat. 

wizard wand, he would transfurm the object He then, with commendable pa':ri(>tism, pre- 

to his tastes and wishes, and impress the nund sided as one of the county judges of Craven, 

of the court, jury, and audience with the sound- devoting his learning and abilities to the good 

ness of his position. ol' his country. 

Is not this genius, and v/as not Badger There are few men of our state who posses.-ed 

pre-eminently a genius in Xiu-th Carolina? to a greater e.xtent the sincere regard of their 

He was a consistent memhei' of the Kpisco- countrymen tlum Judge Maidy. 

pal church, and strictly conrormed to its usa- Charles Randolph Tliomas, who resides in 

o-es. Tiiis ehurch, in 1853, had much troidde; New Berne, is a native of Carteret County; 

its bishop (Ives) had shocked the diocese bj^ born in 1827, he graduated at the university 

an apostasy to the church of Rome. Judge 1849, in same class with Kemp P. Battle, Wil- 

Badfer had for some time iirevious resisted the liam B. Dortch, Forney George, Charles E. 

stealthy stei.>s i)f the recreant jirclate, and by Lowtiier, William G. Pool, James P. Scales 

his efforts counteracted his sinister influence, and others. He studied law and settled in 

Judge Badger was nuirried three times; New Berne. In IHtU, lie was elected secretary 

lir.st a daughter of Governor Turnei'; second, of state, and in 18tj8 elected one of the judges 

adauuhtcrof Colonel William Polk; third, a of the superior courts, which lie resigned on 

dau"-hter of Mrs. Williams, y«fe Haywood. being elected a member of the Forty-secMid 

He died of paralysis, at Raleigh, on .May Congress, 1871-73, and re-elected to the Forty • 

11th 18G6. third Congre.ss, 1873 and 187o. he served 

Matthias Evans Manly, whose distinguished most acceptably and faithfully as a membei'Mf 
brother. Governor Charles .Manly, we have al- the committee ow elections. He was not re- 
ready sketched, (see Chatham) iived and died nominated to the Forty-fourth Congress, but 
in New Berne, Julv 2, l'^81. He wa.sa native in hisstead agentlciiian of African descent was 
of Chatham county; giadu.ated at the elected 

university in 1824, in a class of great merit; William J. Clarke rcsidesiii New Bcrno; hois 

William A. (-.raham, Augustus .Moore, David anativeof Wake ('ounty; he was liberally ed- 

Outlaw. and Thomas Dews, were among its ueated,aiidgradu:ited at the univer.sityin 1841, 

members. i" the same class with R. R. Bridgers, John F. 



144 AVHEE LEE'S REMINISCENCES. 

Hoke, Moiitt'ord McGehee, Charles iuid Samuel mother was the grand-daughter of the cele- 

F. riiillips, Horatio M. I'olk, Jesse G. Shop- brated Jonathan Edwards, distinguished as a 

herd, and otliers. metaphysician, the president of the Frince- 

He studied law, and was very laborious and ton College. The early education of Mrs. 

ujef\il. Clarke was liberal, for blest with ample means. 

In 184(1, he volunteered for the Mexican war, every advantage that wealth could bestow was 

and was appointed captain of company I., 12th lavished upon her. Her genius early displayed 

regiment of United States Infantry, with itself in prose and poetry; but her productions 

John F. Hoke as first lieutenant and Junius were then mere pastime. The civil war brought 

B. "Wheeler and others as privates. At the adversities to all, and unusual disaster added 

action at the National Bridge he was severely to this, her bealtli began to fail and she 

wounded. He was also in the battles of Pasa sought the mild climate of Cubix for its resto- 

Ovejas and Cerro Gordo. For his gallantry he ration. With renewed health she commenced 

was promoted. This war being ended, and his her career as an authoress. Some of her 

command disbanded, he returned home to his poems were cidlected and published in a 

professional practice. volume. " Mosses from a Rolling Stone," "The 

In 1850, he Avas elected by the legislature of Idle Moments of a Busy Woman," and many 

North Carolina as comiitroUer of tiie state, other gems. Her many war pieces as "The 

which.after fouryears service, he resigned, and Battle of Manassas;" " Battle of the Hampton 

was succeeded by George W. Brooks. Roads," and her" Rebel Sick,", are calculated 

When the civil war began he was apiiointed to rouse the feelings, while the simple touches 

colonel of the 24th North Carolina regiment, of nature in her " Mothers' Dream," "My 

and did much and varied service ; endured Cliildren," and " Smiles and Roses," awaken 

much suffering and encountered the tender sensibilities of the heart. The 

" Most disastrous chances, "Reminiscences of Cuba," and "Of noted 

Of moving accidents by flood and field; North Carolinians," show her skill and power 

Of hair breadth escapes in tlie inuninent deadly breacb. 

Of being talceu by the insolent foe, and placed into as a pen painter of genius. In 1S.J4, Mrs. 

captivity '• Clarke published " Wood Notes;" in 1871, 

for at one time, like Governor Vance, he was " Clytie and Zenobia; or, the Lily and the 

an inmate of the prison at Washington. I'alm." 

After the war was over, he returned to his William Edwards Clarke is the son of the 

profession, and was made one of the judges of above. He was born in Raleigh on March 7, 

superior courts of law and equity, in which posi- 1850. 
he was succeeded by Judge A. S. Se\-niour. He was educated at Davidson College, and 

Judge Clarke married Maiy Bayard, daugh- read law at Columbia College, New York, 
ter of the late Thomas Pollock Devercux, who He was elected in 1876 a member of the 

was (listinguished as a la\A'3'er,and a successful legislature by 1.500 majority. lie was a tutor 

and extensive planter on the Roanoke river; his in the Deaf and Dumb Institution. 



CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 145 

ClTAPTiat XV. 
CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 

With tliis county is aBsocinteil the natne of Another character appears in the onrl.y his- 

Flora Mai'Doiiakl, born at South Uist, Scot- tory of this county, and as he was snniewhat 

land in 1720, and died Marcli 4th, 1790. \ notorious, his name is presented— Farrpiard 

She is celebrated for having aided and ac- Camiibell. 

complished the escape of Charles lidward, the lie was a slirowd and active politician, and 

young pretender, after the battle of Culloden, tried to make favor with both sides, but as in 

April 16, 1746. all similar efforts, the favor of both sides was 

In 1750, she married Alexander .MacDonald, lost, 

with whom she came to North Carolina in I find from a di-^patch of Governor Martin 

1773, and settled near Fayetteville in this to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated on boaril of 

county. He was a captain of the Royal the Cruiser, October 16th, 1775, the following: 

Highlander.s, and was engaged in the battle of . ..i n-i a f t u; i 

" ' °° " lam sm'iu'ised tohear that the Scotcn Hu'-li- 

Moore's Creek Bridge, where he was taken |;^„ders have. leclaicd themselves neutral. Tins I 

prisoner, and confined in Halifax jail Flora atti'ibute to the influence of a certain Far(inar<l 

returned to Skye, Scotland. She was of much Campbell, an ignorant man who has settle,! 

, „ ' , , from Ills childhood in this county, an old 

personal beauty, and ot great energy and de- ,„e,„i,er of the assembly, and has in,bii,ed all 

termination of character. On the voyage the American prejudices. By advice of somo 

home an attack on the ship was made by a of my countrymen, I was induced to coni- 

T^ 1 1- f ,. , 1 „,u^., fi. ^ TT,. ,.i;m, .1,;,. niunicato with him, and sound him, in case mat- 
French sun ot war, and when tlie English ship ^ <- -i- 1 ,,,. 1 *■ 
' ' r> i (.^^^ fame to extremities, and was assured ot 
was aljout to be taken, she rushed on the deck, his ioy:dty. lie expressed to me his abhor- 
and by her examule and courage drove the ence of the violence done at Fort Johnstone, 
enemy ..fi'. In the contest herarm was broken. '""J *» ^'^^i^r i.ista.nccs and discovered so much 
•^ , „. . , iealousv and apprehension or the ill designs 
Several of her sons were odicers in the army. ;,i- the "leaders in .edition, giving n,e at the 
One of them was a colonel, and a Fellow of the same time so strong assurances of his loyalty, 
Koval Society. and of the good dispositions of his country- 
j;' '", / , ,.,. ,. Tj,, ^f TV II men, that I, never suspecting his dissimulation 
The character and lite ot Hora MacDonald ^^^^^ treachery, was led to impart to him the 
have excited the imagination of Sir Walter encouragements I was authorized to hold out 
Scott, Mrs. Ellett and others. A more full to ] lis 'Majesty*s loyal subjects, which he re- 

-, 1 . -1 1 1 i 1 r u 1-j.- 1 1 t ceived with much auiirobation. From the 

and dotal ed sketch of her lite and character "". , . ' /' . t i i ^ ti , i 

time ot this conversation, in July last, i heard 

maybe found m" the History ot the Jacobites," nothing from Mr. Campbell, until the late con- 

and in the History of North Carolina, II., 126. r vention at llillsboro, when he appeared as a 

She died in 1790, and luu- name is still re- cU'legate from the County of Cuinberland, and 

T, ^, ,,,.,, , ,1. ,, ■,, there, according to my mtormation, umisked 

membered by the old folks about hayetteville ,,,j^j unsolicited, and without provocation of 

with reverence and regard, any sort, he was guilty of the base treachery 

Foote hassaid of this amiable and illustrious of promulgating all I had .said to him^ in confi- 

, ^ ,.17 1 1 1 „ V i.>i- 1 fi -v-- dential secrecy, which ho had promised sacredly 

character, "England has her Eli^.abeth, ^ ,r- ^^^ ^^^^^^,^^^^ J^^ aggravating the crimeof false- 

ginia her Pocahoritas, and North Carolina her i„,m| i,y adding his own invention, in de- 
Flora MacDonald." daring he had rejected all my propositions." 



146 WIIEELEirs REiMINISCENCES. 

Tliis shows the opinion of Govornni- Maitin. oliiia deh'.t^ation in the house who sniiported 

Cumiibell reeoiveil as little favor tVoni the the sedition law, wlneh passed the house 

other side, for the next fall he was seized \>y Max 21, 1798. He supiiorted Jay's British 

Colonel Folsoine in his own liouse, while en- Treaty, so universally reiiiidiated hy the south, 

tertaininu- a party of Iligiiland loyalists, and He was joined by Govei'iior Martin in su[iport 

taken to Halifax jail. of these Fedei'al irieasures, which was the death 

The following lettei' from Colonel Moore wai'rant of l>oth in tlieir politieal lives. Gov- 

will show the status of Mr. Canipl.iell with thu ernor Miu'tin in 1801, was succeeded by Gover- 

whig side. nor Franklin and (ilrove hy Samuel 0. Purvi- 

" Camp at Moore's ureek, anee of Fayetteville. 

" Fcbrwirn 21ll,, 1770. ji^ nmrried Sarah, daughter of Egbert llay- 

"Sir: I have thought proper to send down ^^.o,„i .„„i g.,i|y ^yj,,.^.^ ^(-,3 .^„„t ^j- Honorable 

Mr. Farqnard Camijbell to be examined Ity -,,r-,i- o < "1 

^ ■,, '■ •' \\ illiam S. Ashe, 
your committee. 

" lie has been accused of aiding and abett- Mi'- Moore says that he was prompt, viva- 

ing the tories in their late schemes, and was eious and a devoted advocate lor the adoption 

airied a prisoner to Colonel Casw.-irs can,p ^,j. ^j^^ ,,^^^^, constitution: that he and John 



lie has now fallen into my liauds, and I send 
him to \ on to deal with him asyoutbiidsproper. 



Ilav had married the daughters of C'olonel 



"A Daniel "Williams, of Duplin, who was a Kowan, l)oth residents of Fayetteville. 
prisoner among the tories, says that ho heard j^,).,,, Louis Taylor born March l,17C9,died 
Cai)tain McCloud say that they intended to ^ ,„^,_, . , , ,. . -r, 
go to the governor hy the way of Kocklish; '^'"uiary, 18211, resided lor many years ,n Fay- 
hut that Mr. F. Canipl>ell advised them to etteville. lie was born in London, of Irish 
take the route they have done, and that in a parents; he was deprived, at an early age, of 

few hours, by liis means they might have 1 ■ , ,1 i 1 1 <- 4. ^i ■ " ,.' i, 

,. ' • , . ^, . , •' ^'^ , . his tathei', and was brought to this country by 

notice ot anything that was transacted m our ^ •' •' 

canni I ain, sir." ^'i elder brothei', when he was only twelve 

" Y(Uirvery humble servant, years old. I'.y the aid of this brother, he en- 

".Iamks Moore." joyed the advantages of education, and spent 

- To the chairman of the connnitte of Wil- \^^,^^ ^.^.^^.^ ^^ William and Marv college in Vir- 

mingt"i!, js. C." ..'-,,. , . ^ ... 

ginia. He then came to this state, studied 

" E\er strong upon the stiongei' side," when law, and settled at Fayetteville. His success 

the revolution ended in our indepen<lence, at the bar was complete. His gentle and un- 

Campboll was claimed to lie a wliig, and was obstrusive bearing, bis deep learning, and kind 

senator in 1791-'02-'9?., fVom Cumbei'land. temper soon gained him practice and "troops 

Win. IJarry Grove, resbled in Cundieilaiul of friends." He was elected in 1792,-'93,-'94 

County, and represented it in tlie legislaini-e to represent the town of Fayetteville in the 

in 1788-'89, and this district in c(uigress 1791 House of Commons. During this last year, 

to 18*);!. He was in congi-ess during the sting- the oflice of attorney -general became vacant; 

gle bet ween Jefferson and I>urr, and suiipoi-ted be with Messrs. Blake Baker and Itobert 

the latter for presidency. Williams were nominated for the office, and 

We have been able to gathei- but little IVom Mr. Baker was electc<l. 

the annals (d' congress or from private sources, He now tlevoted all bis talents and time to 

<if the life and character of Mr. (-Jrove, and his profession , and even with such competitors 

leave this duty to some son of the Ca-c Fear as Hay, Dntfy, Williams, and others, he had a 

district. large and lucrative practice. He removed to 

He was the onlv mend.ier of the North Car- New Berne in 1796. 



Cl'MBEKLAXJ) COUNTY. 147 

In 17i'8, lie was elected a judge of the .hu- I5y tlie -.xri nf 1817, he whs aiipoiutcd with 

porior ciiurts of law and equity. .\t this time iloury I'ly-ter and Bartlett Yancey to revise 

the slate was divided into eight judiidal dis- the statute law of tho state, ami the stat- 

tricts,Edenton, Halifax, New Berne, Wilniiiig- utes of Enghiiul iii force in the state. This 

ton, Fayetteville, ilillshoro, Salishui-y, and work was coiniiieted and [Hildished in 1<S21. 

Morgantoii. Court was held twice a year, at in 1H25, .(udgo Taylor continued this work. 

which two of the four judges had to [iresido. lie, ahoiit the same time, puhlishcd a, treatise 

These courts had .^u^ireme jurisdiction, for '-on the Duties of Executors and .\dniinistra- 

tliere was no court of appeals, and their deci- tors," 

sions were tinal. This obvious defect was en- This devoted loyalty to his profession did 

deavored to be I'eiiiedied by the act of 1799, not prevent .Judge Taylor from worshipping at 

directing the judges to meet together at Uu- the shrine of the muses. There was not, per- 

leigh twice a year to settle questions of law ha[is, a b^^tter hd/.s- lellres scholar in bis day. 

and equity arising on the circuits. In ISUl, While at the Inir he possessed a singular 

the act of 1799 was continual for three years, felicity ■.)f e.Npression, wliich always seized the 

and the meeting of tlie juilges was called "the most apjjropriate word suited to the thought. 

court of conference." His eiiorls were distinguished by a playful, he- 

In 1804, this was made a permanent tribu- iicvolent humor, great ingenuity and skill in 

nal, and its name changed in the following argment, a)id a ni.ost retentive memory. 

year to that of •' the Supreme Court." In Always polite to his assoi-iates, and res[iectful 

1808 the judges were authorized to appoint to the court, witli high and generous feelings, 

one of their number chief justice, and Judge ho was lo\ed and respected. Of the mode in 

Taylor was selected. In 1818, tlie supreme which iie exercised the functions of a judge of 

court was established, and John Lewis Taylor, this highest tribunal in our laud, his recorded 

John Hall and Leonard Henderson were ap- o])inion3 will demonstrate, and these are 

pointed to hold it. Judge Taylor continued models of eloquence and logic, whilst thev are 

as chief justice until his death, which oc- admired for their research and classic beautv. 

cuvred at Raleigh, January 29, 1829. As a neig!il)or, no one bad a more benevo- 

Soon after liis appointment, Judge Taylor lent disposition, moie .sincere in his friendships 
began to take notes of the cases decided by or nuu-e affectionate in all the relations of 
him and his associates; and in 1802 he puli- life. Ilistiibute to the memory of the late 
lished " Ca.ses Determined in the Sqerior James F. Taylor, who died in 1H28, is credita- 
Courts of Law and Equity of the State of ble alike to his liead and heart.* This gen- 
North Carolina." tleman, though bearing the same name, was no 

In 1814, he published anonymously the fiist, blood relation, and was only connected by 

and in 1816 the second volume of " the Caro- having married his adopted daughter, Eliza 

lina Repository;" also another volume of re- L. .Mannmg. Judge Taylor was twice mairiel. 

ports from 1816 to 1818, known as " Taylor's His tirst wife was .fulia Rowan, by wliDin he had 

Term 1-Jcports." His charge to the grand oue daughtci', who married .Major Snjcd, a 

jury of Edgecombe, in 1817, was published at son of whom was attorney -general of Teuues- 

the request of the grand jury, and is a model see. The second wife was Jane Gaston, a 

of its kind, showing the various oftences that sister of Juilge Gaston, by whom he had one 

grand juries are bound to notice, and a general daughter, who married David E. Sumner, of 

summary of their duties. *'^:^ ,,.,. i „<• 7 ■ , r^ i^ » -,- 

* rins may be found 111 1 Devereux Reports, o27. 



J 48 WHEELER'S RKMINISCEXCES. 

llerlfurt Countv, un.l a son, John Loni., who not elected by the legislature. In 183G, he 
die.] yen-, a.-o/unmarried. ^vas again on the superior court bench which 

Ilonry Potter born 17u5, died 1857, was he resigned fron, ill health in 1840. He v. as 
forvaor'e than half a century judge of the an eloquct advocate, a learned judge, a writer 
TTnited States District Court for the state of of great literary attainments, and an accom- 
North Carolina, appointed in 1801 by Mr. Jef- plished and urbane gentleman. He died m 
fe.-son He resided in Fayettevillo; he was a Pittsboro in 1856. 

uptivJof Granville Countv. Louis D. Henry, born 1788, died 1816, re- 

Of his early education we have no in forma- sided for years in this county. He was a 
tion But he was for years a trustee and an native of New Jersey, educated at Princeton, 
active friend of the university. Kind and where be graduated in 1809. He read law 
courteous in his manners, upright and patient with his uncle, Edward Grahan>, m New 
as a ju.lo-e,he iK)s.sesf=ed abilities of a reputa- Berne, and practiced with great success. He 
ble order- but to preside as the associate was distinguished for his courteous manners, 
of Marshal, Daniel, and Wayne, demanded no bis finished eb.cution, and bis accurate and 
ordinarv powers. In the latter days of bis extensive memory. His genial temper and 
life be was fond of narrating the events of his popular manners were duly appreciated by bis 
voutb He bad known Washington, and lieard fellow citizens. He represented the county 
him deliver his first address to congress at 1821 and 1822, and the town in 1830-'.31 and 
Pliiladelpbia. He knew Adams. Jefferson, '32, and in the latter year was chosen speaker. 
Madison, Monroe, Hamilton, Charles Carroll. In early life, when .luite young, he beoame 
Rufus King and other celebrities of the revo- involved in a duel with Thomas J. Stanly, 
lution, a. well Richard Caswell, Judge Iredell, (about 1812) which terminated m the death 
Governor Johnstone, Nash, Burke, Spaight, of the latter. 

.Xshe Davie and others of our own state, and He was appointed .Minister to Belguim by 
.uch'-iants as Cameron, Gaston Toomer, the President (VanBuren,) which mis.sion he 
Means^ Dutty and Strange bad practiced before declined, but he accepted the appointment of 
him; a'll of whom prccede<I liim to the grave, commissioner to settle claims against Spain, 
llad'be written tlie rendn^sceiiees of his times. In 1842, he nuide an unsuccessful campaign 
How agreeable would such a work have been r,s candidate for governor of the state. This 
tooura<'-e! ^^''is bis last appearance in political life, tor 

He wi" te a work - on the Duties of a Justice four years after be died suddenly at bis resi- 
of the Peace," and with Yancey and Taylor re- dence in Raleigh. 
' vised our statute laws. He died J)ecemher Mr. Henry was no ordinary man. Gifted 
2Q ig57 l)y nature with high mental endowments, cul- 

John D. Toomer was a native of Wilming- tivated by education, of a most agreeable pre- 
ton; educated at the university but diil not sence, an exquisite taste for poetry and music, 
"•raduate. ^^'if' '"ost melodious voice, he was a welcome 

*" He reiu-esented this eoiinty in the senate of and favoured guest wherever be mowd.^ 
the state le-islature in IS^H and 1832, and Mr. Henry was twice married. By bis last 

su.'ceeded Jud..e Strange, in the house in 183tJ. wife, who survived him, he had several chil- 



lle had been a judge of the su^ierior ronvt. 



dren. One of whom married Duncan K. 



1818, an.l was on the supreme court l..neb in .McUae. another John H. Manly, and another 
1829, by ai.pointment of the governor,but was was the first wife of R. P. Waring, of Charlotte. 



cr.\nM^:RLAXD county. 149 

Robert Strange, born 1796, died February llaiiylitoii, di-itingnised as a statesman and 

19th, 1854, who lived and died in Fayette- advocate; Cadwailader Jones, late attorney- 

ville, was a native of Virginia. lie was edu- general of the state; Richard II. Smith, and 

cated at Hampden Sydney, stndied law and otlicrs, composed the class, 

settled at Fayetteville, from which town he His gentle and genial mannera, and frank 

was elected a representative to the legisiatnre and gentlemanly deportment made him a nni- 

1821; re-elected, with two intermissions, nntil versal favorite with the faculty and students, 

1836, when he was elected one of the judges and so won upon the aiFections of the vener- 

of the superior courts, in which position he able president, Dr. Caldwell, that he was often 

was .so acceptable that in 1836, he was elected heard to say: " it would gladden his heart to be 

United States senator. Here he shone con- the father of such a son as James C. Dobbin." 

spicuous for the suavity of his manners, his He read law with -ludge Strange, then one 

afFalile demeanor, and his brilliant abilities, of thejudges of tliesu[)erior coui'ts, with whom 

Under instructions from the legislature, he was a special favorite. 

elected in the pbrensy of the "Log Cabin " lie wasadmitted to the bar in 1835, and de- 
campaign of 1849, he resigned, glad to escape voted all of his enei'giesto the [irofession. In 
from " the peltings of the storm " of political it he was eininiently successful; this, too, at a 
life to tiie more germane and profitable pur- b.ir adorned by Toomei', Eccles, Henry, asid 
suits of the law, which lie practiced with great others. 

success until his death. He was twice married. He was often solicited to represent his 

His second wife, .Mrs. Nelson, survived him countj', l)Ut he invariably declined, alledging 

but a sliort time. that he felt more satisfaction in the discharge 

James Cochrane Dobbin, horn 1814, died of his professional duties, and in the quiet eon)- 

August 4, 1857, was born, lived, and died in forts of his family', thati in the contests of 

Fayetteville. He was the son of Johti .VI. political warfare. 

Dobbin, and Abiiess, daughter of James Coch- But such talents and merit could imt re- 

rane, after whom he was named, and who main unappreciated. In 1845, unsolicited and 

represented the Orange district in the Twelfth unexpectedly to him, he was nominated for 

Congress, 1811 and 1S13. His father, a sue- congress by a convention in the Raleigh dis- 

cessful merchant in Fayette\ille for thirt}' trict. The district was a doubtful one, and 

3'eai's, died in 1837 univei'sall}- loved and la- had previously only been cariied by a small 

mented. majority for the democratic ticket. 

Mr. Dobbin was prejiared for college by The opposition was able and active, and his 

William J. Bingham, of Hillsboro; in 1828 he com[ietitor, John H. Haughton, a practiced 

entered the freshman class. His course in col- and successful politician. Yet such was the 

lege was marked by a faithful discharge of gallant and genial bearing of Mr. Dobbin a.nd 

every diuy. Though much thcyoungest mem- liis captivating and svinning cbK|uence, that 

ber of the chiss, during the whole collegiate he was elected by a majority of two thousand 

coarse, he was among the first, and graduated votes. His fame preceded him to congress, 

with high honors in 1882, and tliis was no idle and he was placed on the coiximittee of elec- 

iind empty compliment, when it is stated that tioiis, a most important and trying position for 

sucli minds as Thouias S. Ashe, (now one of the a youngandinex[)erienced member. But bei'e 

judges of the supreme court,) Thomas L. Cling- he so bore himself as to win the approbation 

man, late United States s.^nator; John H. of his associates, by a close attention to Ins 



150 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



dnties, deciding according to the justice of 
each case, and his own convictions of right 
although frequently to the prejudice of his own 
own party. 

His speech on the Oregon question; the 
tliree niillion bill; Mexican war; public lands; 
the tariff, and other questions, established for 
liiin the reputation of a sagacious and honest 
statesman. After his term expired he de- 
clined a re-election to congress, intending to 
devote himself to his profe.ssion, in which he 
now stood in the foremost rank. But the 
people did not allow him to retire from their 
service; he was returned from the ciunty in 
1848, 1850 and 1852, to the legislature. He 
was chosen the speaker of the house in 1848 
and 1850. His course, so patriotic and yet so 
modest, commanded the respect and regard of 
all. His efibrts in behalf of the Insane Asy- 
lum, on the memorial of that "white winged 
messenger of peace," Miss JHx, is the monu- 
ment of his patrotism and his pliilanthrophy. 
The memorial was referred to a select commit- 
tee, on motion of John W. Ellis, and a bill 
was reported by him appropriating one Imn- 
dred thousand dollars. In the mean time, 
Mr. Ellis, -n being elected judge, resigned, 
the laboring oar was then allotted to Hon. 
Kenneth Rayner, who, in a speech of great 
power and of impassioned eloquence, advoca- 
ted the measure; hut it was lost by a vote of 
66 to 44, and the measure seemed to be irre- 
trievably lost. 

Miss Dix felt deeply the failure of a measure 
no dear to her heart and to humanity; she 
called on Mr. Doljbin, who had not been pre- 
sent at the discussion, his lovely wife having 
only a day or so previously died; Miss Uix 
reminded him of his wife's earnest request to 
support this bill. The appeal did not fall un- 
heeded. Tlie next day the bill was reconsid- 
ered. Mr. Dobbin, in the language of the 
Raleigh Register, •' delivered one of the most 
touching and beautiful etforts ever heard in 



the legislature." The bill passed almost unan- 
imously. 

The stranger, wandering in our midst, as he 
gazes in pride on " the cloud capt turrets " of 
this splendid edifice, erected at our capital, may 
well pause iind breath a benediction and 
tliaid<:s to the 'names of Doi'athea Dix, Ken- 
neth Rayner and James C. Dobbin. 

Mr. Dolibin's ne.\t public service was as a 
delegate to the convention at Baltimore to 
nominate candidates for president and vice- 
president. He was elected the chairman of 
the North Carolina delegation. After a pro- 
tracted and animated canvass, it was found 
impossible co nominate Buchanan, Marcy, 
Cass, or I>ougla8, or any one acceptable to the 
contending factions. It was apprehended that 
the convi.'ntiiin ^Nould adjourn in confusion, 
and witliout any nomination. At this crisis 
Mr. Dobbin arose, and in a modest, unobstru- 
sive manner, and with matchless eloquence, 

" Like the sweet Soutli, 

J5re:itlihig on a bank of violets, 
Stealing and giving odor," 

spoke as follows: 

"Mr. President: I'ai'don me for obtruding otie 
wi)rd before North Carolina casts her vote. 
AVe came to jiander to no factions artiiices 'ufve, 
to enlist under no man's banner at the hazard 
of principle; to endiark in no crusade to 
jirostrate any aspirant for the sake of sec- 
tional or personal triumph. We came here 
to select one of the ariuy of noble spirits in 
our ranks to be our leader and champion in the 
glorious struggle for the great principles of 
democrac}'. 

"Again, and again, have we tendered the 
banner to tlie Noi'th. Save our h'lpiij/ Union, 
guard well the rights of the states, say we, 
and you can have the honor of the standard 
bearer. Zealously and sincerely have we pre- 
sented the name of Buchanan, the nobe son 
of the Key Stone state, around whom the af- 
fections of our hearts have so long clustered. 
We have turned to the Empire State, New 
York, a!id sought to honor one of her distin- 
guished sons. We now feel that in the midst 
of discord and destruction, the olive branch, if 
tendered once more, cannot be refused. We 



CLTMBERLANI) COUNTY. 151 

{eel the hour now has conv wheu tlie spirit of lots Mr. Dobbin I'eeeiveil witliiii one or two 

strife must be banished, and the mild, gentler ^f enough votes to eleet bini. All of us who 

and holier siiirit of patriotism reign in its , l- i . , • i , 

stead! Come then, Mr. President, let us go were members ot that legislature can remem- 

to the altar and make sacrifices for our beloved ber the intense excitement of the time. The 

country. We now propose, with other friends, opposition was able, active, and not over scru- 

the name of one wlio was in the field just 1 oiig ,^„ n^u, ,,i i ,„j. „i„,,. |,„^ u ;i .p 

, ^ 1 ■ 11- M . 11- T Milous. Ihey couki not elect; but bv aid ot 

enough to prove himself a >j;ailant soldier, and i ^ > . 

who was long enough in \he councils of the one or two meddling marplots of tlie other 

nation to demonstrate that he is a statesman side they could [irevcnt the election of the 

of the stnnij mivd and honeM heart; who has democratic candi.iate. Amid all this excito- 

exbibited in the career ot leijislation, that he ,r ta i i ■ i i i . i 

knew the rights of the South, while he re- »'«"* ^i'- Dobbin appeared the only calm and 

spected those of the North, as well as of the considerate person among us. After some 

East and the West; whose principles of de- fo,,ty ballotings, he requested that a caucus 

mocracv are as solid and en<luring as the , , , , n , i -.i n.- i. t ■ 

•* ■ 1 -n fi- „ x' Tj ' 1 ;., ebould be caled, and with unaffected sincerity 

granite hills of Ins own iSew Hampshire iia- ' •' 

tive land— General Fnmkliii fierce. and glowing eloquence he requested his name 

" Come, friends and brothers, let us strike to be withdrawn and some other person voted 

hands now; now tor harmony and conciliation, ^.^^^. ^^^ ^.^^^^ ^^.j^,^ ^^^.^.^^^^ ^,,g . di.ti-acted 

and save our cherished principles and our be- ' . . 

loved countrv " ''.^' jealousies, and a fearful chasm of disorder 

bad been opened, engulphing its unity, if not 

This i^peecu was cheered with the wihlest its very existence. He withdrew his nam.'; 

enthusiasm. Several states, as Vermont and but it was in vain. If he could not be elected 

New Jerse}', changed their votes to Pierce, no other person should be, and the state had 

The delegations from New York, Pennsylva- only one senator for a long time. 

Ilia, Indiana and other states, retired for con- On the accession of General Pierce, without 

sulfation, but soon returned and joined their any effort of friends or himself, and une.x- 

voices in the general pean of joy. Dispatches peeted to all, for he had recommended another, 

and eongratnlations on the event wei'c received he was tendered the position of Secretary of 

from J)ouglas, Houston, and others. Thepresi- the Navy. The manner of his successful dis- 

dent of the convention then announced the charge of these important duties, his pure and 

vote (two hinidred and eighty-three) for unspotted integrit\', gave more strength to this 

Franklin Pierce. branch of the public service than it has ever 

It was ackiK)wledged that the address of received before or since. His decided and 

Mr. Dobbin had done much to secure this re- frank course, his gentle and knightly courtesy, 

suit. He was selected as one of electors with his frank and open demeanour won theheartsof 

Burton Craige.L.O'B. Branch, Thomas Bragg, those in the service, and he left the depart- 

aiid others, and made a gallant campaign for inent without an enemy in or out of the navy, 

the ticket and cast the vote of the state for He possessed in a lugii degree the faculty 

Pitrce and King. of '' reading men," and the talent of discern- 

At this time (1852,) the legislature liad to ing merit. He granted with pi'oin[itness any 
elect a senator in congress. The democratic reasonable rettuest, while lie could refuse with 
p;iit\" in caucus, with much unanimity, nomi- delicacy and t ict, any improper application. 
luited Mr. Dobbin. The parties (democrat Whilst his health was ahvaj^s delicate, yet he 
and whig) wei'e nearly equally divided. The attended laboriously every duty of tliis import- 
selfish ambition of one or two aspirants pre- ant position. It is a singular fact, already al- 
vented an election; although on several bal- ludcd to, that our state has rarely been h(ni- 



152 



WHEELER'S REMINISCEXCES. 



ored by ;i caWiiiet appoiiitineiit, but when it has 
it was the Navy Department. 

It is also sinji;ular tliat the cabinet of Pierce, 
which has had no superior in the history ofthe 
republic for integrity, ability, or usefulness, is 
the only ca!)inet that ever existed, in whicli 
there was, during its legal existence, perfect in- 
tegrity, with out resignation or change. These 
distinguished men seemed to be as united in 
their social and official relations, as they were 
for the welfare and honor of their country. 

This terminated, the public life of .Mr. 
Dobbin, a career so brilliant and yet so short. 

In private life his character exhibited it- 
self still more lovely. As a son, he was 
obedient and docile; as a husband, tender; as a 
father, proviilent and affectionate, and as a 
friend sincere, fiaid-c, and unselrish. 

I trust it will not bo deemed ostentations 
when I say of Mr. Dobbin, as did Antluniy of 
Civsar: " He was my friend, faitiiful and just, 
to me ■' earnest and sincere. He sustained my 
course, when absent from the country under 
peculiar circumstances, when assailed by pre- 
judice and sectional jealousy. I allude to the 
course [mrsued by me in (^'-ntrul America. To 
the la-t hour of his life he continued his 
kinilly offices. 

As I was leaving the country, I received the 
following letter, which bettei' expresses his 
friendship and generous, noble nature tiian any 
possible language of miiie: 

" Washikgtox, Ociobtr Bnl, 1854. 
"■ Dear Wheeler: 

"The beautiful painting has arrived, and 
shall conspicuously adorn my parlor. 

"I prize it highly. It is the picture of the 
l;eloved Washington. It is one of ' Sully's " 
V'aiutings too. It comes to nu_' from the warm 
heart of a true friend, and therebj' seems to 
iiave borrowed a richer touch, which lends it 
additional l.ieauty. 

" I shall remember you, when j-ou are far, 
f::raway; and when you return, aiul see my 
little folks, tell them how warm was the 
friendship between yourself and their father, 
whose life was so hopeful and yet so short. 



" Should, however, the scene be changed and 
otherwise, let your better-half and your boys 
know that Mr. Dobbin is one that they may 
approach and find their steady friend. But 
perhaps we may meet in years to come, and 
then v.'hat friendly chats, Shakespeare, poli- 
tics. Good-bye. G-od preserve and bless you, 
" James C. DuuiiiN." 

But if the life of Mr. Dobl)in was one con- 
tinued exercise of the noblest functions of our 
nature, and his career as short as it \\'as bril- 
liant, it was eclipsed by the sublime manner 
of hi-, death. 

Ilis beidtb never strong, was exhausted by 
his (ifHcial labors at Washington, and he re- 
turned home only to die. We are Informed 
l)y Rev. Mr. Gilchrist, wlio was with him in 
his last moments, that Mr. Dobbin was con- 
scious for some tin>.e of his approacliing disso- 
lution, and when t!ic ii-y band of death touched 
his hcai't, lie did not shrink fi-oni its a,pi)i'oa.ch 
but calmly bade his little children and his 
weeping friends adieu; and with fixed liands, 
comi>osing himself in his bed, he was heard to 
whisper, " praise the Lord, oh my soul!" and 
with these words his spirit departed. 

" -Sure the last eiiil 

Of the iiooil man is peace ! How calin liis exit; 
Nigiit dews fall not more gently to the groimd 
>for weary worn o t winds expire inoro soft." 

Mr. ])obbin left th-.-i-o children; two sons, 
both since dead, and a (hinghter. Tlie sad 
fate of his lu'othei', John V. Doljbin, who per- 
ished at sea, in tlie steam ship Central America, 
has already been allinled to. (See Beaufort 
County ) 

"Waircn Winslow, born 1810, died 18t)2, 
was I'orn, lived and died in Fayettevilie. He 
was educated at the rniversity-wf ]N'o'th Car- 
olina, and graduated in 1827, in s-iiue class 
with. Judge A. 0. P. Nicholson, of 'J'eiuiessee, 
Charles B. Shcphard, Lewis Tlionip.-on and 
others. 

He studied law, and (uitered public life as 
senator in the state legislature the s.r.no ycai-. 
(1851,) and was chosen speaker. In the election 



CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 153 

of Governor Reid as senator in cong-rcss he a Imvvor, luit nliaiidoned (lie [irofession and 

became ex officio governor of tlie state. The joined tlie ministry. As a writer siie has at- 

next year he was elected a member of the taiiied s^feat succe;;s. Many of lier [jrodnctions 

Thirty-fonrth Congress, l855,-'o7, and was show the tire of genius. 

re-elected to the Thirty-fifth, 1857, -'59, and Tiie Presbyterian lioard of iiuljliration havo 

Thirty-sixth Congress, 1850,-'G1, when the issncd several of her works as Sunday-sclidol 

state secceded. books, and her i)0('ms in (ho North Carolina 

He (in 1854) was sent on a s[»evial mission l^-osliyterian and the Central Trosliytorian, 

1>y Mr. Pierce to ]\hulrid, in reference to [lulilisheil at Pichmond, Virginia, have at- 

tlie ]>lack Warrior affair. taincd celehritv, and snch happy conceits, as 

AVhen the civil war commenced he took an that of' Linda Loe " address alike the fancy 

active i)art. lie died in Fayettevilie in 18()o. as the heart. 

Governor Winslow had many genial and A few of her poems are preserved in " Wood 

generons qualities, and was much loved by his Notes," a collection of North Carolina poety, 

friends. The troubles of the country hurried made by .Mrs. Clai'ki\ and published in 1854, 

him to an early grave. but most of them have appeared only in the 



Duncan Kirkland MacKae, born Au"-nst 



newspapers. 



l()th, 1820, is a native of Fayettevilie, son of Henry Washington Ililliard, mentioned in 
John MacUae, Esq. lie was educated at the the same work "The Living Writers of the 
University of Virginia, and at William and South," is a native of Cumberland Countv, 
Mary; studied law with Judge Strange, and born ISOS. lie has been distinguished as a 
was a successful andeloquent advocate. ?]leeted lawyer, a di[il()mist, a ]> ditieian, and a divine, 
to the legislature in 1842. He was educated at Columi)ia, S mtb Caro- 
He was an unsuccessful candidate lor gov- linn; studied law and settled at Athens, 
ernor in 1848, being defeated by Governor Ellis. Geoi'gia. In JSal, he was elected a professor 
On the accession of General Pierce, he was in the University of (Jeorgia; and in 1838, was 
appointed Consul of the LTnited States at a member of the legislature. Three years 
i'aris, where he remained only a few years. later he was appointed rhnrrjc (V'/frklres to 
On his return he removed to Memphis, Ten- Belgium. From 18i5 to 1852, he was a rep- 
nessee, then to Chicago, and recontl3M-eturned res'-ntative in congress from Georgia, subse- 
to his native state, and is now residing at (piently he l>ecame a Mi'thodist preacher. 
Wilmington. He became envoy ext)aordinary and minis- 
He married Virginia, daughter of Louis D. ter plenipotentiary of the United States to 
Henry, and has several children. Brazil. 

Mrs. Mary Aver Miller, is mentioned among His litei'ary productions are — 

the "living female writers of the south." I. Speeches and Addresses, which contain 

She was born in Fa3'etteville, and on tlie death his speeches delivered in congress and some 

of her father, General Henry A3-er, removed literaiy addresses. 

with her mother, when she was oidy eight II. DeVane, a storv of Plebeians and Patri- 

years old, to Lexington, North Carolina, to be cians, (1866,) which exhibits the highest evi- 

educated by her uncle, the Kev. Jesse Rankin dence of scholarship, and a high appreciation 

of the Pi-esb^-terian church, who had a school of the true, the beautiful and the good, 

at that place. She married a j'oung lawyer, Wesley Clark Troy pjsides in Fayettevilie, 

Willis M. Miller, who gave great jiromise as but is a native of Randolph County, where he 



154 WIlEELP^ll'S RP1MINISCP]NCP]S. 

was horn ou July 30. 1833. His father was a a native North Carolinian, and has many warm 

reiiresentative from Randoliih m 1827. Ills friends. He now resides in the city of New 

motlier was a danghter of Colonel Andi'ew York, and as a hook puhlisher has been greatly 

Balfonr, whose atrocious murder is recorded heneticial to southern literature.* 

under the head of Randolph County. Many other names worthy of record are pre- 

Mr. Troy was a meudjer of the liouse in sented in the history of Cumberland, as 

187G. Bethurn,in congress 1831,-'33; Cameron, judge 

Edward J. Hale, who for a long time con- in Florida, Davis, Duffy, Eccles, Jordan, Mil- 
ducted the Fayetteville Observer with iudc- ler, Porterfield, S. D. Pnrviance, and many 
fatigalile industry and unsurpassed ability, is others; but to those who have accurate infor- 
a native of Moore County, boi-n in 1802. Ilis mation as to their lives and services we must 
press was the leading one of the state, and con- leave this pleasing task, and especially as more 
ducted at times with much violence, which space has been devoted to this interesting 
doubtless age and time have corrected. He is county that the limits of our work justify. 



<.^1^J^.. 



CHARTER XVI. 
CURRITUCK COUNTY. 

Dr.. Henry Marchand Suaw, burn Novem- several sharp and heavy engagements at Roan- 

ber 'Jiitli, 1819, died February 1st, 181)4, oke Island, Now Berne, and other places, in 

resided in this county, whbdi he re[iresentcd which he boi'e himself with coolness, gallantry 

in the senate of the state legislature in 1852; and enterprise. 

and tlie Edenton district in the Thirty-third On February 1, 18t)4, he became engaged in 

Congress, 1853,-'55, and Thirty-tifth Congress, a skirmish with some advanced troop s at 

18o7,-'50 Batchelor's Creek, near New Berne, was mor- 

He was one <>f the electors in 1857 on the tally wounded, and died immediately on the 

Buchanan ticket. field. His fall was deeply lamented by his 

He was born in Newport, Rhode Island; '-oinrades and his country. He died the death 

the son of Rev. William A. Shaw, a minister be had often expressed a wish for — the death 

of the Baptist church. Ho graduated as a of a soldier in defence of his country's rights, 

physician in I'lnladelphia, in 183ij, and came ^I'l^l bis country's honor. 

with his father to North Carolina, and settled " Tre, vero felix Agricohi; non vit?e tantum 

in this county. claritate, sed etiam opportunitate mortis. "t 

Wh.'U our civil war commenced, be cast Ins Emerson Etheridge, was born September 28, 

fortunes witli the destiny of his adopted 1819, in tins county, and, when thirteen years 



Uate, and was appointed colonel of the eighth 
sgiment of North Carolina troo^is, and diil 

.+;,'„ oo,.,.;,./^ ;,, fi.; . ■ u- tt • from the l)rilliaiicv of yoiir life, but in the ch'cum- 

jtive sen ice m this po.-ition. He wa, m stancesof your death.'' 



_,. .. , „ ,. "-.Moore n., 411 

regiment ot North Carolina troo^is, and did t •• Thou truly art happy. Aarieola, not so much 



DAVIDSON AXI) DUPLIN COUNTIES. ' loG 

cihl, i-noved to Tennossoe, iuid hecamo a ineiii- by few persons in tlii.s or any other country. 

her of congress from Tennessee in the Thirty- Many other names chister around this aii- 

thirtl (1853,-'55) Thirty-fourth, (1855, 1857,) cient county, the memories of whom deserve 

also, Thirt^'-sixth Congress, (1859, -'60.) On to be cherished. The Baxters, Bells, Doziers. 

the meeting of the Thirty -seventh Congress the Etheridges, (Willis, Caleb and Joseph 

(1861, -'63) he was elected clerk of tiie house, W.) Ferrebees, Halls, Jones, Lindsays, Salyear 

the dutiesof which he discharged with fidelity Simmons, and otiiers; hut our limits do not 

and ability. He is a lawyer by profession, of allow the space, and we leave this duty to 

large observation of men and measures, and some son of Currituck to rescue these materials 

possesses rare conversational powers equalled from the carroding tooth of time. 

CHAPTER XVII. 
DAVIDSON COUNTY. 

The revolutionary history of this count}' is In the war he entered the confederate army, 

connected with that of Rowan County, from and served as colonel of the eleventh regiment 

which it was taken in 1822. of North Carolina troops. But on being elec- 

James Madison Leach I'esides in tliis county, ted a member of the confederate congress, 1864, 

He is a native of Randolph County, born 1821, -'65, he resigned his commission in the army, 

educated chiefly at home. He was for a time Since the war he has served as a member of 

a cadet of the military academy at West Point, the Forty-second and Fort\--tliird Congresses. 

He read law with his brother Julian E. Leach, 1871,-'75. 

and attained nmch distinction at the bai- as an The political career of General Leach ha.~ 

able, astute, and successful advocate. But his been brilliant and successful. In no instance 

fame is chiefly based upon his success as a has he ever been defeated in an election be 

statesman. In 1848, he was elected to the fore the people. His shrewdness as a politician, 

legislature, and continuously to 1856, and his powers as an orator and logician, conil)ined 

in 1856 he was one of the Filmore electors, with a pleasing address, render him invincible. 

He was elected to the senate in 1865,-'66,-'67, He married iti 1846, Lizzie Montgomery 

and again in 1879. He was elected a member Lewis, and has an interesting famil}' of three 

of the Thirty-fourth Congress, 18o9,-'61, liis sons, Wilmont, Henr}^ Archer and James M. 

opponent being General A. M. Scales. to inherit his name and reputation. 

DUPLIN COUNTY, 

The men of this ancient county in revolu- ration in 1777, the original is on file in the 

tionary times, proved their devotion to the clerk's olHce ofthe county, they held that, "The 

cause of liberty. They united in wresting King of England, nor an}' other foreign power, 

their independence from England, in a decla- iiad anv right to the sovereignty of this state: 



1.56 ■ ■ AV^HEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

and they reiioniR'ed all allegiance to the same, A nionunient marks his grave in the Gotl- 
and resolved to support and maintain th.> in- gressional hurying ground, 
dependence of the state against the said Owen Rand'Keenan, son of Thomas, was 
Kin^'." born March 24, 1806. Studied medicine, and 

This is siirned by H^nry Cannon, William afterwards law. Member of the legislature 
Dickson, Alexander Gray, Samuel Houston, 1834,-'35,-'36, and of the confederate con- 
James Lockhart, Michael Keiinon, James Ken- gress, 1862. 

non, James Sampson, Edward Toole, and Cliarles Hooks, a native of this county, often 

others. represented it in the legishitui'e. In 1817, he 

James Oillaspie was a native of this county, succeeded William R. King in congress, and 

We know but little of him, except from the was re-elected to congress in 1821,-':^3. He 

pul>!ic records, which inform ns that ho was also moved to Alabama. 

often a member of the legislature, and amemiier Thomas Ke^nan,also a native of this county, 

iVom this district in the Third Congress, (1703, and frcun whose family the county town de- 

'95;) Fonrtii Cvingress, (1795,-'97;) Fifth (.'on- rives its name, was, in 1804, in the senate of 

givss, (1798,-'99;) Eighth Congress, and until tlie legislature, and from 1805 to 1811, repre- 

liis death, which occurod while he was in con- sented this district in congress. He removed 

gress, January, lSij5, at Washington city. to Alabama, whore he died near Selma, in 1822. 



DAVIE COUNTY. 

CiiAELKS Pkice, late speaker of the house John E. Iltissey, represented Dulphin in 1815,- 

(1876,) resides at Mocksville. He was born "K^-'^j-'lS, in the house, and from 1833 to 

in AVarren County, July 2(!, 1847. He read 1836, in the senate. 

law with ,hidgo J'earsoii; and after obtaining John B. Hus>ey received all the educational 
a lit'cnse settled at Mocks\ille, where he soon advanta:xes of tlie day. He was educated at 
by bis attainments, his pileasant address, and the Kenansville academy, the Cablwell insti- 
bigb moral character, won '• troops of friends." tute, and the university. The war prevented 
Sucli was the appreciation of the people that his graduating, and at the eai'ly ago of fifteen 
in 1872, they elected him to the senate. He he entered the army in the thirty-eighth 
was also a member of the constitutional con- North Carolina regiment, and was in several 
vention of 1875, and a member of the house in engagements around Richmond. In 1863, he 
1876. of which body, over members of more was assigned to the signal service at Smith- 
years, he was chosen S[ie:iker; a just conipli-- ville, and was the signal officer of "The Helen," 
ment to his genius, talents and aldlity. a Liveriiool blockade runner, in which capacity 

We would do injustice to modest and sub- he made many successful trips to Nassau, Ber- 

stantial merit, and solid ability, were we to mndas and Halifax. After this service hewas 

omit in our sketches the name and services of assigned to duty on the Cape Fear, and was 

John Bryan Ilussey. wounded at the fearful b.ittle of Fort Pislier, 

He is a I'.ative of Dr.lplii Co'mty, boi-n Jan- taken pri-^onor and confined at Fortress Mon- 

uai-y 1, 1846. His family is well known for roe and Fort Delaware. The war being over, 

their abilit,> and integi'ity. A near relative, be was released. He studied law with Wil- 



EDGE(X)MBE COUNTY. 



157 



liaiii A. Allen, iui d was liceiisod in 1868. lie ville, and 8nbse(|uently conducted ) he News at 

removed to Newton, and thence to Hickory, Kaleigh. He was appointed librarian to the 

where he established the Piedmont Press, house of representatives in 1879, which position 

In 1874, he started the Landmark at States- he now occupies with great saiisFaction to all. 



EDGECOMBE COUNTY. 



ALTiioroii this county, from its inland po.si- 
tion, was not exposed to the dangers of attack 
in the revolution, yet no section of the state 
was more sensitive of its duty, or sent more 
willing and patriotic sons to do battle in the 
cause of the country. 

Among these, conspicuously stands the name 
of Henry Irwin, killed in battle 1777. He had 
for a long time been a resident and merchant 
of Tarboro, much esteemed i'or his integrity, 
patriotism, and cournge, and very popular. 
He was a member of the provincial congress, 
at New Berne, in 1775, also of the congress at 
Halifa.x, in 1776, and by that body appointed 
lieutenant-colonel of the second regiment, 
of which Edward Buncombe was colonel. 
This gallant regiment marched to join the 
army of tlie north, and on the fatal field of 
Germantown, (October 4th, 1777,) both he 
and his commandcr.fell. 

Colonel Irwin left one son and two daugh- 
ters. One of his daughters married Lovatt 
Burgess, who.se only son.Thonuii Burgess, dis- 
tinguished as a lawyer, die<l in Halifa.x a few 
years since. Another daughter married Gov- 
ernor Aionford Stokes, whoso only child l)y 
this marriage was Mrs. William B. Lewis, of 
Nashville, Tennessee, whose only daughter 
married Monsieur Pageot, the French Min- 
ister. 

The battle of Germantown brought sailness 
and sorrow to manv a hearthstone of North 
Carolina, for in it the p.atriotic generals, Nash, 
Turner, Lucas, and many others, gave up their 
lives for their country, and here the veteran, 



Colonel William Polk, received a severe and 
dangerous wound. With a patriotism de- 
serving all praise, a marble monument has 
been erected over their graves by the lili- 
erality of J. F. Watson, of Philadelphia. 

A sister of Colonel Irwin married Lawrence 
Toole, whose son, grandson, and great grand 
son, bear the same name — Henry Irwin Toole, 
all distinguished for ability- and influence. 
The first took a connuission in the war, and 
was in the battle of the Great Bridge, ^'ir- 
ginia. 

It would be unpardonable on this oc- 
casion says an able article on the County 
of Edgecombe in 1810, by Dr. Jeremiah Bat- 
tle, (see University Magazine, April, 1861,) 
not to mention the merits and services of 
Colonel Jonas Johnston, born 1740, died Jul}' 
29th 1779, who rose from obscurity and 
acted a conspicuous part in our revolution- 
ary struggles. Ho was born in the year 
1740, in Southampton County, Virginia, 
and came when a youth with his father to 
this county. He was raised a plain indus- 
trious farmer, without education. But he 
•possessed native talent, and unflinching 
patriotism. At an early day he embarked in 
the cause of liberty, and ever proved himself a 
true patriot, hero and statesman. From time 
to time, he filled every office in the county 
both civil and military. He repiresented the 
county in the convention, 1776, and was ap- 
pointed majoi' by the provincial congress. Ho 
was a member of the commons in 1777,-'7S. 

lie was a natural orator. After one of his 



158 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



speeches in the general assemhly, more remark- 
able for sound sense, tlian for granniiatieal 
stj'le, he was asked liy a professional gentle- 
man '• where he got his education." He replied, 
" at the plough handles." He was modest, yet 
determined, prompt, yet cautions. From the 
date of ills commission to his death he was 
constantly employed. He was at thehattleof 
jMoore's Creek Bridge, and in 1779 in com- 
mand of a regimeut, he went to the assistance 
of South Carolina. He was in the battle of 
Stono, where he bore himself with the intrep- 
edity of a veteran, receiving a wound. His 
care and tenderness of the soldiers under his 
command are remembered to this day with 
affect I'm and gratitude ]>y those who served 
under him. 

From the privations of war, and the de- 
bilitating effects of a soutiiern climate, bis 
health gave way, arid he died, on his return 
home, at the house of Mr. Amis, on Drowning 
Creek, near the South Carolina line, on July 
29, 1779. 

He left- several children, one of whom was 
the nuiternal grand-motiier of the late Richard 
Hiues, member from this district to the Xine- 
teenth Congress, (1825,-'27.) 

The Haywood family, one of the most nunj- 
erous, also one of the most distinguished in 
the state, had its tirst origin in North Caro- 
lina, iu this county. 

For the genealogy of the Haywood family 
see ajipendix. 

Tliis genealogical table was the work of 
much research, and is for the first time printed. 
!t was compiled chiefly by the late Governor 
Henry T. Clarke, one of this numerous family, 
and may be useful in tracing lines of relation- 
ship that would otherwise be obliterated by 
time. Of the progenitor, John Haywood, lit- 
tle infoi'iuation of his life and services are 
preserved. 

Of his son, William Haywood, died 1779, 
we liave more information. He was a mem- 



bei- of the committee of safety for the Hali- 
fax district, 1775; a member of the pi'ovincial 
congress at Halifax, in A[iril, 1776, also of 
the same body at the same place in ^November 
following, and was one of the committee to 
form the state constitution, and by that body 
appointed one of the council of the state. He 
was the father often children, most of wiiom 
reared families to usefulness and distinction. 
These will be severally iKiticed in the coun- 
ties in which they resided. 

There are few families in the state with 
whom are connected names better kno^vn. 

Among them are two United States Sena- 
tors, William Haywood and George E. Bad- 
ger; three Governors, Dudley, Clarke, and 
Manly; two Judges, Badger and John Hay- 
wood, the historian of Tennessee; four mem- 
bers of congress, William S. Ashe, E. B. Dud- 
ley, Sion II. Rogers, and Thomas Ruffin; army 
officers. General Junius Daniel, Colonel Wil- 
liam H. Bell; navy officers. Admiral H. II. 
Bell; lawyers, Badger, Burgess, Hogg, McRae, 
Edward G. Haywood, and others. 

Thomas Bloiiut who resided in this county, 
and re[.resented this district iu congress, and 
died while in congress, February 7th, 1812? 
has already been noticed. 

Henry Toole Clark, born 1808, died April 
14th, 1874, .son of Honorable James W. 
Clark, was l)oi'n on Iiis father's farm, " Wal- 
nut Creek," about nine miles above Tarboro, 
on the banks of Tar River. 

His early education was conducted at a 
school in Tarlxu'o, kei>t by George Phillips, and 
the Louisburg academy, and when only four- 
teen years old hewasseiit to the university at 
Chapel Hill. Among his class mates were Hon- 
orable Daniel M. Barringer, Rev. Samuel Ire- 
dell Johnstone, and othei's. At this time this 
veneralde institution contained a body of young 
men unsurpassed at any period of Its history. 
Graham and Manly (both afterwards govern- 
or) Folk, and others, were on its rolls. 



EDGECOMIJE COUNTY. 



159 



After gi-adnating in 182(i, he read law in 
Raleigh under the guidance of his kindsman 
William II. Haywood, jr., who was his iiestor 
in politics, as well as in law. Ho was admitted 
to the !)ar, Imt never iirarticed, nor did ho 
take much interest in politics until 1850, when 
he was elected senator in the legislature from 
Edgecomhe, and continued to occupy this 
position without intermission until 18G1. In 
1858, ho was chosen speaker which he occupied 
until early in the summer of 1801, when he 
summoned to IJaleigh, upon the illness of Gov- 
ernor Ellis, and on his death he iiecamo gover- 
nor of iliG state. Tliis was a perilous period of 
our history and demanded the exercise of pru- 
dence and sagacity; Governor Clark discharged 
his duties to the host of his ability. 

At the close of his administration he retired 
to his iioine. near Tarlior, whore he was near 
being captured by a raid of Federal cavalry. 
He escaped, but his house was plundered, the 
jewelry and watches taken from the ladies 
of his family, and all the stores for their sup- 
port carried off or destroj'ed. 

After the war closed, Governor Clark was 
agairi elected to the senate (ISiJG) under 
Johnson's reconstruction acts. This was his 
last public servic. 

He had been for years the presiiling justice 
of the peace for the cmmty. 

During the whole course of his life he was 
a laborious and devoted student of the history 
of his -state. As a local chi-onicler of tlie 
present, or a jiatieut antiquarian of the past, 
he was uiirpiestionabie authority, recognized 
as sucli by all. It was for many yea.rs the 
earnest wish of his heart to have printed the 
early journals of the assembly and such docu- 
ments in theoifice of the secretary of the state, 
as illustrated the early b.istory of our state, but 
in vain. A distinguished statesman of South 
Caroliiui, Waddy Thompson, was wont to say: 
" North Carolina has a [ir.iud and glorious 
revolutionary history, far superior to any of 



her sister states, but has had none since." It is 
because we have had so few like Governoi' 
Clark, who wisli to [iroserve these precious 
memorials, and 

" l?e((U('atli tlicm 
As a rich legacy unto tlieir issue '' 

Thcue were few men in North Carolina bet- 
ter posted iis to hoi' men, families and sections. 
Gnly a year or two before his death, ho pro- 
posed to mo t(j uiiito in a periodical, devoted 
to history and genealogy, lie left on his table 
at the time of his death, a letter on this sub- 
ject to the Honorable Kemp P. Battle. 

NVe do not claim for Governor Clark the 
renown of the accomplished statesman, or tho 
thrilling eloipience of the orator, but he v^'a- 
an honesi man, and always oqual to any duty 
assigned to him by his country; never above 
or below, but just equal to the duties of his 
station. 

Simple and unart'ectod and unassuming in 
his manners, modest in his demeanor, a gen- 
tleman by birth and education, as well as by 
disposition and natui'e; warm in his attach- 
ments and sincere in his friendships, he lived 
honored, respected, and trusted in life, and 
enjoying the esteem, respect, and regard of 
everyone who knew him. 

He departed this life on April 14th, 1874. 
On the day of his burial all business was sus- 
pended, and the town and surrounding coun- 
try united in the last tribute of resjiect to his 
character. 

He was married m February, 1850, to Mrs. 
Mary \V. Hargr.iye, daughter of '!?heophilus 
I'arker, who, with two sons and throe (laugh- 
ters survive him. Truly to him miy be ap- 
plied the exquisite lines of Bryant: 

■' He so lived, that whea the s>nuiaous came to joiu 
The innumerable caravan, that moves 
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 
His cuambei- in tlie halls of death. 

.Sustained and soothed 

By an unfaltering trust, he approached the grave. 
Like one tliat draws the drapery off his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.'" 



160 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

The Battle family, one of the most mimerous oiul edition of the first volume of Haj'wood's 
and distinguished families of the state, had Reports, greatly enhanced in value by the ad- 
its origin in this county. Elisha Battle, the dition of notes showing the changes made in 
progenitor of the family, was born in Nanse- the course of forty j^ears' legislation, and new 
niond Cwunty, Virginia, Januar}- 9, 1723. lie decisions construing the law. This edition 
moved to Tar River, in this county, in 1748. was received by the profession with great 
About 17(]4 he joined the Baptists, was chosen commendation, and gave Mr. Battle su -h a 
deacon, and continued a consistent and zeal- reputation that he was appointed by the gov- 
ons member of tliis denomination until his ernor, with other able jurists, to revise the 
death. Equally useful was he in the affairs of statutes of the state. After the labor of three 
state; he was elected for twenty years sue- years, these "Revised Statutes" were submitted 
cessively to represent this county in the leg- to the legislature for ratification, and adapted, 
islature; he was also a member of the provin- Mr. Battle had been associated with Mr. 
cial congress at Halifax, which formed the Devereux as reporter of the decisions; of the 
state constitution, and a member of the con- supreme court. On the resignation of his 
vention at Ilillsboro, to deliberate uiion the associate in 1830, Mr. Battle became the sole 
ratification of the Constitution of the United reporter. The fidelity and accuracv with 
States. In 1742, he was married to Elizabeth whicli he discharged the duties of this post, 
Sumner; in 1799 (March 6th,) he died, leav- won for him the approbation and applause of 
ing eight children. the profession on the bench and at the bar, 

William Horn Battle, late one of the judges and, therefore, upon the resignation olMudire 
of the supreme and superior courts of North Toonier, bs^ was appointed by Goveruor Dud- 
Carolina, was a native of this county, born ley, in August, 1840, one of the judii'es of the 
October 17, 1802. lie was tlie son of Joel superior court, which ap[iointnient '.vas con • 
Battle, and grandson of William, the fifth firmed at its next session by the Icgi.sla- 
ehild of Elisha liattle, ju-^t mentioned. His ture. 

education was received at the university. In 1843 he removed to Cluipel Hii!,nndin 

where he graduated in 1820, delivering the 1845 was elected, by the trustees of the uni- 

valedictory, then the prize of the scholar sec- versify, Professor of Law, conferring upon him, 

oud ill rank. This was no small distinction at the same time, the degree of LL.D. On 

among such scbolai-s as Bartholmnew F. ^Moore, the death of Judge Daniel, be was appointed 

Bisliop Otey, Charles G. Spaight, and others (May, 1848.) by Governor Graham, one of the 

of that class. He read law with Judge Hen- justices of the supreme court of tlie state, 

derson, and M-as licensed to practice in 1S24. but this appointmenc was not confirmed by 

From his modest and retiring demeanor, Ids the legislature, although, by the same body, 

success was but slow, and gave I)Ut little pro- upon the resignation of Honorable Augustus 

nnse of future eminence, and for years but Moore, one of the judges of the superior 

few bi-iefs engaged his services. But he per- court, he was elected to fill that vacaiicj,-. He 

severed, and finally attained the highest lion- liold this position for sonjc time. I:: Decem- 

ors of his profession. This example should ber. 1852, he was elected by the legislature 

certainly afi'ord encouragement to young and one of the justices of the supreme court. The 

briefiess lawyers. His time was occupied in circumstances, so gratifying and honorable, 

constant study, and in laying deep and broad connected v/ith this appointment are best ex- 

his knowledge of the law. He prepared a sec- plained by the following correspondence: 



EDGECOMBE COUNTY. 



](J1 



"CiTV OF Raleigh, 

"House of Commons, 
'•December Serf, 1852. 
"SiK: The general assembly of the State of 
North Carolina, now in session, on yostonlay, 
with an unaniniitj' seldom equalled in the 
conncils of the state, have elected you to the 
elevated position of judge of the supreme 
court. 

"This will be doubtless unexpected to you, 
but we trust that it will be gratifying. Tt 
was done without any caucus or convention 
arrangement; but both of the great pnrtius, 
now so equally balanced in the legislature, 
have with patriotic unaiiiniity thrown aside 
the shackles of party, and offer to 3'our hands 
the highest ofKce in their gift. 

"In the languageof oneof your distinguished 
compeers, we can say: 'To give a wholesome 
exposition of the law, to settle the flnotn;i- 
ting and reconcile the seeming conflicting 
analogies of judicial deci-sious, to administer 
justice in the last resort with a stead}' hand 
ancTupriglit purpose,' are among the highest 
civil functions that in our republic a citizen 
can be called upon to discharge. This post we 
now tender to you. In this case' the office has 
sought the man, and not the man the olHce.' 
We sincerely hope that you will ace<;pt it. 

"With assurance of our personal regards fur 
your health and happiness, we are faithfully 
3'our friends, 

"Jxo. II. Wheeler, J. G. iM.wDuuald, 
"Jxo. Baxter, W. K. Martin, 

"A. M. Scales, H. Sherrill. 

"J. A. Waugii, Tv. a. Russell, 

"0. H. Wiley, R. G. A. Love, 

"JosiAH Turner, jr., B. L. Durham, 
"W. J. LoNc. 

"To Hou. Wm. H. Battle, 

''Raleigh, N. C" 

"Chapel Hill, 

"Derember 10, 18.52. 
"Gentlemen: Your note, directed to me at 
this place, informing me that the general as- 
sembly had elected me to the office of judge 
of the supreme court, and asking my accept- 
ance of it, did not find me here, for the 
reason that I had not then returned from my 
circuit. You are aware that upon my arrival 
in Raleigh, on my way home, I addressed a 
communication to the honorable body, of 
which you are members, in whicli I signified 
my acceptance of the post which their partial- 
ity had assigned me. This would seem to 



render unnecessary an}- re|)ly to your note, but 
tlie kind and frionrlly spirit which dict:ited it, 
and the highly complimentary terms in which 
it is couched, forbid my leaving it unnotice I. 
"I do not pretend to be exempt from the 
ambition of standing fair in the estimation of 
my fellow-citizons, nor can I receive with in- 
diif.M'ence any manifestation of their I'avor. T 
accept with a grateful heart the high and rc- 
spon.qhle office whi'jh they, by their represen- 
tatives, have onferred ujion me I aoc^'pt it 
with a deeper feeling of gratitude because it 
was bestowed spontaneously and without dis- 
tinction of party. I know full well that its 
duties are of the gravest and most important 
character, and that the successful pei'formance 
of them demands the highest attributes of 
the head and heart; attribute- Vvhich distin- 
guished and illustrated the i>fficial life of him 
whose vacant place I am now called upon to 
occupy. I sometimes fear that I may not be 
equal to the task which I have consented to 
assume. I might shrink from the attempt 
were I not cheered on b}' the reflection tlnit 
my labors for twelve years in a scarcely L'ss 
responsible ])osition have beea approved by 
the i)res>jnt action of your honorable body. 
With thisauimating refl>'ction, and trusting in 
the beneficence of tlnit Providence which h:is 
hitherto upheld and supported me, I enter 
upon the discharge of the duties of rny pres- 
ent offic3, determined to spend m^-self in the 
service of my native state, which has so 
highly honored me. 1 

"For the kind and flatteringmanncr iti which 
you have thought [)roi)er to aihlress me, please 
accept the assurances of my most grateful ac- 
nowledgments. 

"I am, with sincere regard, very truly \'oiirs, 
"William H. Battle. 
"To Messrs. 
"John H. Wheeler, J. G. MacDu'IALd, 
"John Baxter, W.m. K. Martin, 

"Alfred M. Scales, . II. Sherrill, 
"J. A. Waugh, R. a. Ru.ssej.l, 

"Calvin H. Wiley, R. G. A. Lo\ e, 
"Josiah Turxee, jr., B. L. Durham, 
"W. J.Long. 

"Raleigh, N. C." 

lie hell] this high position until th.e civil 
war closed the courts, and in 1868 he returned 
to Raleigh. The siiace allowed for this sketch 
does not pjrmitany exteuded comments upon 
the judicial decisions of Judge Battle. Ha 



1(32 WIIEKLER'S KEMlNISCEXCES. 

won. liv lung 3-ears of diligence and lalior, a the i)rofessor8 in the ITiiitcd States Ohserva- 

repatation of the highest or(hjr for modest toiy at Wasliington eitj',) Colonel W. L. 

inerit, extoiisivc learning, ass:ieiated witli a Saundci's, Colonel Juiii us C Wheeler, (Profes- 

firni and steady administration of justice. sor of Engineering at West Point,) Alexander 

His moral character was spotless; he was a Mclver, Hon. A. M. W^addell, Joseph A. En- 
consistent member of the Episcopal church, glehard, W'illiain and Eobert Bingham, and 
His death occurred at Chapel Hill, March 14, many others. The classes of Mr. Battle were 
1879. He was married June 1, 185'), to Lucy, remarkable for their order, attention, and ap- 
second daughter of the late Kemp Plummer, a i>lication. He resigned this post in 185-1, and 
distinguished lawyer of Warrenton ; she died having ali'cad}' been licensed, opened a law 
February '24, 1874, bived and appreciated by offic>Mn Raleigh, and practiced with much sue- 
all who knew her, for her ai.-complishments cess. 

and \irtncs. The childi'en of tiiis distin- On the organization of the Bank of North 

gui>lied couple are ])r. Joel D. (deceased,) Carolina, Mr. Battle, young as he was, was 

Susan C. (deceased,) Kemp Plummer, Dr. chosen one of the directors with such veteran 

William Horn, who mniried Miss Lindsay; financiers as George W. Mordecai, Gef)rge E. 

Kicliai-d Henry, married the daughter of Judge Badger, ,r<ilin H. I5ryan,and others. In 1800, 

Tiiomas S. Asbe; Mary (deceased,) married he was candidate for the legislature, and 

to William Van Wyck, of New York; Junius, failed of an election by tlireo votes, 

.killed at South Mountain, 1862; Lewis, killed In the .stirring and exciting scenes that 

:at Gettysburg, 18G3. followed, Mr. Battle was for the Union, 

Kemp Plummer Battle, the eldest living and the President of the Union Club of 
pon of Judge William Horn Battle, was liorn Wake. But when Lincoln called for men to 
near Lnuisbni-g, in Franklin County, De- sul.ijugate the south, he cast his fortunes with 
cember 10, ]8:_)1. He was educatcil at the his state, and l.iecame a member of the con- 
best schools in the country, and graduated at vention of 1861. and with Mr. Badger and the 
tlie university in 1849, rec.-i\ing the first dis- other members, signed tlie ordinance of seccs- 
tinetion in all bis studies. His companions in si<.>n He united with the conservative [larty 
tbesc honors were Petei' ^1. Hale and T. J in electing Goverrioi- Vance b\- a large major- 
Robiitson. Mr. Battle was made tutor of ity, and during the whole war was th,j warm 
Latin and Greek immediately aftei' graduat- supporter of his measures. 

ing; and after serving in that capacity for one In 18()0, he became a candidate for treasurer 

session, be was chosen tutor of mathematics, of the state, at the I'eque^t of Governor 

This position he held ior four years, during Wcu-tli. ami was almost unanimously elected, 

the palmiest days (if this ancient and renowned His official ro[ioi't.s are considered models of 

in-tirution. He -cems peculiarly lifted by na- financial ability, conciseness and accuracy, lie 

turo and education for this oceU[)ation; his shared the fortunes of the conservative party 

mind is clear and discriminating, cultivated to v-itii Govei'nor Worth and other officials, ami 

a liigh degree, apt to l.^arn, and patient in ini- was depiived of his office in Julj-, 18(58, by the 

parting iiistructioii, kind and generous in bis mandate of militarj- power. This is the last 

temper, he had much success as a tutor. This ['ost of [)olitical [irerernient which .Mr. Battle 

is e\inced by his training to usefulness such iield.norwas he sorry to quit the excitement 

miiids as those of \V. L. DeRo.ssctt, I)uBrut7. and contests of such a life, since they were not 

Cutlar, Major A. W. Lawrence, (late one of germane to his tastes, although he discharged 



EnGEr( )M1^ K COUNTY. 



163 



the (Infills (lovolviiiii; u[i(iii liiiu with talent 
and fidelity. 

But the gre.it mission of his life is the res- 
toration of the nniversitj' of the state. It is his 
almn mitcr'wx very truth, from wliich he imhihed 
the knowledge and usefulness he liad taught in 
her halls, and to huild up the hroken walls of 
this literary Zion, he has devoted his time, all 
his attention, and his private fortune. He was 
elected a trustee of the university in 1S'!2, and 
served on the executive committee until 1868; 
he made an elahorate and exhaustive report of 
a plan to reorganize the imiversity. Tliis 
plan was not completed in consequence of a 
change \n the hoard, hut when the appninr- 
ment of trustetis became vested in the legis- 
lature, he was elected one of the trustees, and 
at the first meeting of the board was unani- 
mously chosen secretary and treasurer. Here 
was a field of labor demanding constant exei-- 
tion, unflinching zeal, and intelligence. All 
kinds of legal obstructions presented them- 
selves, and the destitution of all financial 
measures seemed to render the mission well 
nigh hopeless. But Mr. Battle seemed a very 
Hercules in this work, and threw himself with 
such devotion into the cause, that success 
smiled on liis efforts. The pa\'nient of inter- 
est on the land scrip by the state, his elo- 
quent ai^ieals to the Alumni and others for 
aid, the attendance of a goodly number of 
pupils, prove liis work to have been successful. 
He is now the president of the university, 
and we trust, under his guidance and his able 
corps of co-adjutors, its usefulness and fame 
will rival its former renown. Mr. Battle mar- 
ried, in 18.5.5, Martha, daughter of James S. 
Battle. Three of his sons have been stu<leuts in 
the classes of the university — the fourth gener- 
ation of this family who have joined this in- 
stitution. 

The genealogy of the Battle family: 
Elisha Battle, born January 9, 1723, died 
March C, 1799, married Elizabeth Sutuuer 



1742, had eight children, to-wit: Sarah, John, 
Elizabeth, Elisha, William, Denqisey, Jacob 
and .letlu'o. 

I. Sarah married (first) Jacol) Ililliard, and 
had Elizabeth Ililliard, (who married \Vm. 
Fort, and had Sarah who was married to 
Orren Battle; 1 also .raeob, James, Maiw and 
.Teremiah; and to Sarah and Jacoi) ITilliard 
wore also born Jeremiah, who married Xaney 
Ililliard. Sarah also marrie<l (second) Henry 
Horn, and had I'iety, Charity, who married 
T>nrweII Bunn, to whom were born .Teremiah, 
William, Henry and Celia Bann, who was 
married (first) to Sngg, and (second) Doctor 
Fort; to Sarah and Henry Movn were lioi'n 
(their last child) llenr^y. 

n. John (ilied 1700,) marrieil France-! 
Davis, to whom were born Mary, married to 
Allen Andrews, to whom were horn Elizabeth 
Andrews, mari-ied to John Cotton; John mar- 
ried Miss l'o[)e and.Fesse married Miss Battle. 

ITT. Elizabeth married to Josiah Crndup, 
member of Congress, 1821,-'2:i, to \\h,)m were 
born George, maia'ied Leah VMU; Josiah mai'- 
ried Ann I)avis, who had Martha, -\rchibald 
Davis, James, Eilward, Alston, and CuHeii 
married .Miss Jones; to Elizabeth and Josiah 
C^ruilup Were born two moi'G cliihlren, Chloe, 
(married Joseph 1'., Leo, their (hiugbter Eliza- 
betli married ("nlieii Andrews,) and Bethesdii 
married to Fowler. 

IV. Elisha Battle, dunijor, horn 1749, mar- 
ried Mary, daughter of Benjamni Bunn, had 
Amelia, married Ross, Doctor Jeremiah, died 
1824, WiUiam married Laraond, Jesse mar- 
ried Vick, Bennett married Hiiiton.and Sarah, 
marrieil Andrews. 

V. William, died 17^1, married Charity 
Horn, . had Isa:ie, married -Mary; Ann married 
Ross, (to whom were born William, .Tames B,, 
and Charity who married Ilines;) Joel l)orn 
1779, died 1820, married Mary, daughter of 
Amos Johnson. These last had Laura married 
to Phillips, Susan married to McKee, GhristOr 



164 AVIIEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

pher Columbus, Benjamin Dnssey, Cathovine, was member of eitber one or the other 
married 'Ooctor Lewis, Richard, Amos John- l)ranches of the legishnture. 
son, and William IIoili, (see his slvetoii for He was a member of that distinguished con- 
bis descendants ) vention of 1835, t(^ amend the constitution of 

VI. i)em[isey, born 1758, died 1857, married the state. The meed of exalted statesmanship, 
-Tano Andrews, had Amelia, married to Cuth- or of brilliant eloquence, or of deep philoso- 
bert of Georgia, Andrews married Duggan, phical research, cannot be claimed for him. 
CuUcn married (tir.-t) P]lizalietb, dauglitor of Yet he was honest in his principles, and sin- 
Jacob Rattle, and (second) Jane Lamon. cere in his convictinns, and a laborious and 

VII. Jacob, born 1774, died 1S14, married useful man, rather than pretentious or showy, 
.Mrs. Edwards, bad Marmaduke, Elizalietb, but of great popularity. 

married in (1802) to Doctor Cullen Battle; After more than thirty years in the civil 

Cullen, Thomas, Lucy, James S., born 1786, service of his state, in the war between the 

died 1854, married (tirst) Tempy Battle, and United States and Mexico, he joined the army, 

(second) ILirriet Westray;to James S., were and as captain of tlie line, and marched to the 

born Marmaduke, William S., married seat of war. "Without any application or 

Dancy, T'nrncr Westray married daughter of knowledge on his part, he was made C(~)lonel of 

.Fudge Daniel; Cornelia married John S. Dan- the twelfth regiment of infantry. While su- 

cy; Mary E. married (iirst) to W. F. Dancy, perintending a forward movement of this 

(second) to Dr. N. J. Pittman, Martha married regiment from Vera Cruz, the visissitudes of 

to Kemi) P. Battle, and Penelope married to war, the dangerous climate, with the weight 

W. R. Co.x. of three score years, proved too much for his 

VIII. Jethro married Martha Lane, died constitution. He was seized with the fever 
1813, bad Joseph S., married (first) r.>unn, of the country, and died on May 12, 1847. 
(second) Horn, to whom was born Temper- He was never married. By his will his 
ance. married to .Marriott; H. L. Battle, ]^)i-. patrimonial estate, (land and slaves,) was be- 
James, John, George, Mai'y Ann married queathed to his next of kin, (a nephew and a 
Bridgers, Marcus and Martha; to Jethro and neice.) and the residue, about $40,000, to the 
.Martha Battle was also born Orren, married poor of Edgecombe County. 

Fort, and moved to Teriuessee; and Alfred, Tlie county court of Edgecombe has ordered 

who bad -jethro: this Jetliro ilied in the Mex- the erection of an appropriate asylum as one 

ican war; James L., M:u-y married to Tillory; of the first investments of the fund. 

Elizabeth married, to Fort. This nolde chailty. as also the ei'eetion of a 

The above table is i'rom a geneological county called after his name, perpetuates his 

paper drawn by Governor Henry T. Clark, and 'ito bmg services in the councils of the state, 

may therefore be relied upon as being aecu- '^-'kI Ids hiinented death, leading the columns 

rate. of his troops to subdue the enemies of his 

Louis Dickson Wilson, born 1789, died Au- country will keep his memory ever fresh in the 

gust 12, 1847, was born, raised and lived in beart of every North Carolinian The end of 

this county. his life was just as he could have wished it: 

His education was not classical. He was " Whether on the scaffold high, 



placed in a coimting-honse, and became 



Or in the hattle's van, 
The fittest pl^^ce for man to die, 



student of men rather than of books. He was ^^ ^^''"'" ™^" <^'^'^* ^^'■' '"«■"•' 

sueces-ful in business. From 1815 to 1846, he The brilliant eulogium [ironounced by Gov- 



KI )G1':C().MI5E COUNTY. 



165 



cnior Brogdoii in con,<?ress, in muniory of (Jeu- 
eral Wilson, was worthy of the theme. 

" Louis I). Wilson was one of nature's no- 
l)lenien, and his s3-mpathie.s was ever on the 
side of justice and humanity. 

" lie was a man of strict integrit_y of cliarac- 
ter, a friend of the poor and needy, and pos- 
sessed many of the best traits and qualities of 
human nature. lie was aifahie and social in 
his maimer, the embodiment of patriotism and 
the soul of lionor. 

" Studiously- neat in his person, he was a 
favorite- in all circles; he won the sohriquet 
for years of the Chesterfield of the senate." 

Duncan Ijamond Clinch, born 1798, died 
1849, late brigadier-general in the United 
States ;irniy, was a native of this count}'. 

He was the sou of Joseiih Clinch, by a 
daughter of ])uncan Laniond, a colonel in tlie 
revolutionary wai', and a terror (otlie tories — 
one of these tie hung in Nash County. 

General Clinch had attained the rank of a 
brigadier-general. "When the Seminole war 
broke out in Florida, in 1835, he was in com- 
mand of that district, and at the battle of 
Onithlecooche (December 31st, 1835,) dis- 
played tlie most ir.trepid coui-age. He re- 
signed his commission the next year, and from 
1848 to 1845, was a member of congress from 
Georgia. 

He married a Mi.ss Mcintosh. He died at 
Macon, Georgia. November •27tli, 1849, leaving 
several (children; one of his daughters married 
General Robert Anderson, of Fort Sumter 
fame. A son. John Houston Mcintosh Clinch, 
graduated at the university in 1844, in the 
same t-lass with William A. Blount, Joseph 
M. Graham. I'hilemon B. Hawkins, Thomas 
Ruffin, and others. 

Anotlier son, with his father's name, gradu- 
ated at the same university in 1847, in the 
same class with James J. I'ettigrew, John 
i'ool, Matthew W. Ransom, and others. 

The genealogy' of this family is connected 
with tliat of the Bellamy's, which see. 



William Dorsey Tender was a native and 
resident of this county. He was educated at 
the United States Military Academy at West 
Point. One of the earliest and most enthusi- 
astic in the cause he deemed just, he was made, 
May 27, 1861, colonel of sixth regiment of 
North Carolina troops, and such were his ser- 
vices that he soon became a brigadier general. 
He was universall_y regarded as one of the 
bravest and most eflUcient officers in the army. 
General A. I'. Hill pronounced him " one of 
the best officers of his grade he ever knew." 

General Lee, in his report on the Pennsyl- 
vania campaign, dated July 31, 1863, thus 
writes: 

'' General Pender has since died. This 
lamented officer has borne a distinguished part 
in every engagement of this army, and was 
wounded on several occasions, wliile leading 
his command with conspicuous gallantry and 
ability. The confidence and admiration in- 
spired by his courage and capacity as an officer, 
were only equalled by the esteem and respect 
entertained, by all with whom he was associat- 
ed, for the noble qualities of his modest and 
unassuming character."' 

Universally lamented and loved, he fell on 
the bloody iiebl of Gettj'sburg, and his remains 
now lie in the cemetery of Calvary church in 
Tarboro. 

An appropriate memorial window erected 
l3y liis brother, Mr. David Pender, bears this 
inscription 

"III Meraoriain, 

I liave fought a good tight; I have kept the faith '' 

Major General VVilliarn Dorsey Pender, 

born Febiuary 6th, 1834, died July 18th, 1863. 

His name, so dear to every patriot, has been 
preserved by calling a county after him, and 
causes his gallantry and [latriotism to fie 
cherislied in our hearts. 

The battle of Gettysburg, enduring the first 
three days in July, 181)3. was the bloodiest en- 
counter of the whole war, and proved the 
Waterloo of the unhaitpy contest. For here 
the flag of the confederacy fell never to ri.se 



166 WHEELER'S EEMINISCEXCES- 

no-nin. Es[)ecially did the loss fall on North in all the hattles fought hy this noble arrny of 
Carolina, for here thousands of her bravest, Northern Virginia, until the curtain foil at 
noblest sons found a soldier's grave. Not Appomattox, on tlie bloody drama, 
only did General Pender, full of gallantry and After the war. Major Englehard rcsum-d the 
spirit, but Colonel Isaac E. Avery, J. K. Mar- practice of the lawatTarboro, and in addition 
shal also fell in this battle, General Pettigrew to his professional duties, exercised those of the 
was wounded, a few days afterwards, died, clerk and master in ei-juity. 
General Scales, Colonel Lowe, and others of He purchased, in 1865, James Pulton's in- 
equal merit, were wounded. Of the ten terest in the Wilmington Journal, and became 
thousand men lost by the confederates, the the successor, from March, 1866, of that able 
larger portion were North Carolinians. Of editor, and so became a citizen of Wilmington, 
Colonel Burgwyn's command, who was killed, then wielding a powerful influence throughout 
(the Twenty-sixth North Carolina regiment,) the state. 

five hundred and forty were killed out of In June, 1876, he was nominated at Kaloigh, 

eight hundred. The heavy loss of the union by the democratic state convention for secre- 

army could lie easily replaced, but the great tary of state. He entered with energy and 

gaps in the confederate ranks could never ability into the canvass. He stood before the 

be closed again. people almost every day, and with a po'>ver of 

In reply to a recent letter of General Scales elocution rarely surpassed, and an oratory iire- 

and Captain J. J. Davis, Colonel John B. sistable, so urged the cause that, on Noveni- 

Bachelder has given a graphic account of this her 7, the whole ticket was elected, and he 

desperate conflict, which, with the diagram?, the first in the number of votes received, 

affords an intelligible and reliable account. He performed all the duties of his position 

Joseph A. Englehard, the only son of Ed- with satisfaction and intelligence, e.itablished 

ward Englehard, was born at Monticello, Mis- order out of chaos, and system iVoin ccuiiusiun. 

sis.sippi, September 27, 1832. Major Englehard was a devoted friend 

He was an educated man and graduated at to the cause of education. He delivered 
the University of North Carolina, with the the Alumni address at the university, wiiere 
first honors, in 1854, in the same class with his son had recently graduated. But this 
William L. Saunders, and others. He then usefulness was soon to end, and after a short ill- 
studied law at the Harvard law school, and ness he died on February 15, 1879, at tht; 
with Judge Battle; in 1856 lie was licensed to Yarboro House, Raleigh. His death was the 
practice. He settled at Tarboro, where he regret of his friends, and an irremediable loss 
had married in 1855, Margaret, daughter of to the state. 
John W. Gotten. Robert Rufus Bridgers, is a native (-f this 

He entered the army in May, 1861, as captain county. He was born on Town Creek, No- 

and quarter-master of the thirty-third regi- vcndier 23, 1819. 

inent, and the next j'ear he was promoted to His early education was conducted by Ben- 
quarter-master of General Branch's brigade, jamin Sumner, and finished at the uni\er,sity 
with the rank of major. He was transferred in in 18-11, when he graduated in tlie sam- class 
December, 1862, to Pender's brigade and be- with Governor Ellis, Samuel F. and Ih-. 
came adjutant-general, and in May following Charles I'hillips, Judge Clarke, Vi'illi:::ii F. 
he was made adjutant-general of Pender's, Dancy, John F. Hoke, and others. To receive 
afterwards Wilcox's division, and participated honors in sueii a class was no light praise. 



FOKSYTII COUNTY. 



167 



He reail law, while pursuing his collegiate gress, aud was an active, useful, and able 

studies, witli Governor Swain, and was licensed member. 

by tlie supreme court to [iractice the week After the war he was elected president of 
after he graduated, and soon entered upon an the Wilmington and Weldon railroad corn- 
extensive and lucrative practice. He entered pany, and is distinguished for the ability and 
the legislature in 1844. and was re-elected in fidelity with which he manages this important 
18o6,-'58 and '60, trust. 

After the state joined tlie confederacy, he lie married Mi.ss Margaret Johnston and 

was elected a member of the confederate con- has an interesting family. 



CHAPTER XVIIl. 
FORSYTH COUNTY. 



This county presents the name of Colonel 
Benjamin Forsythe, a native of this section, 
who fell in l)attle in the war of 1812. He 
resided at Germantown, was a native of 
Stokes, and represented that county in the 
legislature in 1807 and '08. He received a 
lieutenant's commission, April 2-3, 1808, in the 
regular arm}', and marched to Canada. In 
September, 1812, he crossed at Cape Vincent, 
attacked the British, and routed them. He 
took many prisoners and much ammunition and 
stores, with the loss of only one man. 

•• In February following, he left Ogdensburg, 
and crossed at Morristown, sur[)rised the Brit- 
ish, and took tifty-two prisoners, among them 
a major, three captains and two lieutenants, 
without the loss of a man."* In 1813, he was 
distinguished at the capture of Fort George, 
Upper Canada. 

For his gallant conduct he was rapidly pro- 
moted, and attained the rank of colonel. 

On June 28, 1814, General Smyth formed a 
[ilan for ambuscading the British near Odel- 
lowii. Colonel F(M'sytbe had orders to luake 

♦Xiles Uegistt-r, III.. 408. 



the attack and then retreat; so as to draw the 
enemy into the snare. He made the attack, but 
instead of falling back as ordered, his personal 
courage tempted him to made a stand on the 
roail within fifteen rods of the enem\'. In 
this exposed and perilous position he received 
a fatal wound, which broke his collar bone. 
He fell, mortally wounded, exclaiming with 
his last breath: " Boys, rush on!" He was the 
only person killed; several were wounded. The 
enemy lost seventeen killed. His loss was uni- 
versally lamented, and he was buried the next 
day with the honors of war. 

By his intrepid courage and his fearless dar- 
ing, he became the idol of his troops, and the 
terror of the enem^'. He was one of the best 
partisan officers that ever lived. t 

The legislature of North Carolina, in 1817, 
with patriotic philanthrophy, adopted the 
only son of Colonel Forsythe, and the only 
daughter of Captain Blakel}^ of the navy, as 
children of the state, and made provision for 
their education at the public expense. James 

tSoe Gardiner's Diet, of the Army; Drake's Biogra- 
phy Sketches: >siles' Register, ill., 48. 



168 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

X. Forsvthe, tlie son, entered the freshman with the command of Captain George Moft'ett, 

class at the universitj' in 182i, and suljse- (maldng sixty men altogether.) they pnrsued a 

quently, with the acqniescoiice of Governor party of Indians between Forts Yonng and 

Burton, he was appointed a midshipman in the Dinwiddie, and were drawn into an ambuscade 

United States navy. He was on l>oard the on September 30, 1703. They were fired on 

sloop of war, tlie Hornet, wliich was lost at from both sides of the trail, but maintained 

sea.* the fight for a considerable time; at length 

The c.unty seat of Forsyth preserves the tliey wei'e overpowered by numbers and were 

name of Joseph Winston. forced to give awa\-, scatteiing as best they 

He was born June 17, 1746, in Louisa County, could.- Se\eral were killed; young Winston 
Virginia; a branch of tiie family, originally had his horse killed under him and was him- 
from Yorlcshire, England, settled in Wales, self twice wounded in the body and through 
and thence migrated to Virginia, where, says the thigh, making him well nigh helpless. 
Alexander H. Everett, they were the most He managed, however, to conceal himself un- 
distinguished in the colon}-. til the Indians had gone in pursuit of the 

"Two hundred years ago," says the bio- fugitives, when a comrade fortunately came 
graphical sketch of William Winston Seaton, to his aid, cari-ied him upon his back for three 
(of the firm of Gales & Seaton,) " five broth- days, living upon wild roseberries, until at 
ers, Winston, from Winston Hall, Yorkshire, length they reached a friendly frontier caljin. 
England, gentlemen of fortune and family, Although he in time recovered, yet the ball 
emigrated to the colony of Virginia. These in his body was never extracted, ami occasion- 
brothers were men of comely statue and ap- ally caused him exquisite jiain. 
pearauce. They settled in Hanover County, Early trained to arms, ibr he was in Brad- 
stocking Virginia with a stalwait and pro- dock's defeat in 1755; in the rcvoluti(ni he 
phetic race, extending to Kentucky, Mis- was the earl}- and devoted friend to the cause 
sissippi, and North Carolina, in which states, of independauce, and co-operated with the 
to this day, they are noted for their fine patriots of that period in the meetings of the 
personal appearance." " The family of Win- people. 

stons," says Mr. Sparks, '• was among the most In 1769 we fin<l that Joseph Winston and 

distinguisiied of the colony, and the genius others petitioned the Virginia authorities for 

and eloquence of Patrick Henry nuiy be sup- a grant of 10/)00 acres of land on the south 

posed to have been transmitted through this side of the Gnyandotte river; failing in this^ 

line, from which he desceiuled." The fiery he emigrated to North Carolina, and settled 

spirit "in words that breathed and thoughts on the town fork of the Dan, in that part of 

that burned," lighted the flame of liberty in tlie state, now Forsyth County. In 177'), he 

the hearts of his countrymen and relations, ^y^s a member of the Hillsboro convention. 

Among them his cousin, Joseph Winston, who which met on August 21, 1775, and erected v. 

wou renown by his military career. provisional form of go\ernment for the state, 

.roseph Winston received a. fair education, all hopes of reconciliation with the Royal 

but at the age of seventeen, joined a com- government having been eudeil. Tlie .-word 

pany of rangers, under Captain Phelps, who ^as drawn and the scabbard thrown away. In 

marched from Louisa County to Jackson February, 1776, he was in the expedition 

river, on the then frontiers, v»-here, uniting against the Scotch tories on Cross creek. In 

^MSS. letter of Governor Swain. this year he was created ranger (jf Suriy 



F0K8YT1I COUXTY. 1^,9 

County, luid major of militia, serving in lluth- two-hundroil paces tliey wore again hailed and 
erford's oxpeditiou against the Cherokee shown their true line of march, and wire then 
Indians. In 1777, he was a meiid)er of the assured they were yet a mile from their posi- 
Ilouse of Commons from Surry, and with tion in the alignment for the battle. They 
Waightstill Avery, William Sliarpe and Rob- tlien lan down the declivity with great pre- 
ert Lamer, placed u[H>n that commission cipitation to their horses, and mounting them, 
which made a treaty with the Cherokees rode, like so many fox-hunters, at almost a 
at Long Island on the Ilolston, a treaty break-neck s[ieed, through rough woods and 
made without an oatli and yet one that has brambles, leaping branches and crossing ridges, 
never been violated. In 1780, lie served without any guide who had a personal kuowl- 
with Colonel Davidson in pursuit of Bryan's edge of the country. They soon came upon 
tories, and was with Cleaveland in his move- the enemy, and, as if directed by the Provi- 
ments against the loyalists on New River; lie dence itself, at the very point of their intend- 
was in a skirmish on the Alamance, and com- ed destination, where they did great havoc in 
manded a portion of the right wing at King's that bloody fray.* Li a few minutes the 
mountain, October 9, 178i». action became general and severe, continuing 

At King's mountain he was a major of the furiously for three-fourths of an hoar, when 
North Carolina line, ser\ing with Colonels the enemy being driven from the east to the 
McDowell and Cleaveland. The battle was west end of the mountain, surrendered at dis- 
tierce and bloody, i:i wliich the Americans cretion. Ferguson was killed with two hun- 
drove the British and tories from their lofty dred and six oi his officers and men, and eight 
position, whence their commander. Colonel hundred and ninety-nine of tlie British were 
Patrick Ferguson, had impi.iusly declared captured. Tlie Americans had eighty-eight 
•' that (iod Almighty could not drive them." killed and wounded. ^' The whole mountain 
In tlie plan of battle adopted by the colonels was covered with smoke and seemed to thun- 
preseut on that occasion, Winston's battalion der." For his distinguished .services on that 
had to make a lengthy detour of the mountain day the legislature of the state voted Joseph 
from a [loint at the junction of King'^s Creek, Winston an elegant swonl. 
and the (Quarry Koail, and thence to move to CoU.uel John Campbell, of Abington, in pre- 
the east .-ide of the battle field and so reach a paring his " .Memoir of the Military Transac- 
poiut where his men were to move up the tions of We.st Virginia," says: 
juountain's side, an<l make part of the " wall ^,^^^ ^,^^ ^^^^.^^^^ ^^.^.^, ^^^ j..,^^,^ Mountain, 
of lire " around Ferguson. The several corps Col^,„el Winston played a conspicuous part, 
were put in motion for the posts they were He led the right wing on this- Bunker Hill ot 
assigned in the day's operation. Both the the south,' and contributed greatly to. that 
" , ■ , . , • ■ momentous victory, ot which the battle ot 

right and left wmgs were .somewhat longer in (j^^^pg^^^ Guilford, and the surrender of Corn- 
reaching their designated positions than had wallis at Yorktown, were the direct conse- 
beeu expected. Winston's party had marched quences." 

about a mile, when they reached a very steep ^j^. Jefferson, in a letter now before me,6ays: 
ascent, which they took to be the point where ^. ^^^ ,e,acmbered well the deep and grateful 
they were to move up to the enemy's lines. ^,^^^^,^,35,3,^ ,„,,,|^, 1,^ t,,;,t memorable vict.uw. 
Some men came in view and directed them to j^ ^^^^^^ ^j^^ .^^^,,.,^1 ;„(„„.i.^f,o„ of the first turn 

dismount and proceed, as being at the point of ^^ 

attack assigned them, but before they had gone *Wlieeler's History of Kortli Carolina, II., 106. 



170 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

of the tiilo of f?iK'cess that euded the war with sister, who had a babe a month old, called to 

the s'iil (if our independence." visit the mother, and proposed to adopt one 

In Febrnarv, 1781,iieh'd a pa rtj- against a of the trio, and thus each would practically have 
band of tories, had a running fight with them, a set of twins to rear. Mrs. Winston regarded 
killed some and dispersed theresiduo; he then the proposition favorably-, and, asshe sat up in 
joined General Greene with one hundred rifle- bed, carefully e.xamined all three to determine 
men, and took part in tlie l)attle of Guilford which to part with and which to keep for her 
Court House, .March 15, 1781; in which, al- own; at length she exclaimed: " I cannot, for 
though Lord Cornwallis held the battle field, my life, decide; you cannot have either of 
yet his losses were so great, and the shock he them, sister! As God has given them to me, 
received so severe, that he afterward avoided He will give me strength to nurse them !" 
battle, which before he so anxious!}' sought. And so He did, all of them lived and were 
Crippled and wounded, he retired to Wil- well educated. One of thorn became a major- 
mington, drew his slow length along, hoping general, another a judge, whilst the tliii'd be- 
to meet Arnold, if not Clinton, but from the came a state senator and lieutenant-governor 
effects of his barren victory at Guilford, he of Mississippi ; a brother of th'ese triplets, who 
never recovered, and tinally was compelled to remained in North Carolina, fought in the war 
snn-endei' at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. of 1812, became a major-general and a member 

111 1711-3 and in 1803, Joseph Winston was a of the legislature, 
memlier of congress. In 1800, he was a pre.si- Israel G. Law, born 1810, died 1878, at 

dential elector, voting for Jefferson, ami again Bethania, (then in St(.ikes,) worked on a 

in 1812, voting for Madis(m. farm till manhood, and then engaged in mer- 

For three temns he represented Snrry chandizing, mannfactnring, and banking, in 

County in the state sen.ite, and when Stokes all of which he was eminently successful. He 

County was erected, he was appointed lieuten- was, in 1847, president of the branch bank of 

ant-colonel, and for fi\-e terms represented Cape Fear, at Salem, and at the close of the 

that county in the state senate, between 1700 war. obtained a charter for the First National 

and 1812; in was during this last service that Bank at Salem. 

he Was [ir.isented witli the sword for military He was a member of the state convention in 

ser\ices in 1780,-'81 The county seat of For- 1865, with Judge Starbuek, and of the Fortieth 

syth county derives its name from him. He and Forty-first ('ongress, 1867 to '71. 
is its patron saint. He was a man of large v.'ealth, and well 

He was a man of stately form, old school known as a sagacious financier. He died 

manners, and of a commanding presence. His April 7th, 1878. 

home was witinn the lofty mountains of Stokes We should do injustice to the trutli of his- 
and Surry, whose " cloud eapit summits seemed tory to make no reference to the M<M-avians, 
within a squirrel's jump of heaven." Here he located in this county. 

died April 21, 1815, leaving many worthy de- "There is not," says Williamson, "a more 
eendants. He was the uncle of AVilliam Win- industrious and temperate bodj' of people than 
ston Seaton.of the Ndtio/hil ltitdliijfi)cn\ Wash- the Moravians, who live lietween the Dan and 
ington city. Yadkin Rivers." 

l>r. Di'aper, in his "King's Mountain In 1740, the British Parliament passed an 
Heroes," adds the following incident: He left act by which the Uiiitas Fratuni, was acknowl- 
tiiree sons, born at a single birth. A married edged as a Pi-otestaiit Episcopal Chureh. By 



FORSYTH COUNTY. . 171 

this act, the free exercise of all their rights as called from ( Wach, the principal creek; and uxr 

a church was secured throu^jhout Englaiul meadow,) aud made the savvey. In 1782, 

and her colonies, which rigiit was denied to the legislature of Xorth (Carolina vested "in 

them in other countries. Hence it was de- F. W. Marshal, and his heirs and assigns 

sirable to make settlements, where this liberty forever, the Wachovia tract, and all the lands 

of conscience could be enjoyed. Offers of in North Carolina acquired by tlie brethren, 

land were made from various quarters; but Of the thirty thousand Germans who left their 

the most acceptable was that of Lord Gran- native land for the far west, eighteen thou- 

ville, the owner of large posse.ssions in North sand eventually settled in North Carolimi. 

Q.,,.^li,i., The colony of Moravians sutlered all the trials 

The Lord Proprietors, under charter of Charies and tribulations incident to a settlement in a 

II., (March 24th, 1663,) on account of the new country. Their salt was Ijrought from Vir- 

expenses incident to a distant colony, and ginia; and the first bee hive, (an emblem of 

the small revenue derived, in 1729, surren- their industry,) from Tar River. The Indians 

dered their claims to the Crown, receiving for a while committed depredations and mur- 

in return X2,o00 steriing each ; only Lord Gran- ders. The war of the Regulation, and that of 

ville retained his eighth part, which was laid the revolution iM-onght many troubles to these 

off for him in 1743. He continued to receive peaceful and industrious non combatants. Hos- 

rents, and have his agent and land office tile troops ravaged their fields and plundered 

until the revolution. In the present century their property. But tlie mild character of 

his heir brought suit in the circuit court of their people, their peaceful and indnstrions 

the United States to assert his rights. Mr. lives, their patient labor, and indefatigable 

Gaston was his counsel. The suit went on industry triumphed eventually. lu 1791, 

appeal to the Supreme Court of tiie United they were visited by Geneial Wasliington, 

States, and there was dismissed for want of i^'id the brethren of Wachnvia addressed him 

an appeal bond.' ^ "«te of welcome, to wbi.h he responded as 

Lord Granville ottered to Count Zinzendorft' to. low?:* 

100,000 acres on reasonable terms. At a con- ,, y^ ^j^^ ^^-^^^ Brd/nvn of Wu.!,orl'> : 

ference of the brethren, held in London, No- „ Gentlemen: I am greatly indebted to your 

vember 29, 1751, the otter was accepted, and respectful and att'ectionate expression of per- 

on August 9, 1753, John, Earl of Granville, sonal regard, and I am not le.^s obliged by the 

, ,, ^.,, , 4. t I • • xi patriotic sentiment contained in your address. 

conveyed the title to a tract lying m the 1 a j^^.^n, a society whose governing principles 

forks of Gargalee, or Muddy Creek, Rowan .^YQ industry aud "love of order, much may l)e 

Countv, to James Hutton,of London, Secre- expected towards the improvement ami pros- 

taryot-the UrdUis Fratnu,>. By the repeated Parity of the country, in which these sUtle- 

■^ 1 ments are tornied; and exi)erience autiiorizes 

divisions of Rowan, this tract has been sue- the belief that much will be attained. 

cessively in Rowan county; in 1770, in Surry; "Thanking you with grateful sincerity 

in 178!K in Stokes; and in 1848, in Forsvth. foi' y^u^' P'-ayers in my behalf, I desire to 

^ ,,,. , ^ " assure you of mv best wishes tor your 

An agent was sent out (Bishop tepangeu- social and iudividurd happiness, 
berg,) in 1752, who, with Churton, the Sur- " Gicorge Washington." 

vey or General and Agent of Lord Granville, 

... ,.,, ,,. . , Bishop Ravenscroft, in his letters, describes 

atter enduring incredible suflering and many ^ ' 

privations, reached the Wachovia tract, so * The Moravians: For this vahuilile information we 

are iudelited to the work of Rev. I.evin T. Reicliel, of 

*Swaiu's Lecture on the Regulations: Moure I., 71. Salem, N. C, published in 18.57. 



172 WHEELER'S REMINISCEXOES. 

at great length, a visit he made in August, 1827 wick, Ann and Elizabeth Kirkland, and Mary 

to this benignant settlement , how cheerfully he riiillips. 

was received, communed with the church, and We have not been favored with any recent 

received with greatest cordiality and brotherly statistics of this academy, but up to 1S56 there 

icreeting. had been three thousand four-hundred and 

Tlie great feature of usefulness, and the seventy scholars entered; and in evidence of 

most enduring monument of the societj' is the the healthfulness of the place, only twelve had 

Salem Female Academy. The ancients were died while at school. 

accustomed to inaugurate their rulers on the The founders and the principals, (all are 

banks of a pure stream, hoping that their rule, M(.)ravians,) have rendered this service to the 

like the pelucid stream, would refresh and country. They may well rejoice in their work, 

fructify the v/hole land by its benign influ- and feel 

enccs. So has this institution for nearly three- "The warrior's name! 

*■„,(-! f „„t„,.,, „,,,t r,^,.fii i;,.;.wi. of,.n..,^i. 'Tho iiealert aiul cliimert on every tongue of fame, 

tnurths ot a century sent toi th In ing stieamb g,^„,^^\^ j^^^ h:u-monioas to tlie grateful mi.ul, 

of virtue and beauty to delight, purify, and Than he who fashions and ira.n-oves manldml " 
invigorate our land It was established in Thomas Johnson Wilson, is a native of this 
1804, therefore it is one of the oldest literary county. Lorn December 81, 1815. Studied 
institutions in the south, and is held in grate- law, and was licensed 1874; elected solicitor 
ful remembrance by many Christian mothers of Stokes and of Davidson Counties. He was 
who here received their elementary education a member of the convention, 1861. and advo- 
and the holy impressions of eternal truth, and cated the propriety of sulnnitting the question 
liad the satisfaction of seeing their daughters of secession to the people, 
and grand-daughters, educated at the same He was elected in 1874, judge of the eighth 
place, connected with such pleasing and useful judicial circuit, and held the courts for six- 
remembrances of their earlier days, months until the supreme court decided that 
.The tir.st pupils connected with the Salem his predeces-or. Judge Cloud, was entitled to 
academy, from Hillsboro,were Elizabeth Strud- hold over. 



CHAPTER 'XIX. 

FRANKLIN COUNTY. 

The origin of lynchlav,- i During the revo- had a daughter, beautiful and accomplished, 

lution there was a noted tory, (and thei'e were Iiy whose charms Beard was captiviited; and 

but few.) in that portion formerly called Bute the tradition runs, that the hamlsome figure and 

County, now embraced within the counties of commanding air of Beard had its effect on the 

Franklin and Nash, called Major Beard, young lady, notwithstanding the difi'ereijce in 

Major John H. Drake lived near Hilliardston ; politics between him and her father. On one 

he and his family were decided whigs. He occasion. Beard encam[)ed for the night near 



KKAXKLIN COUNTY. 173 

a mill on Swift Ureek. This became known son committeil any offence of magnitude, that 

to Major Drake and other whigs, and they or- '• he ought to be taken to Lynch Creek;" and so 

ganized a force to capture him. They came the word "Lynch law " became a tixture iu 

upon the tories early in the morning while at the English language.' 

breakfa-st, surprised and dispersed tiiem in Joseph J. Davis was born and l)red in Frank- 
great confusion; they leaving their breakfast liu County. He is the sou of Jonathan Davis, 
and horses. The whigs pursued them with great and his wife, Mary Butler; was born in 1828. 
earnestness. Britton Drake, brother of the His early education was conducted by John 
voung lady, of powerful frame and strength, B. Bobbib, and finished at Wake Forest Col- 
araied with a rifle led the chase, and came sud- lege. He received the degree of batchelor of 
dcnly on Beard, who wa.i hid behind some law, at the university in 1850, and after re- 
small pines. He did not move until Drake, ceiving a license to practice, settled in Oxford, 
who wa.s not aware of his position came right In 1852, he moved to Louisburg. In 1866, he 
upon him. Beard was armed only with a was elected to the legislature, receiving every 
sword; he sprang upon Drake, who was too vote in the county. When the civil war began 
near and closely pursued, to shoot. He cLub- he entered the army as captain of the forty- 
bed his rifle and felled Beard to the ground; seventh regiment, commanded by the late 
and as Drake thought he was dead, for he was Sion H. Rogers. His i-ompany was ordered to 
senseless, Drake left him for dead and went in New Berne, where he received his "first bap- 
pursuit of other fugitives. When the pursuit tism of tire," at Banrington's Ferry; and 
was over, he returned to the place of rencounter again at Blount's Creek. At the bloody bat- 
with Beard, and found that he was not dead, tie of Grettysbury, his regiment was in the 
After some consultation it was resolved to heaviest of the tight, and Captain Davis was 
take him as a prisoner to headquarters of woundedand taken a prisoner; he v^as confined 
Colonel Seawell, commanding in camp at a at Fort Delaware and at Johnson's Island for 
ford on Lynch Creek, in Franklin County, twenty months, during this period, the curtain 
about twenty miles oft". Ho was tied on his fell on the scene of war and he was discharged 
liorse and carried under guard. After reach- on parole. He returned home and resumed 
ing camp, it was determined to organize a his profession. 

court-martial, and try him for his life. But He was selected as one of the electors in 

before proceeding to trial, a report came that 1868, on the Seymour and Blair ticket, and was 

a strong body of tories were in pursuit to res- nominated in 1874, and triumphantly elected 

cue him; this created a panic, for they knew to congress; again in 1876, and again in 1S78. 

Ins popularity and power, so they hung him. He married Kate, the daughter of Robert J - 

Th'j^ reported pursuit proved a false alarm, and Shaw, and has an interesting family. 

it lieitig suii-ge^ted that as the sentence had been We might say much of Mr. Davis' course in 

inflicted, before the judgment of the court had congress, but this speaks for itself. No one 

been pronounced therefore it was illegal. The was more attentive and faithful, and earnestly 

body was then taken down, the court reorgati- esteemed by all who knew him. Much to tao 

ized, he was tiied, condeuined,<uid re-hung by loss of the nation and the regrets of his associ- 

the neck until he was dead. ates, he declined a re-nomination to congress. 

The tree on which he was hung stood not — 

s- ,. ^•,.-.,., -R^-.Vv Vovl ,», r v.uOr^ CiPPk- -md *The Hon. B. F. Moore coiumuuicated the afore- 
far from Koclcv J^oia,on J.ynchs L.,ee^, ana g^j„g tradition to me, he received it froiu the L>r»ke 

it became a saying in Franklin, when a per- family. 



174 



WIIEELER'.S REMINISCENCES. 



Thomas Person, who died in November, 
1799, at the home of his sister, Mrs. Tom Tay- 
lor, in Franklin County, was a native of Gran- 
ville. He was distingniished for his enter- 
prise, his devotion to tlie cnnse of liberty, the 
foe of oppression, and the friend of the down 
trodden and persecuted. 

He sympathized deeply with the RegiUa- 
tors, suffering from the opi)ressive measures of 
the public officers. I find in the journals of 
the Colonial Assembly in the Public Records, 
in London, as follows: 

'■1770, December 6, Mr. Husbands presented 
a petition of the in habitants of Orange 
County, complaining of sundry grievances; 
and praying for relief. 

•• Mr. Person pres< nted a i>etition from the 
inhabitants of Bute County, complaining of 
the many exhorbitant and oppressive meas- 
ures practiced by the public officers."* 

For this independent course General Per- 
son received severe treatment from General 
7.'ryon; and was for a time confined in prison, 
and at other times in prison bounds or on his 
parole. When on parole, he boarded at the 
house of Rev. Mr. Micklejolm, who preached 
in Hillsboro. Soon after the battle of Ala- 
mance, six of the Regulators were hanged 
by order of Tryon, in sight of the Court 
House. 

At one tinie his life was m eminent peril 
from the choleric Tryon, who in 1771 issued 
his proclamation offering pardon to those who 
would come in and take the oath of allegiance 
to the King, except Thomas Person, and some 
others. 

The reverend divine, on one occasion, in 
regard to his prisoner, is said to have dodged 
the truth, or clearly equivocated. It was 
suspected that the general had broken his parole 
by passing the bounds of Hillsboro. In fact he 
had much money and bonds at his home at 
Goshen, exposed to marauders and thieves. 

* Colonial Documents. 180 



With the connivaTice of his friend, at night, 
he mounted his fleet mare, rode to Goshen, 
secured his valuables in a l)rick kiln, and re- 
turned by dawn of day to Hilhboro. The 
officers of Tryon demanded of the parson: 
"If General Person had not left bis prison 
lionds the night before." " I supped and break- 
fasted witn the general," was the delphic 
rejily. 

The University Magazine, IV,, 2.i)0, says: 

" A faithful biographical sketch of tbe Rev- 
erend George Micklejolm is greatly to he de- 
sired. He resided in Hillslioro before and 
many j'cars after the revolution. <.'ii tlie first 
attempt at organization of tbe university in 
1794, be among others was named fur tliepresi 
dency." 

Bishop Meade in bis work " Old Churclies, 
Ministers and Families in Virginia" stat'es that 
"tbe successor of the Revei'end Johti Cameron, 
(father of Judge Duncan Cameron) as the 
rector of (himberland Parish in A'ii-ginia, at 
his death 1815, was the Rovei'end John Mickle- 
jolm, but not as tlie regul-ir minister. He 
was then at an advanced age, and probably 
died there." 

But severe as liis trials were. General Per- 
son was ready to take up arms in 1774, for 
the cause of the people and against tlio pow- 
ers of royaUy. 

He was a member from (liranville, in 1774, 
of the first colonial asseml)Iy tliat met at New 
Berne, in open defiance of tbe royal governor. 
He was also a mendjer of tbe pro\iiicial con- 
gress that met at Halifax, April 1-5, 1776, and 
again on November 12th following, which 
body formed the constitution, and with Cor- 
nelius Harnett and others was appointed one 
of the council of state. This pnivos tli.' confi- 
dence entertained for iiis patri<)ti.--iii and in- 
tegrity. 

He was elected to the first legislature under 
the constitution (1777,) and continued in the 
service of the [leople, enjoying their regard 



GASTON COUNTY. 175 

and confidence till the day of his death. He two years old, and educated him at Sprig'.s 

was a surveyor by profession and was an ex- college near Willianishoro, in Granville County, 

tensive land owner. His deeds covered 70.- where John Hay wood, Sherwood IIayw(^od and 

000 acres. He gave largely to the university, Robert Goodloe Ilarjier,* were educated, 

and a hall called by his name hoars testimony lie died in 1799, and was buried at Persoutnn . 

to his ability. He gave his friend, who had in Warren County, five miles from Littleton, 

stood by him in his troubles. Parson Mickle- Judge Henderson, of our supreme court, 

John, his " Goshen place" in Granville, where always spoke of General Person with the 

he lived, which is called to tiiis day "the fondest afi'ection, (and acted as his counsel, 

Glebe." wrote his will, which was, however, not found 

General Person was never married. He after his death,) and often declared that "he 

left two sisters, one of whom, Martha, married was one of nature's noblemen." His services 

Major Thomas Taylor, in Franklin, at whose and his sufferings demand our respect, and his 

house he died; and Mary, who married George patriotism our gratitude. His memory is very 

Little;and one brother, William. He adopted appropriately preserved by calling one of the 

William P. Little, his sister's child, when only best counties of the state after his name.t 



^yPJ^ 



CHAPTER XX. 

GASTON COUNTY. 

TuE character and services of Kev. Hum- with credit and honor. He also served in a 

phrey Hunter, born 1755, deserves a place in campaign against the Indians, umler Colonel 

our record and renieml>rances,a3 a true christian Robert Mebane. He also served as lieutenant 

and a patriotic citizen. •' lie was a native of in Captain Given's company, under General 

Ireland and a man of letters," born near Lou- Rutherford, and was in the battle of Camden, 

donderry; he combined in his character all the (August, 1780,) where he was taken prisoner, 

elements of that Scotch-IrisU character, so After some time spent in confinement, he es- 

conspicuous a type in our struggles for liberty, caped and returned home. After remaining at 

With a widowed mother he came to America his mother's residence afew days heagain joined 

and settled near Poplar Tent, then Mecklen- the army, under General Greene, as a lieuten- 

burg County, and here he was raised. When ant under Colonel Henry Lee, and was 

the orders were ottered for a convention, at woundeil in the severe battle of Eutaw 

Charlotte, whieli met on May 19 and 20, 1775, 

he attended, and his testimonv is clear on the * -Mr- Harper acquired great distinction iu after 

"'-'"'' • .. life. There is a tradition that lie was born m this state, 

subject of the celebrated dechiration of inde- and many have so stated. Dr. Hawks and Mr. Drake 

,,,^^. 1 1 ir„ ,, think d iff erentlv. 

pendence at that timj an.l place, lie soon tTIio sketch, meagre as it is, is collated from the 

„f>,.i- o„liii-,.fl •,« -1 iirivfitp ii' 'I corus of cav- journals of the colonial assembly iu London, our own 

aftei eniisted as a pi u ate u. a coip^ or ca\ iegislative journals, and from a recent article in the 

airy, commanded by Charles Polk, and served iiiileigh Observer. 



176 



WHEELER'S REMINISCEXCES. 



Springs. This closed his military ca.reer. He 
returned home and renewed hie classical 
studies. In 1787, he graduated at Mount Zion 
College, in Winnsboro, South Carolina. He 
then studied theology, under the care of the 
presbytry of South Carolina, and was licensed 
to practice. In the tirst years his services 
were confined to South Caroliim. In 1805, 
he accepted a call from the Steel Creek 
church, in Mecklenbui-g County, and here he 
labored successfully and acceptably for many 
years, and there he died on August 21, 1827, 
in the peaceful hope of a glorious immortality. 
lie left several children, one of whom, Dr. C. 
L. Hunter, is distinguished as an author and a 
gentleman. He lies in the church yard of 
Steel Creek church, and on his tombstone is 
recorded the inscription: 

" Sacred to the memory of the Reverend Humphrey 
Hunter, who departed this life August 21, 1827, in the 
T3d year of his age. He was a native of Ireland and 
emigrated to America at an early period of his life. He 
was one of tliose who early promoted the cause of lib- 
erty in Meclilenbnrg County, May 20. 1775, and subse- 
quently bore an active part in securing the independ- 
ence of his country. For nearly thirty -eight years he 
labored as a faithful and assiduous embassador of 
Clirist, strenuously urging the necessity of repentance, 
and pointing out the terms of salvation. As a parent, 
he was kind and affectionate; as a friend, warm and 
sincere; as a minister, persuasive and convincing. " 

On tlie heights of King's Mountain, in the 
southern part of this county, stands a plain 
headstone bearing these words: 

" Sacred to the memory of Maior William Chronicle 
Captain WilIiHui Mattocks, William Raljb, and John 
Boyd, who were killed iiere figliting in defense of 
America, on the 7tli of October, 17S0 '' 

William Chronicle lived near Armstrong's 
ford, on the south fork of the Catawba river. 
His mother was first married to a Mr. McKee, 
and by this marriage she had one son, the late 
James McKee, who was a soldier of the revo- 
I'ltion, and the ancestor of several families of 
t!iat name in this neighborhood. After his 
death she married Mr. Chronicle, by whom 
she had an only son, the gallant soldier of 
King's Mountain. The universal testimony of 
all who knew Major Chronicle is, that he was 



an intrepid soldier and an earnest advocate of 
liberty. His fii-st appearance in the war was 
in South Carolina in 1779, after the fall of 
Savannah. In the fall of 1780, a call was made 
for a regiment from Lincoln, (then Tryon 
County,) to repel the enemy marching from the 
south, and flushed with victory. Of this regi- 
ment William Graham was colonel, Frederick 
Ilambright, lieutenant-colonel, William Chron- 
icle, major. Major Chronicle was peculiarly 
fitted for the life of a soldier. Brave to a 
fault, energetic in movement, and calm in 
action. 

Colonel Graham, on account of illness, was 
not at the battle of King's Mountain, and the 
conmiand of the regiment devolved on Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Hambright and Major Chroni- 
cle. Onward these brave men marched with 
their leaders, and approached within gunshot 
of the etiemy, when a volley was fired by the 
enemy, who then retreated. The brave 
Chronicle fell, pierced through the heart by a 
rifle ball. At the same time fell Captain 
Mattocks, William Rabb, and -lohti Boyd. 

This battle of King's Mountain, from its lo- 
cation and other causes, has never had the 
important place in history that it deserves 
" There is no difiiculty in declaring, that if 
Ferguson had not fallen at King's Mountain, 
Cornwallis would not have surrendered at 
Yorktown. It was the pivot on which the 
revolutionary war in the south turned."* It 
is in many respects, the most important, the 
most glorious battle fought in tlie great con- 
test for liberty. It was fought on our side 
exclusively by volunteers, without the pres- 
ence or advice of a single regular officer. It 
was won by raw militia, never before under 
fire, over trained troops, commanded by a vet- 
eran officer of approved and desperate courage, 
who had no superior in the English army. 

Frederick Hambright, born 1740, died 
1817, was also one of the gallant heroes of 

*Ujnversity Magazine, February, 1858, VH., p. 245. 



GATES COUNTY. 



177 



King's Mountain. He wa3 a native of Ger- 
many; emigrated to America in 1727, and 
tinally settled on Long Creek, then in Tryon 
County, where he lived when the hattio of 
King'8 Mountain took phice. lie early em- 
harked in the cau.so of independence; in 1777, 
was appointed lieutenant-colonel, and was 
throughout the war an active and fearless offi- 
cer. At the battle of King's Mountain, 
Colonel William Graham, who had command 
of the Lincoln regiment, on account of sick- 
ness in his family, was absent, and the com- 
mand devolved upon Colonel Hambright. 
Nobly did he sustain this perilous charge; in 
the conflict he was severely wounded by a 
large rifle ball passing through his thigh; but 
tie refused to leave the field, and continued 
encouraging his men, he led them to battle 
and to victory. The effects of this wound 
caused him to falter in his walk, during the 
remainder of his life. 

He was twice married, and left a large 
family to emulate his patriotic example. He 
died in 1817, and was buried at Shiloh, in the 
limits of the present county of Cleaveland. 
His tombstone bears this inscription: 

" In memory of Colonel Frederick Hambright, who 
departed this life March, 1817, in the 90th year of his 
affe." 

Robert Hall Morrison, D.D., resides at Cot- 
tage Home, near the line between Gaston and 
Lincoln Counties. 

He was educated at the university and grad- 
uated in 1818, in the same class with James K. 



Polk, Robert Donaldson, William D. .Mosely, 

Hamilton C.Jones, Hugh Waddell, and others. 

He studied for the ministry, and has spent a 

life long service in this iioly calling. 

He has had the charge of several Presbyterian 

churches in the state; has been president of the 

Davidson college, and until recently the loved 

and venerated pastor of Unity church, near 

Beattie's Ford. It has been my privilege to 

sit for many years under the teachings of this 

most excellent man. I can sa}' that I never 

more truly felt the influence of religious 

truth and its importance, than as it fell from 

his lips, as also the force of the example of one 

" Whose doctrine and who.se life 

Uo-incident exhibit lucid proof, 
That he is honest in the sacred cause.'' 

He is now near the close of a long and v/ell 
spent life; possessing the esteem of all who 
know him. 

He married Mary, the third daughter of 
General Joseph (Jrahani,* by whom he had 
several children: 

L Isabella, married to General D. H. Hill. 

II. Ann, married to General T. J. Jackson 
(Stonewall.) 

III. Margaret, married to .lames $rwin. 
IV". Eugenia, married to General Rufus Bar- 
ringer. 

V. Joseph, married to Miss Davis. 

VI. Alfred. 

VII. Laura, married to John E". Brown. 

VIII. Robert. 

IX. Susan, married to Alphonzo C. Avery. 



GATES COUNTY. 

William Paul Roberts is a native of this moted to a captaincy, and in a short time, al- 

county, born July 11, 1841. though the junior captain, was made major; 

His occupation is that of a farmer, but his war and in that same year was promoted to a col- 
record is brilliant. Entering the army in June, onelcy. In the next year, 1865, he was comrais- 
1861, as a non-commissioned officer in the sec- sioned brigadier, then only in his twenty- 
ond North Carolina cavalry, he was soon pro- ""S^or whose geueaology, see Lincoln County. 



178 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

fourth year, the 3'onngost lirigaclier in the ser- leading a retired life. But in 1875 his 

vice. His brigade was one of the best known friends and admirers elected him to the consti- 

and mo.st highly appreciated in the army of tutional conventioti, and in 1876 he waselected 

Northern Virginia. a member of the house. Here his services were 

After the war closed, General Roberts, like so appreciated that the state democratic con- 

Ciiiciniiatus, went to the plough and sought vention in 1880, without his knowledge or con- 

repo.-e in the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, sent, nominated him as auditor of the state. 



GRANVILLE COUNTY. 

John 1'knn, born 1741, died 1788, one of John Williams, who lived and died in this 

the signers of the declaration of independence county, was a native of Hanover County, Vir- 

of July 4tli, 177<5, lived and died in this ginia. In April, 1770, while attending court 

county. Mo was born in Caroline County, at Ilillsboro, he was set on by the regulators, 

Vii'ginia, the only son of Moses Penn and and severely lieaten b}- them. His early edu- 

iCaroline, his wife, who was the <laughter '' of cation was neglected, as he was raised to the 

•Jobn ^laylnr of Caroline," distinguished as a trade of a house carpenter. But he possessed 

politician and a political writer. His father strong native sense, and was chosen one of 

died whilst ho was only a youth, and his educa- the first judges, in 1777, with Samuel Spencer 

tion was defective. He read law with Ed- and John Ashe as associates. He was elected a 

rnuiid I'endleton, and displaj-ed much genius member of the continental congress in 1778, 

and eloquence. He moved in 1774 to Granville, and died in October, 1799. 
and the next year succeeded Ricluird Caswell The Hicks family were distinguished among 

as ii (leb'gate to the continental congress at those worthy of remembrance in Granville. 
Pbiladelpbia. which sat from 1775 to 1780. Captain Robert Hicks lived abruit a mile 

He was iippointed receiver of public taxes for from Oxford, in 1770. 

North Carolina by Robert Morris this posi- The family is English, and settled in Brook- 

tion he soon resigned. He died September, lyn. New York, in the locality now known as 

1788. Hicks street. The family was distinguished 

James Williams, who fell in jjarttle at King's in England for its courage and ability, and 

Mountain on October 7,17S0. was a native of one of them was knighted for his deeds of 

Granville County. He moved (1773) to Laurens daring. 

district, South Carolina; became active in Robert Hicks entered the revolutionary 
the partisan warfaie in that state, and dis- army, and was in the battle of Guilford, 
tinguished himself in the l)attle of Mu.sgrove with the North Candina militia, where these 
Mill. After that engagement he went to I'aw and undi.sciiJined troops were placed by 
Ilillsboro, whore he raised a troop of cavalry, General Greene in the front line, and there, 
and returned to South Carolina. He fell at overwhelmed by the British, fled; young- 
King's Mountain, at the same moment tliat Hicks stood his ground, and fought sinyde 
the k>ader of the British forces was slain, and handed, until nearly surrounded, and after his 
was liuried on the battle held.* men had gone a considerable distance, he then 
escaped and shared, during the remainder of 

*L(issing; University Magazine, VII., 24.5. the war, its dangers and its glories. 



GRANVILLE COUNTY. 



170 



He died sndfleiily of a disease of the heart, 
and left a large family, some of whom still 
live in Granville. 

One of his sons is a prv)fessor of a medical 
college in New Orleans, and another moved to 
Arkansas, another, Dv. John K. Hicks, one of 
the best and purest of men, died not long 
since, near Williamsboro in this county. Tiie 
old homestead is now owned bj a colored man, 
whose wife once belonged to one of Captain 
Hicks daughters. Iler hus!)and now owns the 
home from which her young mistress went 
3'ear8 ago as a bride. How stiaijge is the rev- 
olution of time and circumstance! 

Captain Benjamin Norwood, like Robert 
Hicks, was one of the revolutionary lieroes of 
Granville. On the approach of Cornwallis he 
recruited a companj', and was prctent in the 
battle of Guilford, and, like Captain Hicks, 
behaved with great personal gallantry. He 
fought for some time after his men had 
ingloriously fled. The conduct of these two 
patriots should condone the conduct of their 
men, who unused to the pom(), jiride and cir- 
cumstance of war, utterly undisciiilined, were 
opposed from tlie first to regular veterans. 
Captain Norwood did good service in the war, 
and died lamented and loved. He had two 
brothers who lived in other portions of the 
state. One in Lenoir, Caldwell County, and 
the other in Orange. His wife was a sister of 
Governor Aiken, of South Carolina, and Mrs. 
Cicero W. Harris, of Wilmington, is one of his 
descendants. 

Roljert P.urton, born 1747, died 182.5, lived 
and died in this county. He was born in 
Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and moved 
to Granville about 1775; here he was appointed 
an officer in the army. He was a member of 
the Ciuitinental Congress, 1787, and one of the 
commissioners to run the line between North 
Carolina and South Carolina in 1801, and 
Georgia. 

He was distinguished as a successful fanner. 



He married the only daughter of Judge 
Williams, and died in 1825, leaving nine chil- 
dren surviving, among whom wtjretho Unrtons 
of Lincoln, (Hon. Robert H. Burton and A. 
M. Burton.) 

The Henderson family, has been long 
favorably known in North (larolina as one of 
distinguished ability. Its name has been in- 
scribed on a count}', on a town, and on a 
village; the talents of its members have besn 
displayed at the liar, in the pulpit, on the 
bench, and in the halls of congress. The 
progenitor of this family in North Carolina was 
Richard Henderson^ who came from Hau- 
over county, Virginia, about lT<7^f1xnd settled 
in this county. 

I found in the Roll's oiiico, London, among 
the records of the Board of Trade, these en- 
tries- 

"1769, March 1st. At a meeting of the 
Council ; present, Go\ernor Tryon, John Ruth- 
erford, Benjamin Heron, Lewis Do Rosett 
and Samuel Strudv/ick. 

"Richard Henderson, Esq., was appointed 
Associate Judge, &c., as also Maurice Moore, 
Esq." * » » \iy Henderson, Governor 
'L'rN'on reports, "is a gentleman of candor and 
ability, born in Virginia, and lives in Hills- 
boro, where he is highly esteemed. The Gov- 
ernor stated that ho wished to have hppointed 
to these two places, Mr. Edmund Fanning 
and Mr. Marmadnke Jones, but thev de- 
clined ." 

I found among the papers of the Board of 
Trade, on file in the Rolls Office, London, a 
letter from Judge Henderson to Governor 
Tryon, dated September 24th, 1770, at Hi lls- 
boro, stating, "on that day, Herman Husbands, 
James Huv.ter, William Butler, Ninian Bell 
Hamilton, Jeremiah Fields, .Matthew Hamil- 
ton, Eli Branson, Peter Craven, John Fruit, 
Abraham Teague, and Samuel Parks, armed 
with cudgels and cowskin whips, brokeup the 
court and attempt'ed to strike the judge, ( Hen- 
der.-ion,) and made him leave the bench. They 
assaulted and beat John. Williams severely, 



180 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



and also Edmund Faiinintj, nntil he retreated 
into the store of Messrs. Johnstone and Thack- 
ston; they demolished Fanning's house. Not 
only were these beaten, imt Thomas Hart, 
JoliM Luttrel, (clerk of the crown.) and many 
otliers. were severely whijiped." 

Another entry, Januar}^ 2.5th, 1771, ordered 
that Richard Henderson, who appeared as 
prosecutor of the several charges against 
Thomas Person, should pay all costs. 

Another record: "Proclamation of Governor 
.Martin, dated Pebruaiy 10th, 1775, issued as 
govei'nor and as agent and attorney of Lord 
Granville, forbidding Richard Henderson 
from purchasing or holding anN' lands from the 
Cherokee Indians." 

Extracted from Governor Martin's dispatch: 
" I enclose a copy of Lord Dunmore's procla- 
mation, also Richard Heiider.son's plan of set- 
tlement of a largo tract of hnid on the waters 
of the Kentucky, the Cumberland, the Ohio, 
and the Tennessee." 

These extracts prove the entei-jirise and 
character of Judge Hender.son, under the royal 
rule. After independence had been declared, 
and the state government organized and es- 
tablished in North Carolina, he was elected 
one of tliree judges of the coui't, which he de- 
clined to accept, or resigned in a few months. 
The chief reason tiiat caused this, was that 
Judge Henderson was at that time the chief 
manager of the " Transylvania Land Com- 
pany." He and hia associates had bought, for 
a fair considei'ation, of the Cherokee Indians, 
who had offered their lands for sale, a rich 
tiact of country, in which was embraced a 
considerable jioi-tion of Kentucky and Tennes- 
see. The treaty by which this purchase was 
made was concluded in 1775, on the Watauga 
river, at which Daniel Boone was present. 
The states of Virginia and North Carolina de- 
clared this void. 

His tissocinles in this transactions were John 
Willi:uns, Leonard Ilenly lUillock, of Gran- 



ville, William Johnston, James Hogg, Thomas 
Hart, of Orange. 

The company took possession of these lands 
on April 20th, 1775. 

The Governor of North Carolina, (Martin,) 
by proclamation, declared this purchase ille- 
gal; the state of Virginia did the same, and 
the state of Tennessee claimed these lands; 
but the states of North Carolina and Virginia 
each subsequently granted to the company 
200,000 acres as remuneration. 

In 1779, Judge Henderson was appointed 
with Oroondates Davis, John Williams, of Cas- 
well, James Kerr, and William Baily Smith, 
to run the line between Virginia and North 
Carolina into Powell's Valley. 

The same year he opened a land office at 
the French Lick, (now Nashville,) for the sale 
of the company's lands. 

Judge Henderson had several brother^, the 
youngest of whom was Major Pleasant Hen- 
derson. He was born in" 1750, and served in 
the war of the revolution. In 1789, he suc- 
ceeded John Haywood, as clerk of the House 
of Commons, which position he held for forty 
years, continuously. He married. (1780,) a 
daughter of Colonel James Martin, of Stokes 
County, and settled at Chapel Hill, where he 
resided for man}' years, and reared a large 
family. He moved in 18-31 to Tennessee, 
where he died in 1842, in the 85th year of his 
age, leaving Dr. Pleasant Henderson, of Salis- 
bury, born 1802; Dr. Alexander Martin Hen- 
derson, born 1807; Mr.s. Hamilton C. Jones, 
of Rowan County. . 

Judge Henderson married Elizabeth Keel- 
ing, a step-daughter of Judge; Williams, and 
had six children. 

I. Fannjf, born 1764; married to -ludge 
Spruce McCay, of Salisbury. 

II. Richard, born July, 176(:!. 

III. Archibald, born 17tJ8. 

IV. P]lizabetli, bora 1770; married William 
Lee Alexander. 



GRAX\'1LLK COUXTY. 181 

V. Leonard, born 1778. lii« element. It wn^^ in the profession of the 

VI. Jolm Lau'sou, born 177Cl. " biw tliat lie attained liis niateidess reputation, 
Judge liiehiird Henderson ' returned home and was pronounced In- one qualified tojudge:* 

from Tennessee in 1780, and surrounded by '• Tiie most perfect model of a lawyer the bar 

peace and plenty, esteemed and loved by all of Xorth Carolina has ever produced." 

who knew him, he departed this life on Jaun- "lie contributed," says Judge Murphey, 

ary 30. 1785. " more to give dignity to the profession than 

His .laughters, intelligent and accomplished, any lawyer since the days of General Davie, 

married men of ability and high reputation, and Alfred Moore." 

Each of his sons studied the profession of the Ho looked, as did Hooker, " with reverence 

law, in which their father was distinguislied, on the scienc(! of the law," for with him, he 

and they did his name no dishonor. thought, that " her voice was the harmony of 

Richard Henderson, first sou of Richard, was the world and her seat the bosom of God." By 

hiii-hly educated, graduated at university in the teachings of the law, men are taught the 

1804, read law, and gave every promise of dis- great less(uis of obedience to rules and rever- 

tinction; but he died at an early age. enee for their administration. No one under- 

Archibald Henderson, b.)rn 17(38, died 1822, stood this better than did Ai'chibald Ilcuder- 

the second sou of Richard and Elizabeth son, and in his practice no one more studiously 

Keeling, lived and died in SalisbiiiT; and was observed it. Mr. Henderson has often said 

the acknowledged head of the profession in that ho knew " but few men fitted for the 

Western X'orth Carolina. He was eilucated bench. He had known many good lawyers, but 

at the schools and a'cademies of the county, few good judges." The qualifications requisite 

for his name does not appear among the gradu- for a good judge, are rarely combined. Many 

ates of the university. He studied law with esteem legal learning, the first qualification, 

his relative, Judge Williams, and settled in Mr. Henderson thought xtroiiff roiDinon sense, 

t^alishury. He was a member of the House of tlic first (pialification; an intimate knowledge 

Commons from Salisbury,iu 1807 to 1809,1814, of men, particularly of the middle or lower 

181.5,1819; 1820, and a member of congress classes, their pa.ssions and prejudices, modes of 

from 1799 to 1803. These were exciting thoughts, was the .swr»?d; good moral character, 

limes in congress. Our limits do not allow us subdued feelings, without prejudice or par- 

to detail the exciting questions of that day, tiality, was the /A/zc^; independence and energy 

b;it .'lie may be alluded to. For the first time of will the fourt/i, and legal learning the last." 

in ..ur history the election of president de- Lord Mansfield gave this advice to a brave 

volv,;d on the bouse of representatives, and old admiral, who, for his gallantry and services, 

the foundations of our republic were severely h-xd been appointed a judge by the crown, to 

tested. Mr. Henderson, with William Baiay some distant point, and at once went to hiin, 

Grove, Joseph Dickson, William H. Hill, to procure some law books to qualify himself, 

voted for Aaion Burr, whilst Willis Alston, " You do not need any such aid," said Lord 

Xathaniel Macon, Richard Stanford, Uichard Mansfield. "Go t.^ your post; hear both 

Doid)« tSpaigbt, David Stone, and Robert Wil- si(los patiently, and then decide with energy 

liams, supported Thomas Jefferson. .Mr. Heu- :"id firmness, according to your own views; but 

derson was a decided federalist, and was able .i.'ive few or no reasons for your opinion." 

and eloquent But, although be shone as "a It has been said tliat one of the best at- 

bright, peculiar star" in politics, this was not *Judge A. D. Murphey. 



182 WHEELER'S KEMLNISCENCES. 

torney -generals the state ever hud, never the circuit courts, was estahlished to be hekl 

opened a law liook until lie had l>eeu appointed, by the same judges twice a ye.ir, at Rnieigh, 

By his marriage with Sarah, daughter of Wil- in the intervals of the ridings ol' the superior 

Ham Alexander, and the sister of Governor courts, tliis was called the court of confer- 

Nathauial Alexander, Mr. Henderson had euce. Two vacancies occurred, occasioned by 

Archibald and iMrs. Boyden, the relict of the death of Judge McCay and the elevation 

Honorable Nathaniel Boyden; he died October of Judge Stone to the office of governor; to 

21, 1822, and in the Lutheran church yard, in one of those Mr. Hender.son was elected. He 

Salisbury, an appropriate monument marks his discharged the duties of judge in a maimer 

grave, erected by the members of the bar. highly creditable to himself and satisfactory 

Leonard Henderson, born 1772, died August to the public for eight years, then he resigned, 

12, 1883. was the third sou of Richard and doubtless because of the laborious duties and 

Elizabeth Keely; he was not the least talented, meagre compensation received, onl)' i?l,(jOO a 

and in many respects the most distinguished, year was [laid. 

even more than his able brother, of whom In 1810, the legislature, ap[ireciatingtlie evils 
we have just written. He was born Octo- of this judicial system, and the inadequate 
her 6, 1772, on ISIutbush Creek, in Granville compensaticui to the judges, organized the pre- 
Couutv. He lost his father when a youth, sent supreme court, with its pi'esent powers 
and his mother survived her husband only and more liberal salaries. On December 12, 
live years. It is stated, as au evidence of the 1818, John Hall, Leonard Henderson and John 
simplicity and frugality, as well as of the in- Louis Taylor were elected to this l)ench. 
dustry, of the matrons of tliat day, that his These were the right men in the light place, 
mother taught her sons, as well as her daught- It was peculiarly the sphere in which Judge 
ers, to card and spin. Henderson was destined to achieve his great 
The early education of Judge Leonard Hen- reputation. He possessed unquestionably 
derson was obtaiiied in the country schools, genius of the highest order; above all he had 
He read the Latin and Greek classics under au honest as well as a strong mind. His 
the Reverend Mr. Fatillo, a Presbyterian knowledge of the great principles of jurispru- 
clergyman, who married a sister of Robert deneo was deep and clear, in all his ()[jinions 
Goodloe Harper, and with this limited stock of a search for the truth seemed t<j be the pre- 
learning, which was as much as his finances dominant idea. He was impatient when he 
would allow, he commenced the study of the found himself opposed by precedents, which 
law with liis relative, Judge John Williams, to his mind were not supported by principle, 
whose sister his paternal grandfather had His maxim was " bivcirlnn out fcici-nit liam," 
married. After his admission to the bar he held, that is, if he could not find a straiglit, clear 
for several years, tlie pla(-e of clerk of the dis- path, leading to truth, he would ni, ike one. 
trict court at Hillshoro, a position of much •' This,'' sa^s Judge Battle, who was his jjupil 
dignity and emolument. At this time, the and friend, and from whose admirabJe mem- 
state was divided into few districts, and in oir, I extract these memoranda, " was the only 
each district court was held twice a year. In fault he had as a judge." He had for years a 
1806, this system was abolislied, and a su- law school where many listened with pleasure 
perior court was held in each county twice a and profit to his lucid and learned teachings. In 
year; these were divided into six circuits. A early life his mind had been tincturoil with 
court of appellate jurisdiction, distinct from infi(_lelity, but a short time before iiis death 



GRANVILLE COUNTY. 



]88 



lie professed a belief in Jesus, as the saviour of 
sinners. Uo died at his residence near Wil- 
liamsboro, in Auajust 13, 1833. A widow, iiec 
Farrar, a niece of Jnilij^c Wiillianis, and five 
chikh\ii survived him. 

I. Archil)ahl Krskine, (since dead,) married 
Anne, daughter of Richard Bullock. 

II. Dr. "William Farrar Henderson, married 
Agnes Hare, of Wiliiamsboro. 

III. John Henderson, died unniarrit'd. 

IV. Fanny, luarriod Dr. William V. Tayh)r, 
who lived in Memphis. 

V. Lury, married Dr Kicliard Sneed. 
Jolin Lawson Henderson, son of Riciiard 

and Elizabeth, born 1778, died about 184-1, 
was the youngest son, and if equally gifted as 
his distinguished brothers, acquired le-<s fame 
as a lawyer and statesman, although more 
liberally educated. He graduated at the uni- 
versity in 18G0, in the same class with Wil- 
liam Cherry, senator from Bertie. He studied 
law, but from his retiring temper, modest 
demeanor and indolent disi'osition, he did not 
succeed in tiie practice. He was blessed with 
a clear, dis(riminating mind, high and gene- 
rous impulses. 

He represented Salisbmy in the House of 
Commons, 1815,-'16,-'23, and '24. 

In 1827, he was elected the comptroller of 
the state, and subsequently, the clerk of the 
supreme oui't, in which office he died, at Ra- 
leigh, 1844. He was never married. 

Rol)ert Ballard Gilliam, born 1805, died Oc- 
tober 17, 1870, was l)orn, lived and died in 
Granville County. 

He v,-as the sou of Leslie Gilliam, who was 
a wortliy and respectable citizen, and for a long 
tinic tlie sheriff of this county. 

He was liiierally educated, and gi-aduated 
at tlie university in 1823, in the same class 
viith Daniel W. Courts, George F. Da.vi(lson, 
Isaac Hall, Richmond M. Pearson, Alfred M 
Scales, and others. He read law, and com- 
menced the practice at a bar composed of gen- 



tlemen of great power and eloquence. Among 
these were the late Chief Justices RufKn and 
Xasli, Governor Iredell, Geoi'ge E. Ihulger, 
Willie P. Manguni, Samuel Hillman, William 
ii. Haywood, Hugh Waddell, and others. In 
this galax}- of talent and learning, Mr. (.iilliam 
shone conspicuous. 

He was a member of the convention in 1835, 
the most distinguished body of statesmen ever 
assemiiled in the state. 

lie was a member of the commons in 183G,- 
'38 and '40, and again in 1846,-'48 and 1862, 
was elected speaker of the house. In 1863, he 
was elevated to the bench, where he remaine<l 
till the close of the late war between the 
states. Upon the restoration of the Federal 
authority, be was again i)laeed on the bench, 
where he remained until 1808. 

A few months before his death, lie was 
elected a memljer of congress, (October 17, 
1870,) but before he took liis seat he died. As a 
statesman , he was a pure and pati'iotic ; as a law- 
ycv, he was learned and able, and his ability 
was only equalled bj^ the kindly qualities of 
his heart. Such were the conspicuous traits 
of his character, which endeared him to all who 
knew him. He was twice married, first to 
Miss Noble, of Virginia, and second to Miss 
Kittrell, hut left no issue. 

Abram Watkins Venable, born 1799, died 
1876, w'as the son of Samuel Venable, and the 
nephew and name sake of Abram B. Venable, 
who was a mend»er of congress from Virginia, 
1791 to 1799, and United States senator 1803 
and 1804; was detailed by the Jelfersonian 
party, on account of his financial abilities, to 
be the president of the Bank of Virginia. He 
perished in the burning of the Kiclunond 
Theatre, December 2iith, 1811. 

A. W. ^'enable was born in Prince Ed- 
ward County, Virginia, October 17tb, 1799. 
His niotlier was a daughter of Judge Carring- 
ton. Educated at Hampden Sydney College, 
where he graduated in 1816, he studied medi- 



184 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



cine for two years, and then went to Princeton, failed to pass. Such had been the course of the 

where he.sjraduated in 1819. He then studied banks that great prejudice existed against them 

hiw, and was admitted to the bar in 1821. amongst the people. Mr. Potter was elected to 

He settled in Oxford, and in 1832 was elee- the Twentieth Congre.ss the next year, and re- 
tor on the Jackson ticket, and again in 183G elected to the Twenty-second Congress. But 
on the VanP)Uren ticket, with Nathaniel Ma- this brilliant career was brought to an ignom- 
con and others. This was the last public act inous close by Potter himself. He committed 
of Macon's long and eventful career in politics, a brutal nia3-hem upon two of his wife'-s rela- 

Mr. Venable was elected, in 1847, a member tions, for which he was fined and imprisoned, 

of congress, over Judge Kerr; and again in He then went to Texas and there was killed 

1849, elected over Henry K. Nash, and re- in a private brawl, 

elected in April, 1851. Memu.-an Hunt was born in this county. 

He was again a candidate for congress in He served in the provincial congress at New 

18.53, but from some dis.satisfaction of his party Berne, August 25, 1774, and at Halifax, April 

as to Cuba and other questions, another demo- 4, 1776, and November 12, of that year. He 

crat (Lewis,) was put in nomination, and Hon- was treasurer of North Carolina from 1777 



oi-able Sion H. Rogers was elected. 



to 1787, senator in the legislature in 1788, 



During the civil war, Mr. Venable was a and was a man of distinction and much useful- 
member of the confederate congress; when ness. 

this clo.sed he retired from public life. His William Hunt, bis son, a distinguisliL-d otli- 

health had tor some time failed, and he died ccr in the revolution, was ajipointed major in 

at Oxford, February 24th, 187(J, leaving a son, Colonel Philip Taylor's regiment of state 

Major Thomas B. Venable, antl other children, troops. He was the father of xMemucan Hunt, 

to inherit his fame and virtues. who was sent by the Republic of Texas as 

Robert Potter was a resident of Granville Euvoy to Washington city, 

(.bounty. In early life he was a midshipman There are many other names connected with 

in the navy, from which he resigned; studied Granville worthy of memory and record, as 

law and entered the legislature in 1826, as a Amis, Bullock, Eatons. Hargrave, Hillman, 

member from Halifax, and in 1828 he was elec- Hunt, Littles, Littlejolm, Pulliam, Robards, 

ted from Granville. His course in the legisla- Sueed, Taylor, Wyclie, Yancey, and othei-s; but 

ture was marked by a violent and vindictive want of sufficient material to form a sketch, 

assault on the banks of the state, which he and the limits of our work, compel us to leave 

pursued with such adroitness, that his bill to this pleasing task to some son of Granville, 

to raise a committee to prosecute the banks was who will gather up the rich memorials of 

carried by one vote, but the speaker, Thomas this grand old county, and present her sons in 

Settle, sr., voting with the minority, the bill their true light to the admiration of posterity. 



GREEXE AND GUILFORD COUisTIES. 185 

CHAPTER XXI. 

GREENE COUNTY. 

Genkhal .Jesse Si'icuiHT, Imrii Septeinher 22, Congress; then lie dcelinoil ;i ro-oleetioii, and 
1795. (lieil 1847, was a native of Greene removed to f\)luinl)ns, Mississippi. 
County. He was the son of Rev. Scth Speight, ?Ie here entered again thepoiitieal arena, with 
a Methodist preacher. Ills education was not brilliant success. He was sent to the legisla- 
thorough, iiut his career in all the vicissitudes ture, elected speaker, and in 184-1 was made 
of public life, proves that books are not al(Mie senator in congress, which post he occupied at 
indispensible for success. lie possessed great the time of his death: this occurred at Col- 
shrewdness of character, ambition, and un- umbus. May 1, 1847. 

tiring perseverance, united to a warm and Witliout any extraoi-dinary endowments of 

generous heart, to these iiualitirs were added niind,(-r advantages of liberal education, his 

a commanding and comely person, (he was brilliant success was due to his simple- 

the tallest man I ever saw.) He entered the hearted honesty, his energy of character,und his 

House of Commons when in the prime of life, devotion to tlie pi-inciples of the constitution, 

(the twenty-seventh j'ear of his age,) the next Joseph Dixon Wiis born in Greene County 

year, 1823. lie was elected senator in thelegis- April 29, 1828, and re[U'esentcd the con.-.ty in 

lature, of whicli he was speaker in 1828, and in the legislature in 181)8. On the death uf David 

this he continued until 18:^9, when he was Hcaton, ( who died June 25, 1870.) Mr. Dixon 

elected a mend)er of the Twenty-first Congress, was elected to serve tiie unex[iired term in 

1837, ami served until the Twent^'-fourth the Forty-first Congress, 18C9,-'71. 



GUILFORD COUNTY. 

In this county one of the most important -n'estern Carolina. These were met at the 

battles of the revolution was foaglit, March King's Mountain, October 7, 1780, and de- 

15, 1780. important in its consequences, for it feated, then came the glorious victory of the 

foruied a link in the chain of events that led Cowpens, of Morgan over Tarieton, with the 

to the final independence of our country. fiower of the British army, (January 17, 1781,) 

At this time the English authority was these, with the battle of Guilford, in March, 

supreme in the south. Georgia was in their all presaged the final defeat and surrender of 

undisputed power, Charleston had surrendered, Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. 

Gates had been defeated at Camden, (1780) This triad of victories scaled the fate of the 

and Lord Cornwallis advanced in "all the ro^-al power of England in America, for had 

pride, ]>nnip and circumstance of glorious war," cithei' terminated diflerently, different, [icr- 

and had taken position at Charlotte; here he haps, iiad been the fate of our counti'y's liberty, 

held his lieadquarters. He had dispatched an An official reptnt nf the battle of Guilford, 

experienced and approved officer with a strong b}' Lord Cornwallis, and also by General 

force to intimidate and subdue the people of Greene, have been published, and will repay a 



18(3 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



cnret'ui [lernsnl,* they ai'c too long to be re- 
publii-lied ln're; imt it may be well to present 
some sketches of the lives and services of 
those who tigiirod su [iroiuinently on that 
occasion. 

From an authentic work we extract the fol- 
lowing:! 

"Earl Cornwallis, (viscount Bronie) was 
born ill Governor Square, London, December 
31, 1738, and died October 5, 1805. 

'• He was educated at Eton. While at col- 
lege playing at hockey, he received a blow 
which produced a slight I'Ut permanent obli- 
quity of vision. The boy who accidently 
cau.sed this was Shute Barrington, afterwards 
Bishop of Durham. Ai'ter finishing his edu- 
cation ho chose the army as his profession. 
His first conmiission as Ensign in the Foot 
Guards, is dated December 8th, 1756. His 
first lesson in war was as aid to the Marquis of 
Grandhy, in the contest between England and 
France in 1761. He had been elected a mem- 
ber of jiarlianient i'rom Eye, and upon the 
death of bis father tlie following year, took 
his seat in the House of Lords. When in par- 
liament he was strongly opposed to the scheme 
of taxing Aujcrica, hut when the war came, as 
an officer of the arm^', he accejited active em- 
[iloyment against the colonists. In February 
lOtli, 1771). he emiiarked for America in com- 
mand <if a division." 

To all human sagacity this vrar at first would 
aii[)c:ir t(_) prove but a holiday excursion, con- 
sidering the paucity of the forces engaged. 
Lord Ooinwallis gives the following as the 
force of the two armies: 

British. Americans. 

August, 1776. . . -24.000, 16,000, 

November, 1776 . 26,900, 4,500, 

December, 1776 . 27,700, 3,300. ;[ 

He was at the liattle of Brandywine, in 
1777, where he disiilaycd mucli coolness and 

*AVhee]er's History of Korth Carolina, II., 175. 

ICoiresiioiuleiice of diaries first, marquis of Corn- 
wallis. by C. Hoss in tliree vohuiies, London, 1859. 
All accurate likeness of Lord Coniwallis, in my posses- 
sion, sliows tliis defect. I have heard old men say, 
who had liiunvn Lord Cornwallis, 'tliatbe was blind 
in one eye." 

ICornwallift" (.'orrespondeiice, I.. 29. 



bravery, and was then sent south, and there 
defeated General Gates at Camden, August 
15, 1780. 

The battle of Guilford was his last general 
engagement, for he was compelled by Wash- 
ington, to surrender at Vorktown, October 
19th, 1781. 

He returned to England, and his mischances 
in America did not seem to lessen his reputa- 
tion, for lie was appointed Governor of the 
Tower, and in 1786, he was 3ent to the East 
Indies as Governor and ascommauder-iu-chief. 
Here he was distinguished for liis gallantry in 
the war against the Sultan of Mysore, and on 
his return to England, in conse |uenee of liis 
faithful and honorable services, he was made a 
privy counsellor, created a marquis, apipointed 
master-general of ordnance, and sent as lord 
lieutenant to Ireland. He was made min- 
ister plenipotentiary to France, and as such 
signed the treaty of Amiens. In 1804, he 
succeeded the Marquis of Wellesly as Gov- 
ernor General of India; in this situation he 
died, to Ghazepoore, October 5th, 1805. 

Colonel Banastre Tarletou, born 1754, died 
1833, accompanied Lord C^ornwallis in his 
campaign in the south, and commanded the 
twenty -first regiment of dragi.iins. 

He was born in Liverpool, August 21, 1754. 
Studied law, but on tlio revolt of the colonist 
of America, joined the army. He was dis- 
tinguished for his daring, intrepidity, indomi- 
talde energy, and sanguinary disposition. The 
ardor of his temjier received a severe check 
at the Cowpens, from (leneral ?>Inrgaii. lie 
surrendered at Yorktown, and released on 
pai'ole he returned to England. He married, 
1798, Priscilla, the natui'al daughter of the 
Duke of Ancaster, but he lived for some time 
with Pei'dita, (Mrs. Robinsoii,) the former mis- 
tress of the Prince of Wales; from whom he 
received considerable sums of money. 

He was a member of parliament from Li\er- 
pool, from 1790 to 1806, and from 1807 to 



GUILFORD COUNTY. 



187 



^^ 



1812. lie was iiot'Tions tor liis criticisms on 
military matters. In one of liis works sev- 
erely lilamed L<ir(l Oornwallis for the fail- 
ure of the British arms in America, and he 
assumed to criticise the military character of 
the Dnke of Wellington. 

lie (lied January 25, 1833, without i.ssue.* 

On the iicld of (;iiilfon!,fell Colonel Wilson 
Wehster, one of tlio most gallant and efHcient 
officers in the Bi'itish army, lie came to 
America with Lord Cornwallis, and was very 
active in the operations in New Jerse_y in 1777. 
In 1779, he commanded at Verplanek's Point, 
and resisted succes.sfully the attack of General 
Kohert Howe. He cfimmanded the right wing 
of the Bi'itish army at the battle of Camden, 
South Carolina. 

lie was severely wounded at tlie liattlc of 
Guilford, and died a few days afterward, at 
Elizabeth town, in Bladen County, where he 
was buried. His remains, a few years ago, 
were disinterred; of this event an interesting 
account was given at the time, from the gifted 
pen of Mrs. Hugh Waddell. 

His father was an eminent physician of 
Edinboro, Scotland. The following letter to 
his father, from Cornwallis, does justice to his 
merits, and credit to head as well as the heart 
of the writer: 

"' WiLMiN(iTON, North Cakolina, 
" April 23d, 1781. 
" Mv Dear Sir: 

•'It gives me great concern to undertake a 
task, which is not oidy a bitter renewal of my 
grief, but must be a violent shock to an afi'ec- 
tionate parent. 

" You have for your support the assistance 
of religion, good sense, and an e.xperience of 
the uncertainty' of all human happiness. You 
have for your sat isfi'.ction that your son died 
nobly for the defense of his country, lionored 
and lanirnted by his fellow soldiers, that he 
led a Hie of honor and virtue, which must 
secure him everlasting happiness. 

* Cornwallis' Correspondence. 54 I have a ijerfect 
A gem of art iu a full length portrait of this ollJcer, by 
C-'' Sir J3lh« iieynolds, copied by Sully from the original 
in London. 



" When the keen sensibilities of the p:is-;ions 
begin a little to subside, these eon.-iiderations 
will give you real comfort. 

" That the Almighty may givcyou fortitude 
to bear this severest of trials, is the earnest 
wish of 3'our companion in affliction, and your 
faithful servant, 

" Cornwallis." 

David Caldwell, D. D., born 172.'). died 1824, 
was so pati'iotic and so distinguished "in his 
day and generation," that he richly deserves 
our remembrance and gratitude. 

He was a native of Pennsylvania; I)orn in 
Lancaster County, March 22,1725. 

His early education was neglecti.'d, his father 
having apprenticed hiin to learn the trade of 
a iiouse carpenter, and this he folliwed for 
four 3'ears after his term of apprenticeship hail 
e.xiiired. He was moral, studious, and early 
liecame a member of the Presbyterian church. 
He resolved to becomea minister of tlie gospel, 
and after being prepared for college, he entered 
Princeton, where ho gi'aduated iu 17<n. He 
was sent by the Presbytery of Pliiladel[ihia, in 
17G5, to North Carolina as a missiunary; which 
was to be tlie ti(;ld of his labiu's and usefulness; 
he settled in this county. He was a sincere 
patriot and so decided in the cause of bis 
adopted home, that he was severely peisccuted 
iiy the tories and the British in 1781. They 
ravaged his farm and burned his hnusos. 

He studied medicine and combined the two 
characters of the divine and the physician. In 
the unhappy times of the Regulation troubles, 
he did all in his power to alleviate the op- 
pressions imposed on this impoverished people 
by the hands of cruelty and extortion. Pie 
was a member of the provincial congress at 
Halifax, which foi-ined the state c(nistitntion, 
and of the convention at Hillsboro, called to 
consider the Constitution of the United States, 
July 21, 1788. These were the only offices he 
ever held of a political nature. For years he 
conduc'ted at his house a classical school, at 
which some of the tirst men of this a"e were 



188 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



educated. Judge Murpliey, Judge McCiij', 
(jovcniiir M()[-oliL'ail, and otliers, received tVom 
tliift excel lent teachei' their eai'lv education. 

lie married in ITC'i, Rachel, the third 
daughtoi' of Rev. Alexander fraiiiiiead, of 
Mecklenhiii'g' Count}-. After a long life of 
usefulness and honoi',he died August 25,1824. 

Ale.\aiuler Martin, died in 1807, who for a 
loug time resideil in this county, was born in 
New .Jeisey. lie was liberally educated. His 
In'other, C<Jonel Jaujes Martin, who resided in 
Stokes, \va.-! a colonel in the revolution, and 
the father of tlie late .Tudge .lames Martin of 
Salisbury, \vlio mo\ed to Alabama and thei'e 
die(b Another brother, 'riiomas, was an Epis- 
copal uiinister, a graduate of rrinceton, and 
taught school in Virginia. Another brother, 
Sauuicl, was a captain in the revohitionary 
v.'ar, and was at the battle of Eataw. He 
mai'ried in Charlotte, where he died. 

Alexandei', the subject of this sketch, moved 
to \'irginia, and ihence to Guilford County; 
in 1772, he was its re[iresentai.ive in the col- 
onial assembly. 

lie was a member of the tirst provincial 
congress that mot at New Berne, 1774, in 
opposition to tiie royal government, and again 
in 1775. Tie' provincial congress that met at 
Ilaiifa-x, (Apiil 4, 1776) ap^iointed him col- 
onel of the second regiiiient in the conti- 
nental ser^'ice. with .lobn I'atton as lieutenant- 
ciilonel. lie juinrd the grand army of the 
north, under General Washington. He was 
at the battles of Brandywine, Septendier 11, 
1777, and at Gern}anio\\n, (.>ctober 4, 1777, 
where his brigade commander, Nasli, was 
killed.* 

*Tlie following is extracted fniui tlie University Mag- 
azii.e, V , ofiS: 

■' Ovu' b; igade from Noilli C'yri'Iiua was inspected; 
the H'xen regiments, wliicl; had been two years in ser- 
V ce. were a.-certiJr.ed to be too small for their comple- 
ment of officers, the brigade was reduced to three regi- 
ments, t e surplus ollb ers were discliar-cd and sent 
home. The first regiment was coiiniianded by j.homas 
Clarke, of Hanover to which the (ith was attached; the 
second wns commanded l.iy Colonel i'atton, to whicli 
the -Ithreginunt whs attached; the tliii'd rigiment was 



This battle terminated his military career. 
Degraded by the court martial, he returned 
home, and the magazine, from which we have 
quoted, adds that " these officers who wero 
dismissed proved very useful. On their re- 
turn they found the state in great confusion; 
tories were very abundant; robberies and 
murders frequent. These oflicei-s used their 
influence and experience in quelling and tak- 
ing these tories lu-isoners and hanging many 
of them; thus proving themselves in their own 
state more useful than they could ba\-e been 
to the country Ijad they been retained in the 
army." 

This sentence of the coui't martial did not 
affect, as it is siiown by subsequent events, the 
character, usefulness or popularity of Colonel 
Martin, for, in 1779, lie was elected senator 
from Guilford, and re-elected in 178b.-'81,-'82, 
1787, -'88, and was chosen speaker of the sen- 
ate during all these years. 

On the capture of Governor Burke, 1781, by 
the tories, under David Fanning, at Hills- 
boro. then the seat of government, a? speaker 
of the senate, he became cx-offido governor 
of the state, and exercised the functions of 
that offi<'e. 

In 1782, and aga.in in 1789, he was elected 
governor of tlie state, and was sjiiator in con- 
gress from 1793 to 1799. 

Governor Martin, by his su[iport of John 
Adams and the alien and sedition laws, fist 

commanded by Jethro Sumner, to which the otli regi- 
mi nt was attached. The oldest captain of each n gi- 
ment, that was broken up was retained in t e new regi- 
ment, with the priviledge of select ng the men who 
sliould compose their company from the regiment 
to wluch they tirst belonged. 

'■Alexander Martin, colonel of t' e second regiuieiit, 
at the battle of Germantown, seeing a soldier slip into 
a hollow of a gum tree, ordered him out, threatening to 
run bini through with his sword. The soldier obeyed, 
and our gallam colonel took shelter from danger by 
getting into his place. Ibis was proved next diyiu 
court-martial, and he was sent home to rjillsboro wth 
a wooden sword. 

"At the same court. General Stevens, of the \'irginia 
line, was sentenced to go home to liis phuitation also 
with a wooden sword, for drunkenness and disobedi- 
ence, and to never ajiiear again in tlie American 
service."' 



GUILFORD COUXTY. 



189 



his long enjo)'e(l popularity-, and was defeiitcil 
for the senate In- Jefferson Franklin, of Surry. 
Governw Martin had been, theretofore, uner- 
ring in his campaigns in that perception of the 
politic and prudent course to pursue; but here 
he made a political blunder, which Talle^-rand 
pronounced worse than a crime. He lingered 
about like some superfluous actor of the 
stage, when his day had passed, and he no 
more luul the '' honors and troops of friends," 
he once enjoyed. 

Such long, laborious and continued services 
in the political field should condone any errors 
in his militar}' career. 

He was fond of literature, and was for awhile 
at Princeton College. He was one of tlie most 
active and useful trustees of our university 
from 1790 to the date of his death. As gov- 
ernor, in his messages, he warmly advocated 
the claims of the institution to the patronage 
of the state. He was vain of his lilerar3- at- 
tainments. His ode on the death of General 
Nash, in 1777, and his eulogy on the death of 
Governor Caswell (November 10, 1789} have 
been printed, and may be considered as more 
patriotic than poetic. He died at Danbury, 
on the Dan River, in 1807, unmarried. 

Xewton Cannon, born 1781, died September 
29th, 1841, soldier and statesman, at one time 
governor of Tennessee. He was a native of 
Guilford C^iiunty, removed to Tennessee. - 

His grandfatliei-, Kichard Thompson, was the 
first man who fell at Alamance, (in the battle 
between the regulators and Governor Tryon, in 
1771.) Mr. Thompson was also the ancester of 
Kobert Cannon, of Shelby ville, Jacob Wrigh, 
of lUuherford Count}', John ThcMiipson, of 
Da\i(Ucn, and Andrew Hynes,of Nashville.* 

He was a member of the legislature of Ten- 
nessL'e, 1811,-"12, and of the state constitu- 
tional convention of 1824. 

In 1813, he was appointe<l colonel of a regi- 
ment of Tennessee mounted riiics, and coi.i- 

*('aruther's Life of David Caldwell. ]> l.")3. 



manded the left wing in the bi.ttle of Talla- 
batcbie, Novcmlior .'Jd, 181-?, whore be dis- 
phu'cd mu(di valor and skill. 

He was elected twice a member of congress 
from Tennessee, and served from 1814 to 1817, 
and from 1819 to 1823. 

He was a[)pointed l>y Monroe, one of the 
commissioners to treat with the Chickasaws in 
1819. He was Governor of Tennessee from 
1835 to 1839, and died at Nashville on Sep- 
tember 29th, 1841. He was a man of great 
purity of character; of strong common sense 
and of indomitai^le courage. 

He married the eldest daughter of General 
James Wellborn, of Wilkes County, who.se 
mother was the daughter of Hugh Montgom- 
ery, of Rowan. 

General James Wellborn was a member of 
the state senate fn.nu Wilkes County for 
many years, from 1796 to 1829. 

He was active, patriotic, and useful in the 
legislature, and often spoke on various ques- 
tions, always with great vehemence and earn- 
estness. He was blest with a stentorian voice, 
and when excited used it with great force. "In 
the legislature of 1805, says Moore in his his- 
tor}-, (page IIC,) the most remarkable feature 
of this session was General James Wellborn's 
proposition for the state to construct a great 
road from Beaufort to the mountains. The 
senator from Wilkes (.'ounty was prophetic in 
bis fore cast and entitled to be considered, 
the first to propose the great railway inaugu- 
rated in 1848. 

John Motley .Morehead, born July 4, 1790, 
died August 27, 1866, .son of John Morehead 
and Obedience Motley, was born in Pittsyl- 
vania County, Virginia. He was educated at 
the school of Dr. David Caldwell, and at the 
university,* wh^re he graduated in 1817 in 

*.Iudge Kerr in his oration •' on the life and character 
of fioveruor Morehead at Wentworth." states that 
•' (Jovenior Morehead gave evidence of his future emi- 
nence hy the laurels he won in competition with such 
class mates as .John Y. ilasou. of Virginia, and James 
K. I'olk." They were never classmates. 



190 WHEELER'S KEMINISCENCES. 

the siiuie class with Richard II. Alexaiidor, a knowledge of their modes of ;iL'lion and 

Hardy B.Croom, and otliers. After leaving the thnught. His clients leane<l on hiiu for ad- 

univrrsity, hi; studied law with Jnd;<e Archi- vice, for sni'i.ioi't, and for comfort. lie com- 

bald D. .\Iur,.hev, and came to the bar in 1819. Lined brilliant, genius, labor and t:;ct, together 

He was elected to the legislature in 1821 as a witli an energy and force that made him in- 

memher from Rockingham, and after one evitably successfid. He rarely lost a casein the 

year's service, he removed to Greensboro, civil docket, and although employed in every 

where ho spent his long,useful and eventful life, important case he never had a client capitally 

In 182G, he was elected to represent Guil- exe.'uted. Otiier advocates had doubtless 
ford Cnunty, as also in 1827. It was here my a deeper knowledge of the law, but none had 
good fortune to become well acquainted with greater success. In the force a!ul '■ the very 
him, f.u' we were members of the same body, whirhvifnl of his fiussion " he often v,-on!d vio- 
on the same committees, and lived in the late some rule of rhetoric or grammar; but it 
same hntel. He had an open Imarted and w.as amply supi.lied by the power of his logic, 
open banded manner that was magical and the point an.d force of his illustration, and his 
irresistible. His person, then in the prime of imi.assionate elocution. Such was Mr. More- 
life, was commanding and symmetrical, his head as an advocate. 

conversational powers were unerpialled, Hut so devoted was he to his profession, that 

abounding in humor, and anecdote, as well as he avoided the enticom.ents of politics. Hur- 

iii kindness and sense. Such was his keen ing the period in which he iiraclicd law, 

sense of the ludicrous that be (twenty-one years,) he had cons •nted to rep- 

'■ Was wout tosettlietrtWe in aroar," resent the people only thrive times. His pro- 

and was tlie charm of our little circle, which fe.ssion was his idol, and to this he devoted all 

even to this day is remeudjei-od with mom-n- bis time and all the powers of bis intellect, 

ful pleasure, for not one of that party (save and he was richl} rewarded, for he acliie\ ed 

one) is left: Bailey, Jleares, Croom, Eccles, distinction in tliat high science, which Coke 

Iredell. Walker, .Morehead and Owen all gone, pronounces " the perfection of rcas m." 

After serving two years in the legislature Circumstances, bowevr, so ruled his destiny, 

he declined to beagain a candidate; hisprivate that he was frequently forced to liecome a 

and professional duties denmndingall his time prominent actor in theiield of i)olitics. In 1840, 

and attention, and truly in that profession, he was nominated for governor, and many \\'ill 

ihere 'Aero giants in those daysat the Guilford recollect, and all have heard of " ti;e log cabin 

Ijar, and with them he had to wrestle for fame campaign." The (piiet state of North Carolim\ 

and fortune. Strong in intellect, astute in v\'as jarred to her very founcbitions, was shaken 

perce[ition, they wei'c very athletes in their with nnexam[iled excitement fVfini the ocean 

efl'orts; it was no holiday excursion to encoun- to the mountains. From his attention to his 

ter in the legal tournament such knights as profession, .Mi'. Morehead was not as well ver- 

Bartlett Yancey, James Martin, Thomas Settle, sed in political history as his astute and prac- 

Sr., AVm. A. Graliam, Richmond I'earson, Hugh tieal opponent, Romulus M. Saundeis, whose 

Waddell, and others. To win laurels in such life had been spent in legislative and congres- 

compctition was no light duty. The forte of sional duties, ai'.d to whom every point and 

Mr. Morehead lay in his great amount of sound guard of [lolitical warfare was familiar. This 

common sense, familiarity with the peojile, bis was an occasion of great interest. C'roM'ds of 
s}'mpathies with their troubles and trials, and people met them at every appointment, from 



GUILFORD COUNTY 



]91 



tlio sandy shores of Currituck, to the blue 
uiouutaiiis of Cherokee, to witness these 
ghidiatorial contests. Both were in tlie prime 
of life — hoth ambitious Saunders was dex- 
terous and well informed; .Morehead was apt 
to perceive, quick to learn, and alwaj's read}'; as 
Gavin Hogg- said of him on this occasion, "he 
learned taster than any man ho ever knew," 
and he was elected over his able and inde- 
fatigable opi)i>nent by about 8,000 majority. 

The manner in which he discharged the 
duties of the executive ofUce has passed into 
historv. He has written his name in characters 
more durable than monumental brass in the 
institutions of the state. Every engine as it 
shrilly sounds in its progress along the ii'on 
pathway, announces his zeal for the cause of 
internal improvement. Every school-house 
that decd<s our hills or valleys, preserves his 
menior\- as the friend of education, and the 
stately charities near our metropolis proclaim 
his name as the protector and the fiiend 
of the deaf and dumb, and of the unhapi^y 
insane. 

He was a candidate for governor a second 
time and was opposed by the learned and elo- 
quent Louis J). Henry; but the health of Mr. 
Henry was feeble, and although he made an 
aide canvass, he was defeated by Governor 
Morehead. 

After bis second term as governor had ex- 
pired, he returned to the quiet comforts of 
Blandwood, as bis home was called near 
Greensboro, determined to devote liimself to 
private pui'suits, for he could not be idle. 
He bad elected, before entering political life, 
commodious and extensive buildings for a 
female seminar;," u'hich he called " Edgewood," 
from which eilucated and accomplished young 
ladies were sent forth annually. His energy 
and enterprise established large cotton fac- 
tories, thus competing with the Lowells of the 
north. 

He was also large! v eiu'agcd in the various 



railroad interest of the state, and received 
much vituperation from those opposed to his 
energetic and vigorous views. He was the 
first president of the North Car(dina railroad; 
under his auspices it was put into opei'ation 
anil conducted successfully for man}' years. 
He retired from its pi'esidencj' in 1855. 

In 1848, he presided over the convention 
that nominated General Tayloi' for the presi- 
denc\"; in 1858, he was elected to the com- 
mons, and in 1800, he represented Guilford 
County in the senate, with Cyrus P. Menden- 
hall, G. Vu Shober and J. J. Gorrell as col- 
leagues in the comtvions. 

The first national position which Governor 
MoreliL-ad ever filled, was that of a doiea'ate 
from North C'arolina, t'> '• the i>eace congress," 
Avhich assembled at Washington, early in 
18G], with George Davis, Thomas Rufnn, 
David S. Keid, Daniel M. Barringer as col- 
leagues. The hope of peace was delusive, and 
all efforts were idle. He went there the de- 
voted friend of the union, and left the con- 
vention ready to follow the destinies of his 
state. 

When the southern confederacy was estab- 
lished, he was chosen by the legislature of the 
state toreiiresent his district in the provisional 
congress, but he had approached 

" The seal and j'ellow leaf of Iff e ." 

The des(dating effects of the war had seri- 
ously injured his estate. He not only lost his 
slaves, of which he had a great number, but a 
considerable amount invested in confederate 
bonds, nor were these all the saddening effects 
of the war on Governor Morehead. Hh 
health gave way; and with the hope of re- 
storing his shattered constituuim, he repaired 
to the Rock Alum springs of 'N'irginia, where 
he died on Augu.st 27, 180(j, full of years, and 
loved and regrerteil by the people of North 
Carolina. 

He married in 1822, Eliza, the eldest 
daughter of the late Colonel Robert Lindsay. 



192 AVIIEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

He left the folloTving issue- P. Henderson, John W. Lancaster, Thomas D. 

I. Letitia, who married Walker. McDowell, S. J. Person, and others. 

II. John M., who married P]vans. He read hiw witli liis father, and George C. 

III. Loiiisa. who married W. W. Avor3'. Mendeidiall, and was admitted to the hai' in 

IV. Another daughter, married Kufus 184.5. 

Patterson. He was appointed United States district 

V. Emma, who married Julius A. Gra}'. attorney In- President Pierce, in 185-3, which 

VI. James Turner. po.sitioa lie held until 18G1. 

VII. Eugene. He was a delegate to the democratic na- 
George C. Mendenhall was a native and tional convention, at Chariest (in and Balti- 

resident of this county, well connected and iuoi-e, in April and June, ISdO, and acted with 

highly esteemed. the union democrats after the state delegates 

lie was a law^-er by profession, patient, had seceded. Ho was elected without be- 

jiersevei'ing, and skilful in the practice; faith- ing a candidate to the state convention, May 

ful and honest in all his dealings. 20th, 1861, and used his efforts to have the 

He represented this county in the legisla- ordinance of secession submitted to a vote of 

ture in- 1828,-'29, and '80, and again in 1840 t!ie people, 

and '41. He was a member of the state senate, (1SG4) 

He opposed Honorable Edmund Deberry for and was active in ailvocating peace measures 

congress, and was defeated by a small majorit}'. In 1865. lie was appointed by Presi- 

His death was unexpected as sad. On his dent Johnson, judge of the United States dis- 

return home from Stanly superior court, trict court of North Carolina; but, as he could 

in February', 1860, in an attempt to cross at not take "the test oath," declined. He was 

Fuller's ford, on the Uharee river, which also appointed provisional judge Ijy (governor 

had been swollen by recent rains, ho was Ilolden, which he declined. He was a member 

drowned. of tlie state convontion of 1865, and assisted 

John M. Dick was also a native and resi- in framing a constitution, which was rejected 

dent of this county. He was born about 1791, by a pt)pu!ar vote. 

studied law, and represented this county in the In 1868, he was elected one of the justices 

legislature in the senate in 1819,-'20, -'29, and of the supreme court of the state; and when 

'31, and in 1832 was elected one of the judges the United States court for the western dis- 

of the superior courts of law and equity-, which trict North Carolina was created. Judge Dick 

be held until his death, this occurred while was appointed by President (Jj-ant to the 

he was riding the Edentv-n circuit, at the position of judge therein. In 1S4S, Judge Dick 

house of Aliram Keddick. in Hertford County, married Mary E. Adams, of Pittsylvania 

His character as a judge was distinguished County, Virginia, 

for integrity and patience; he was the father John A. Gilmer, born November4, 1805, died 

of Robert Paine Dick, now judge of the United Ma}' 14, 1868, wasa native of Guilford County. 

States district court for western North Caro- His family were of Scotch-Irish decent. His 

lina. He is a native and resident of tids father. Captain Robert Gilmer, was a man of 

county, born October 5th, 1823. He wiis liber- simple habits, of excellent common sense and 

ally educated, and graduated with the second inflexible integrity. He wasa wheelwright by 

honors of his class at the university in 1843, trade; by his wife Anno, ;/tc Forties, he liad 

in the same class was John L. Bridgers, Philo twelve children, of wbomthe subject of our 



GUILFOKI) COUNTY. 193 

sketch was the (ilde^t. His early eaueatioii gross, 1857,-'59, and re-elected to tlie Thirty- 
was such as couid be imparted l.y tlie county sixtli Coni,n'ess in l859,-'Gl,in whicii in; was 
schools and liis own application; for, until he chairman of tlie committee on oleeti uis. On 
was seventeen, he worked on liis father'.- larm tlie accession of Lincoln he was offered a seat in 
in the summer, and attended school in tlie the cabinet as secretary of the treasury, but 
winter. He entered the grammar school declined. 

tausilit by Kev. Kli W. Caruthers, who was the Although at all times opposed to the doc- 

succes-or of Rev. J)r. C.ddwcll, whei-o he con- trine of secession, yet when the state seceded 

tinned for two years. His progress was rapid, and the war came, he went with his state, and 

and he became a good scholar in the onlinary embraced the cause of the south with all his 

branches of an English education, and in the native force of character, and, like Abiaham, 

higher In-auches of mathematics, also well he offered np his only son niion the altar <if 

versed in Latin and Greek. He went then to his country, and sent him forth to battle, his 

Laurens County, South Carolina, where he only injunction being, to discharge all the 

tauii-ht the Mount Vernon Orammar School duties of a soldier with energy and lldelity; 

for three years. nobly diil that son ol>ey this mandate. 

In Dec'.unber, 1829, he returned home and He succeeded James Robert McLean as a 

studied law with Judge Murphey; and 188:!, member of the confederate congr,}ss, and sat 

was licensed as counsellor and attorney at law. until its termination. 

With no friends to advance his fortunes, with His son, John Alexander Cilmer, has re- 
no capital but industry and good habits, and ccntly been ap[Kiiiited one of the judges ot 
surroimded by such legal luminaries as John the supeiior courts, and '■ wins golden opinions 
M. Morchead, William A. Graham, Settle, from all sorts of men," by his learning, pa- 
Nash, Mendenliall, and others, his prospects tience, and fidelity. He was born about 183'J 
were gloomy and progress painful an.d slow, or 1837; gi'aduated at the university in 1858; 
But hv energy and perseverence he was soon read law with his father, and practiced with 
among the most successful, and in the course success. Of his war recoi-d we have but little 
of a few years was considered a leader of the information, but wo know that he was in the 
profession. army ami nobly did his duty; that after the 

Fame and fortune followed his footsteps, war closed he returned to his practice, and on 

Because of his abilities and his genial disposi- the death of Judge Kerr, (December 7th, 

tionhewas[H)pularwiththepeople. Iul846 was 1879,) he was ai.pointed by the governor 

elected to the legislature as senator from Guil- judge of the sujierior court.. 

ford County, and continued without any sue- He married a daughter of Joseph il. Lind- 

cessful opposition to 1854. His course in the say. 

legislature was liberal, patriotic, and pliilan- The father married on January 3d, 1832, 

throphic. Juliana, daughter of Kevereiul William Parish, 

He was the advocate of the construction of and the grandau»;hter of Colonel John Paisley, 

the insane asylum, and as also of a liberal an ofHcer of the revolution, as also of General 

system of internal improvements. Alexander Mebane, whose sketch will ijc 

Li 1356, he was the whig candidate for gov- found in the Northampton County section. 

ernor, hut was defeated by Governor Bragg, He died at Greensboro, on May 14th, 1868. 

whose majority was over 13,000. Hi 1857, he The melancholy effects of tlie unhappy intes- 

was elected a member of the Thirty-fifth Con- tine war preyed heavily on his spirits, uatur- 



194 WHEELER'S REMINISCEXCES. 

ally elasiic. p.nd on hi-; rohust constitution, and John A. Lilling-toii, Jmlo'o Slaipn, and others, 

so brort2,'lii liis lii'e to a pi-eniature close. He read law and was admitted to [iractice. 

John ILunry Dilhird, horn 1825, late one of In 1850, he was elected a niciiiher of the 

the associate justi'-es of the snpremo court of House of Commons, and aorain in 1852, and 

the state, resides in this county. He was born was elected by the legislature superintendent 

in Rockingliani County, in 1825. He was a of common schools for a term of two years. 

student at the univoi'sit_y, whei'e he tinishcd He was so approved in his liio-h and important 

his sopliMui'ire year, and then he went to the position that he was re-elected si.x times. 

William and Mary, Virginia, wh.ei'e be ,£;Tadu- In 185G, he was licensed to preach by the 

ated. After studying law, and being admit- Orange Presbytry. 

ted to piactb-c in North Carolina, he settled So efficient was the system he inaugurated, 

in I'atriclc C 'Unty, Vii-ginia. In a few years that the schools were kept in regular operation 

be retiirncd to J-!ocki':g!iam and devoted him- during all of our long and l)!oody civil war. 

self to bis profession. He was elected county His literary labors are "Alamance; or, the 

attorney, and. was remarkal:)!e for his diligence Great and Final Exporiment ," publislied by 

and accnraiy in the f n'ms he used. He was Harpers in 1847, which described the stirrino- 

appoiiitcd. clerk and master, which position he scenes in this region in 1770, and was a very 

Was well calculated to make him an admiralile successful book. 

equit}- di-aftsinan, for wliicb, in his practice, he In 1850, lie published " Roanoke; or, where 

became distinguished. is Utojiia?" likewise, an historical uiivel, pub- 

His war record is short. He was captain in lished I>y Petersmi. He published, in 1851, 
a company in the 45th North Carolina regi- " tlie North Car(diiia Reader," which work 
ment, ;!nd did his duty faithfully. Aftei' the is admiraljly calculated to make oni- state bet- 
war was over, he renev.-ed the practice of his ter known and our own [)eo[ile more familiar 
profession with such success tliat be was pro- with our glowing history. 

nounced by Chief Justice Pearson " to l)e tlie In 1805, during tlie war, be jiulilisbed, at 

ablest equity lawyer in North Carolina." He Greensboro, "Scriptual "\'iews of National 

removed iVonj Rockingliam County to Gieens- Trials." Mr. Moore, in Hi-itory of North Caro- 

1) iro in 18(;s, and became one of the firm of lina, says of Mr. Wile\, that iiis achieved 

Dillanl. Ruffin and Gilmer. success as an author is more than excelled by 

In connection with Judge Dick, he estab- his great efforts in the cause of public educa- 

lished a law school, whitdi sup[)lied the vacancy tion. 

occasioned by the closing of the one so long Alliion W. Tonrgoe, who resided in Greens- 

earrie<l on by thelnte Chief Jtistieo I'eai'son. boro, is prominent as a [lolitician, writer and 

He married Anna J., daughter of Colonel advocate. He cariie to this state fVom Ohio, 

Martin, of Henry ( 'ounty, A'irginia. Ilewasan and as Moore sa^'s, is " r-ne of the few ^iiose 

elder ol' the I'lesbytenan tdiurcb, and a faith- advent has been licneticial to his adojjted 

ful f ilb>wer of its exem[ilary teachings. state." He is a lawyer by profession, learned 

Calvin H. Wiley,* was Imrn in in Guilford and laborious, and as a iiolitician, active and 

County, -lanuary 2, 1819, and graduated at the alile. 

university in 1840, in same class with Judge He was a member of the convention of 

David A. Darnes, Governor Tod R. Cadwell, i^GS, Calvin J. Cowles, president, and, in 1870, 

Jnlm \V. Cunningham, William Johnston, succeeded D. G. Fowle as a judge of the 

^Froiu the lavhig Writers of the South. superior courts. Hisjudicial appointment was 



GUILFOUD COUNTY. 193 

opposed by Governor Wortli, who alle.u'eil Wlieelor Moore, J. L. .Morelieiul, S;ilonioii 

some diium^ing' evidence iigainst hiin, but his Pool, and otliers. 

career as ajiidiLCe,iiK«pite ofal)nndant caliunny, lie read law with .liidL^o I'tvuv-m; Married 

redowned to liis credit. Uis literary ;j;if't.s are Effie, daughter ot Colonel A. Ilendcr.-^oii; rcp- 

of a high order, aiicl much respected. resented xVlaniance (bounty in 1857; removed 

lie iiad for some time previous been chair- to Mississipjii in 18(j1, and entered the army 

man of tiie republican central committee of from that state; waselected colonel ol'the 30th 

the state, and is now secretary of the national Mississippi; was wounded at Chicamauga, and 

rei)ubliean committee, 'and ardent and active imprisoned at Johnson Island until 18U5. This 

in support of the republican party. Perhaps familj' did ^-eoman's service in the war, for 

few men have been more souiidly berated by there were si.x brothers, and throe l)rother3- 

his political opponents, and none who seemed in-law in the field, and of these the most fell 

to care less for such al}use. by wouiuls and e.\[iosnre. Ho returned to 

Governor Worth, in a letter to Genera! North Carolina after the war, and was elected 

Canby protesting against the appointment of a member of the state senate in lS7(i. He 

Judg Tourgee said: died of heart disease on July 11. l>>-i.i, in tlie 

, T 1 . I rn ., , Presbyterian Hosiiital, New York. His last 
" 1 do not know loui'gee [lersonallv, but 

know that he was a delegate to a political hours were soothed by the attention of kind 

convention iield in Philadelphia, in 186(), and fi'iends and relatives; amoni;- them was his 

his speech reported in the New York Herald, jitlectionate bn^thrr, Honorable A. M. Scales 

enlii;;hteiiing the north as to the temper of the t i >t . , ■ , ■ ,, 

people among whom ha had sett led, speaking '^'.''^" ^o';'"="' ^^t=U'l^'- 'vsi.lcs m Gn.ensboro. 

of the loyal me:; selling everything tliey hall He is a native of AMrginia, born in Patrick 

at a nominal value, an'cl tbat^twelve hundred County, Juno 13, 181(j. He was educated at 

of these men liave been diiven from the n i,i i r t i-*. *. \.i . /. ^ 

, . „ the franklin Institute, Mont<romerv Countv, 

state. o J ^ > 

Alabama, and at Trinity College. He left 

"I was told,'" said Tourgee, " by a qnaker in college to join i'umming'sl)attery,13th North 

North Carolin.a, as I was coming here, that he Carolina, and served in it until the end of the 

had seen the bodies of 1,500 mr.rdered negroes civil war. He then studied law and was 

taken from one [lond." Moore .says in his his- licensed to practice in 1868. 

tory {II., 328) "that time has not changed He was elected to the House of Commons in 

the drift of his feelings, as hi- late work of lS75,-'7ti, ami accpiired prominence. He was 

fiction, ' the P'ool's Errand,' is conceived in chairman of committee on the insane as3dum; 

the same spirit of miarepreseutation of the active in the advocacy of the Morganton 

people of X(U'th Carolina." and colored asylum. He has been an ener- 

Junius Irwing Scales resided in Greens- getic and useful mendjer of every di,-.trirt and 

boro, but is a native of Rockingham County, state democratic convention sin.je 1870, and 

He was born June 1, 1832; educated at Chapel has gathered laurels in the literary as well as 

Hill, and graduated in 1858, in the same class the political field. His addresses before the 

with Vine A. Allen, William 11. Battle, B. A. Methodist centennial in 187t), and on educa- 

Capeheart, DeBrutz Cutlar, John W. Holmes, tional, and other topics, have won for him an 

Alexander Mclver, Walker Meares, John enduring reputation as an orator and scholar. 



196 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

HALIFAX COUNTY. 

The County- of Halif:iX, in its early liistory, ceiitni-_v has covered the grave of any one, it 

is ili.stin;;-ni'^lieil for its rlevotion to liberty, and is diftieiilt to collect extensive information. 

for tlie patriotism of lior sons. I found among the colonial records in the 

Among the most aeti\'e and useful men in Rolls Oiliee in London, page 22, the following; 

the early times of this county was Willie '• 1689, instructions for Colonel Cadwallader 

Jones. Jones, our governor of Providence and the 

The progenitor of this large and patriotic rest of the P)ahama Island," also the tVdlow- 
faiidy was lioliin Joiios. He married, tirst, ing despatch of Governor Dobhs: 
Sarah, daughter of Rev. William Allen; sec- 
ond, Miss Eaton of Halifax. He had four '.'-March 20, 17G1. Thomas Falkner, ap- 
, ., , , , , , , pointed hy order of the king and council, 
chihlren, two sons and two daughters. secretary and clerk to the crow^,, vice Henry 

I. Allen, horn 173!», married, first, Mary McCullock; and Robert Jones, Jr., attorney- 

Ilaynes, an<l had three children: Reliecca general, vice Childs." 

Tr.i„-..,i \T ,*i 1 c 1 1 i> 1 " 17Ci!, Mr. Marniaduke Jones, Mr. Charlton 

E(n\ar(ls, Mai-tliu and ^aiali ; second, Rebecca i »< Vx • i. i ■ i „ 

' and Ml'. Dewey, appointed judges " 

Eilwards, and had tiiree children: Kohin, "April 21. The Tuskaroras will move from 
Rebecca, Kobei-t; third. Miss p];iton, had no- Bertie tliis week to New York on in vitation 

issue "^ S^'' William Johnson, to unite with his 

,, -ivir ■ jieople. Ml'. J(uies, the attorney-general, ad- 

U.^ Wiihe, married Mary Monttord, and vanced £1,200 to aid in huying Wagons and 

had five children: Sally, .Martha, Anne Maria, provisions, on the credit of tlieir land." 
Willie and Robert. 

III. Elizabeth, married Thomas Gilchrist, and The legislature in 1802 enacted, that as the 

had Giissy, who married Colonel Thomas Polk. Indian Chief Sacarusa, and others of the 

I\ . -Mary, m;ii-ried (-Jovei nor Williams, and Tuscaroras of Bertie County, had requested 

had two chililrt n: Allen and Willie. tlie concurrence of the assembly in the leases 

From these four branches have sprung one they had m;;de preiiai-atory to tlieir depart- 

of the largest families of the state, the mem- ure, the legislature consented. General Davie, 

bers of which ]i:ive lieen distinguished for their for the United States, made a treaty with 

courage ill the field, their sa'j;acity in council them, and just ninety-eight years after the 

and their virtues in domestic life. Vv^ith much ci-eation of their reservation, the descendants 

cai-e a geneab'gica! talde has been collected, and people of old King Blount left their 

which is reliable lor its accuracy. Written ancient Iiunting grounds and joined (heir kiiis- 

histoiy, tradition, and the results of Colonel men, the Iro'piois or Six Nations of New York. 

(.':il(hvallader .bines, of Rock Hill, South Caro- A small remnant of the Tuscaroras yet sur- 

lina, luive been called into requisition in its vive, and undei' their chief. Mount Pleasant, 

c<'ni[iilation. live on their reservation near Niagara Falls. 

Uf Robin Jones, the ancestor and founder of The jiresent King of the Sandwich Islands 

this family, we regret that so little at this day is the grandson of Sacarusa, under whose lead 

is known. When the dust of more than a the exodus of 1802 was accomplished. 



HALIFAX COUNTY. 



197 



"17(17, p. 162, Governor Tr3'oii informs the 
board of trade of the death of Robert Jones, 
on October 2nd, and that he had appointed 
Marniaduke Jones, who had hmg been a resi- 
dent, of the first credit and capacity, about 
forty years old; educated in Eriijland, and 
cousin to Sir Marniaduke Wyvil." 

From these records Qi. 165) it appears that 
thisfamily was at this early day liighly reputed, 
and from Willie and Allen being sent to 
England for their education, must have been 
of considerable wealth. 

Tlie tradition of the family is that Robin 
Joiies came to Norfolk from Wales, England, 
in the early part of the last century, as tiie 
boatswain of u man-of-war; that while at Nor- 
folk he fell in love, and failing to get a dis- 
charge from service, as the ship sailed out of 
the harbor, he leaped overboard as 

" Leaiider swam the Ilelle-pout, 

His true love for to see.'' 

The lady reciprocated his affection and 
rewarded his daring adventure with lier hand. 
This wedded couple survived only about a 
year, when both died leaving a son, called for 
his father Robin. Thus friendless and un- 
protected, he relied on his own exertion, and 
by good manners and industrious habits, ac- 
quired the means of education. When quite 
a youth he returned to England, studied law 
and was admitted to the bar. By good 
fortune he gained the esteem of Lord Gran- 
ville, one of the Lords Proprietors of North 
Carolina, who appointed liim his agent and 
attorney. lie settled at Occaneeche Neck, 
on the Roanoke. By means of his profession 
and this agency he soon reaped fame and 
fortune. 

Of the patriots of the revolution, none were 
more distinguished than Willie and Allen 
Jones, sons of Robin Jones. Together they 
acted in defence of the rights of the people, 
and together were the active opponents of 
oppression. 

Willie, educated at Eton, England, was 



more distinguished as a writer than as an ora- 
tor; of his legislative talent it is recorded that 
he could draw a bill in better language than 
any other man of his day. lie was the presi- 
dent of the committee of safety for the whole 
state, and as such was virtually the governor 
in the interval between the retreat of Governor 
Martin, and the inauguration of Governor 
Caswell. lie succeeded his brother Allen as 
member of the continental congress in 1780, 
and was elected a member of the convention 
that formed the constitution of the United 
States, (1787) but declined the appointment, 
and Dr. Hugh Williamson received the same. 

He was a mem!)er of the convention that 
met at Ilillsboro, July 21, 1788, to deliberate 
on the constitution of the United States, and 
by which convention the constitution was re- 
jected. He was its decided opponent, and 
with Dr. Caldwell, General Joseph McDowell, 
and others, defeated its adoption, although it 
was advocated by such able men as General 
Davie, Governor Johnston, Judge Iredell, and 
others. It was rejected by one hundred ma- 
jority in the votes. 

Willie Jones was often a member of the 
legislature from Halifax, from 1776 to 1780, 
and in 1788. 

He married a daughter of Colonel Montford, 
and died in 1801, near Raleigh, where he was 
buried. 

Mrs. Jones survived her husband for many 
years; and died in 182-3. She combined great 
brilliancy of mind with exquisite beauty of 
p>erson. 

Many anecdotes are narrated of hor wit and 
amiability. 

" When the British army was on route to 
Virginia, in 1781," says Mrs. Ellet, in her 
' Women of the Revolution,' " they remained 
several da^'s on the banks of the Roanoke, and 
the English officers were quartered among the 
families of the neighborhood. A passage of 
wit occurred between Mrs. Jones and tlie 



198 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

celelirate<l Colonel Tarleton, who was severely tary services. lie married Miss Edwai'ils, the 
cut hy thesahreof William Washington. On sister of Isaac Edwanls, the secretary i.>f the 
Tarleton exitressing in In^r presence some op- colony under Governor Tryon. He was, like 
probrious remarks as to Washington, tliat he his distinguislied hrotlier, educated at Eton, 
was an illiterate fellow, hardly alile to write in England, and like liim, devoted to the 
his name. ' Ah! cidoncl, you ought to know cause of his country. He was appointed a 
better, for you liear [.roof on your person that brigadier-genera! by the legislature in 1776, 
at lea~t he knows very well bow to make his and a member of the ci.mtiuental congress at 
mark.' Tarleton concealed his mutilated hand rbiladulpbia, 1779, 'SO. Erom 1784 to '87, he 
and changed the ciuivcr>ati(ui." repre-^enteil Northampton County in the sen- 
Tlie daring and celebrated John Paul Jones, ate of the state, and in the next year he was a 
whose real name was John Paul, of Scotland, memlier of the convention, that met at Iliils- 
wheu 'piite young visited Mr. Willie Jones at boro, to consider the constitution. On this 
Halifax, and laecame so fascinated with him occasion, and in political matters, he differed 
and his charming wife, that he adopteil this from his l)rother, lie inclining to the federal 
family's name. In this name (.John Paul Jones) piirty, and advocating a strong federal gov- 
he offered his services to congress, and was ernment, while Willie was the sturdy advo- 
niadea lieutenant, ]>ecendjer 22d. 1775, on the cate of state rights; he died in, 1798. 
recommendation of Willie -Tones. He became Cadwallader .Jones, for a long time a resi- 
so highly distinguished that he was soon dent of Hillsboro, was the son of Cadwallader 
placed in comiuantl of a man-of-war, and did Jones and Mary Pride, of Virginia. He mar- 
great damage to the English fleets and coast- ried Rebecca Edwards Long, daughter of Lans- 
ing trade. In one of his encounters, whilst ford Long, the son of Nicholas Long, and the 
commanding the " ]]on Homme Richard," lie granddaughter of Allan Jones, son of Robin, 
attacked "The Seiapis" and captured her, He was universally beloved for his kindly- 
after one of the most sanguinary sea liattles on disposition and generous bearing. Although 
record. Congress voted him a gold medal po[)ular, he seemed to have avoided the en- 
for his services, and. the French King, Louis tigements of politics, as I do not find his name 
XVI.. invested him with mi litai'y orders and among the members of the legislature or of 
a sword. congress, and yet from his abilities and ac- 
He was born in Scotland, 1747, and died in rpiirement-^, he would have been an orriament 
Paris, 17!t2. to either body. 

•' The star spangled banner" of our nation In bis younger days he served as a midship- 
was tii'st displayed by Jones, on the " Alfred," man in the United States Navy, and was on 
in the Delaware, and to North Carolina be- board the Chesapeake when she was attacked 
longs the honor of bringing his merits and by the Leopard, ^vhich brought on the war of 
genius into tl e service of our navy.* 1812 with En-Jaml. He exchanged the navy 
(general .Vllan Jones, who lived at Mount for the army and attained the raidc of major. 
Callaiit, in Northampton County, near Cas- After the war be ilevoled himself to ngri 
ton, was a l)rotlier of Willie Jones, and was culture, and was useful to the state as a mem- 
distinguished for bis civil as well as his mill- ber i.f the board of internal imi-rovements. 

Mr. Cadwallader .bn;es. jr., was born at 

*.See his life by Jolni II. Slierlmnie. pnlilisi.f.,1 i,, \fr.„„f c ,n . t ; v n 4- /-. . 1 

Wasliiii-ton, 1825; also by liisneice .MisslXvlor is"i ^^^"""^ '^^il'^H'f.- '" -\ortliampton County, and 

and by A. S. Maclcensie, iS4.5. . , ■ „..^s Hijerally educated. He graduated at the 



ILALIFAX COUNTY. 199 

university ill 1832, iii tlio same class with career, he joincil the ■' Army of tlic Xortli " us 

Thomas S. Asho, now one of the justices of a vohmteer. 

the supreme court, General Thomas L. Clitig- The campaign heiiii^ over, lie again roturniMl 

man, James C. Dohbin, and others, lie died to college and graduated in 177t) with high 

on February 5th, 1861. honors. He then returned to Noi'th Carolina, 

His .sou, Cadwallader, who now lives at Uock and aided in raising a troop of lior.se, of which 

Hill, South Carolina, v.'as distinguished as a he was elected lieutenant. His commission is 

statesman and politician. He was in the leg- .signed by Richard Caswell, governor, and 

islatnre from Orange County, in 1840, with dated April 5, 1779. 

Judge Manguni and Governor Crahain, as col- It would e.veeed the limits of our work to 

leagues; re-elected in 1842,-'48, and '50. record the military career of General Davie, 

He was elected solicitor of the fourth cir- from the battle of Stoiio (in 1779, wheix' he 

cuit, and served his native state faithfully, commanded the right wing of Lineoln'sarmy, 

For fourteen coHseeutive years he was in her and was severely wounded,) to Kocky Mount 

councils. He moved in 1857 to South Caro- Hanging Rock, Charlotte, and elsewhere. 

liua, where he now resides, and where he He accompanied General Greene in his whole 

lived when the civil war lu-oke out. He en- campaign in the soutli, and was present at 

tered the military service of his adopted the battle of Guilford C(nirt-bouse, (March, 

state, and was in the tight at Hilton Head, 1781,) Hobkirk's .Mill, and the evacuation of 

in 1861, and in the seven daj-s' tight around Camden. 

Richmond. His health failing, he was forced The records of the country abound in evi- 

to resign, but he left four sons in his place, deuce of the brilliant career of General Davie, 

two of them in the ranks, one oi' them was The war being over, and the country liberated, 

severely wounded. On his return home he General Davie returned to his legal studies, 

was elected state senator from the York dis- If his success as a military man had been 

trict, South Carolina, gi't'at, his professional career was even more so. 

He represented South Carolina in the Rich- The courts at that time were so arranged that 

mond convention of 18C0, and in the ta.v a lawyer could attend every superior court in 

paying convention of 1864. the state. This was an arduous dut}', and in- 

Jolin Sitgreaves, who married Martha, volved great personal inconvenience and labor; 

widow of Allen G. Green, has been already General Davie was employed in every case of 

noticed.* imiiortance. He was elected to the convention 

AVilliam Richard.son Davie, liorn 1756, died which met at Philadel[ihia, in May, 1787, but 
1820, wlio married Sarah, daughter of Allan was called home before the close of its labors, 
Jones, was a native of Egremont, in England, and therefore his name iloes not ap]>ear upon 
When quite young his father, Archibald the federal constitution there adopted. He 
Davie, brought him to America, and he was was a member of the state convention at Hills- 
adopted by his maternal uncle, William Rich- boro, 1788, to consider tiiis pajier, and he was 
ardson. His early education was conducted its ardent and able advocate. 
at Cliarlotte, Xcu'tli Carolina, and he entered He was a meml)erof the Ilou.-e ol' Commons, 
rrinceton college. But the v/ar for a time 1785, 1786, 1787, 1789, 1791, and 1798. 
closed the halls of that institution, and with His efforts in the legislature for the ad- 
that ardor, so conspicuous in his subsequent vaneement of the state, especially in the cause 

*Seepage 140. of education, were constant. " I was present," 



200 



AVIIEELER'S RExMINISCEXCES. 



said .liulge Murphey, "in the ILnise of Com- 
liions when Davie aildresseil the lioiiso for a 
k^an of money for the university, anil althoni^'h 
thirty years have elapsed, I have a most vivid 
recollectiou of the greatness of his manner, 
and the power of his eloquence. In the House 
of Commons he had no rival. His eloquence 
was irresistahlo." 

He was a member of the board of trustees, 
and as a grand niaster of the masons, he laid 
the corner-stone of the university; to the day 
of his death lie was its steady friend and bene- 
factor. In 1798, he was appointed a brigadier- 
general in the army of the United States, and 
prepared " a system of cavalry tactics," which 
was printed and used in the service. In Au- 
gust of this year, he was elected to the legis- 
lature, aud, in December following, elected 
governor of the state. 

The next year, Juno, 1799, he was appointed 
with Oliver Eilswortli, then chief justice of 
the supreme court, and Mr. Murray, (vice Pat- 
rick Henry, declined,) embassadors to France, 
and in November of that year they sailed in 
the frigate " United States," on this mission. 

lie remained abroad two years. lie was ap- 
pointed by Mr. Jetfcrson, in June, 1801, to 
negotiate with the Tuscarora Indians as to tlie 
treaty between them and the state of North 
Carolina. By this treaty the Indians extended 
their leases until 1816, at which time their title 
ended, and their lands reverted to the state. 

He was a candidate for congress in 1803, and 
was defeated by Honorable Willis Alston. 

He removed in 1805 to Landsford, South 
Carolina, where he died in 1820, leaving three 
sons aud three daughters. 

In the old grave yard at Halifax there are 
many graves of the distinguished dead of 
North Carolina. 

Among them we copy the following four: 

" Sarah Davie, daughter of General Allen Jones, liorn 
September 23, 1762, married William K. Davie, April 
11, 1782, died 1802, leaving three sons, Allen Jones, 



Hyrter A., and Frederick William, and anions: others 

these three daughters: Mary, Surah and Rebecca." 
'■Thomas Amis died Xovt'inber 25, 17!)7. Erected 

by his friend, llicliard liruneulian, of Orange." * * * 
"John Sitgu':ues. jiid,L;e, &c , died March -Ith, 1802." 
•'John Boylau of Xew .Jersey, died October 7, 1799, 

erected by his affectionate brother, William Eoylan.'' 

Ilutchins G. Burton, who married Sally, 
daughter of Willie Jones and Mary Montford, 
and the granddaughter of Rolnn Jones, was a 
native of Granville County. He studied 
law, and settled at Cliarlotto, Mecklenburg 
County, which county he represented in 1810, 
and by this legislature was elected attorney- 
general of the stace. He then moved to Hali- 
fax, aud in 1817 was elected to the legisla- 
ture from that county*. 

In 1819, he represented this district in the 
Sixteenth Congress, and was re-elected in 
1821 to the Seventeenth Congress. In 1824, 
he was elected governor, and in 1826, he was 
nominated, by John Q. Adams, as governor of 
Arkansas; but this appointment was not con- 
firmed by the senate. 

He was of social and genial manners, and 
wherever he went was universally popular. 

He died in Iredell County in 1836, and lies 
buried in the Unity church yard, near Beat- 
tie's ford. 

Andrew Jo3'nei', who married the widow of 
Governor Burton, was born, reared, and died 
in Halifax County. His son, " an old school 
gentleman," was much esteemed, and of great 
popularity. 

He represented this county in the senate, 
from 1835 to 1852. 

John W. Eppes, who married Martha, 
ilaughter of Willie Jones and Mary Montford, 
was a native of Virginia. She was his second 
wife, his first was a daughter of Thomas Jef- 
ferson. He was a representative in congress 
from 1803 to 1811; and again from 1813 to 
1815, and a senator from 1817 to 1819, when 
he resigned on account of ill health; he died 
near Richmond, September, 1823, age fifty. 

Pride Jones, son of Caldwallader Jones, re- 



HALIFAX COUNTY. 



201 



sides in Ilillsboro, mucli estoeinod as a gcntle- 
mau and a scholar; has often been in tlie leg- 
islature, and served in the confederate service 
as lieutenant -colonel. 

His son, Halcot Pride, did good service m 
the War as captain of cavahy. 

He has been twice married; lirst to a daugh- 
ter of .fudge John A. Cameron; and second, 
to a daughter of William Cain, Esq. 

William Polk, born .July 9th, 1758, died 
January 14th, 1834, wlio married Grizzle Gil- 
christ, the daughter of Robin Jones, was born 
in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He 
early drew lessons of patriotism from that ar- 
dent and devoted people, and has testilied 
that he was a spectator, (as the Reverend 
Hampton Hunter has also testified,) at the 
convention, assembled on May 20th, 1775, at 
Charlotte, which declared their independence 
of all allegiance to the British crown. 

The tiles of the Pension Bureau, at Wash- 
ington, presents his declaration I'oi' a pension, 
and it tells in his own simple and unadorned 
language of his military services and sufferings 
endured to obtain the liberty we now enjoy. 

Colonel Polk represented the count}' of 
Mecklenburg from 1787 to 1791. 

He wa.s appointed, in 1812, a general in tlie 
United -States army, but age and other causes 
compelled him to decline. 

He removed to Raleigh, and wa.s for a long- 
time president of the bank of the state. He 
was grand master of the free mason lodges of 
the state, and died Januarj- 14th 1834, pos- 
sessing the esteem of all who knew him. 

Extracted from the declaration of Colonel 
William Polk, on file in Pension office, Wash- 
ington, 1). C. He was born on July 9, 1758, 
(seventy-five years old on July 9th, 1833.) 

lie entered into service in war of the rev- 
olution, in April, 1775, as second lieutenant of 
a company commanded by Captain Ezekiel 
i'olk, third regiment of South Carolina State 
Troops of Mounted Infantry, Colonel Wil- 



liam I'liompson, Major .Mason, coninuuiding; 
rendezvoused at York, South Carolina, and 
marched to Ninty-si.\ to oppose tlie tories, 
thence to Dorchester, and thence to Granby. 
An engagement took place at Canehrake, on 
Beecndjer 22nd, 1775, where he was severely 
wounded in the left shoulder, rr.)ni which he 
was conKnod eight or nine months and from 
the ett'ects of winch he still sutlers. 

On November 26th, 1776, he was elcct-jd by 
the Provincial C(n)gress of North Carolina, 
Major of the Ninth North Carolina Continen- 
tal P)atta]ion, and joined his regiment at Hali- 
fa.K. He did duty by command of General 
Moore, at Charleston. South Carolina, and at 
Wilmington. This regiment was under com- 
mand of Colonel John Williams, John Luttrel 
being Lieuteiiant-Colojiel. From absence of 
these officers, the command of the regiment 
devolved on himself, and he marched with the 
regiment to Georgetown, then in Maryland, 
now in the District of Columbia, thence to 
Trenton, where his regiment joined the grand 
army under General Washington; was in the 
battle of Brandywine, September 10, 1777, 
and Gerraantown, October 4, 1777, where he 
was wounded by a musket ball in the cheek. 
He went into winter quarters at Valley Forge, 
when the regiment was reduced, and he re- 
turned to North Carolina to superintend the 
recruiting service for the purpose of filling up 
the regiments. In the fall or winter of 1780, 
he was appointed a lieutenant colonel by John 
Rutledge, Governor of South Carolina, and 
had command of the Fourth, and then the 
Third regiment of the State. He first must- 
ered his regiment under General Thomas 
Sumter, on Broad river. South Carolina. The 
first active service was an attack on a block 
bouse near Granby, on the Congaree, which 
was carried hy his and 'Colonel Wade Hamp- 
ton's regiment; was at the siege and reduc- 
tion of Forts Mott and Orangeburg. He was 
present at the battle of Eutaw Springs, Sep- 



202 WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 

teinlior 8, 1871, ( wliere liis lidi-se was killed 1. Rnl)in, died in 3'onth. (See Uni. Mag.) 

under liiiii, and where his lirotlier was killed) 11. Martha, mai-ried first, James Green, 

at the reduction of Matthas Foi't, and battle second, Judge John Sit.ijreaves; third, Ezekiel 

ofQninhy. He held the rank of lieutenant Hall, horn 1762, died 1803. 

colonel at the close of the war. He served in III. Sarah, married Willi.am R. Davie, born 

177!h as volunteer aid to Governor Caswell in 1756, died 1820. (See his sketch.) 

battle of Camden, August 16, 1780. Colonel IV. Rebecca Edwards Jones, born 1770, only 

Polk died at Raleigh, January 14, 1834. daughter by his second wife, married Lunsford 

General Lucius J. Polk, sou of ^ViHiam J. Long, .son of Nicholas Long, who was com- 

Polk, and his wife, Mary L(uig. was a gallant uiissary general of the North Carolina foi-ces 

officer in the late civil war. He was horn at in the revolution; in state senate, 1784, 

Salisbury, on .luly 10th, 1833. He entered 1785 and 1787-, in the provincial congress of 

the army as a private iu Genera! Cleburne's North Carolina, 1774,-75; married first, Mary 

commar'd, and was sodii made a first lieuten- McKiuny, 1704; second, Mary Copeland, 1799. 

ant, an<l as such was in the b:ittle of Shiioli, Issue to the above as follows: 

where he received a wound in the face. He IV. ('/) Pebccca Edwards Long, born 1795, 

Was jiromoted to be a brigadiei'-geiieral under inarried Colonel Cad\vallader Jones, son of 

Cleburne, and joined his brigade in time for Major Cadwallader Jones, aid to Lafayette, 

the fight at .Murfreesboro, where his ciuiimaud a grandson of I'eter Jones for whom I'eters- 

made a brilliant charge on the enemy. burg is named, and Mary Pride, of Virginia; 

He was complimented in General Bragg's resided in Ilillsboro, in the United States 

report <d' this battle. He was engaged in nav_\ , and iu the army as major, (1812.) died 

many other l.)attles, at Ringgold Gap, and 1861, (li) Mary Lunsford Long, married Dr. 

Kennesaw Mountain, where he was badly W. J. P(ilk. 

wounded by a cannon ball, whicli effectually II. {</) Allen Jones Green, married Lucy 

disal)led him from future service in the field. Pride Jones, sister of Colonel C. Jones. 

He married ihis cousin, Sally Polk, and re- III. {n) Allen Jones Davie, perished en 

sides in Maury County, Tennessee. route to California; (b) Hyder Ali, married 

We have now finished the sketches of this Betsy Jones; (r) Sarah, married V/illiam F. 

extensi\-o and distinguished family \\'lio for DeSaussure, of South Carolina; (d) Mary 

generations have [iroxed our asseition at the Ilaynes; (c) Relieccn, married Churchill Jones;, 

commencement of this sketch, as lieiug " the ( /') Frederick William married first, Octavia 

most active and useful men in tlmse eaiiy DeSaussure, and second, Mary P'razier. 

times of the country." Issue to the above as follows: 

Genealogy- of the Jones family. II. (a) had issue following: Mary, nuirried 

Allen, son of Rdbin Jruios. linrn 1739, died Walter Izard; fifth, Allen, married Sallic 

lSi>7, married fiist, Mary Ilaynes, second, Scott ; si.xth, Halcott married Virginia Taylor; 

Rebecca Edwnnls, and third, Eaton; educated seventh, Lucy ; eighth, John Sitgreaves Greene 

at Eton, England, lived at Mt. Gallant, near of Columbia, South Carolina; ninth, Fred. 

Gaston, Northampton County, Xorth (':irolina; Lafayette married Virginia Colelough. 

member of provincial congi-ess 1774, 177.3, and IV. ((f) had issue following: First, Allen C, 

1776; brigadier-general in revolution, 1776; lives at Greensboro, Ala., Colonel in civil war, 

continental congress, 1779 and 1786; conven- married Catherine Erwin ; second Cadwallader, 

tion 1788. Issue as follows: married Annie Isabella Iredell, daughter of 



HALIFAX COUNTY. 203 

tJovoriiorJanu's Iredell, to tln'sc liist wore iHtrii Mai'V, niarriod to \'h\U[> llolliiig; (A) f-ianih, 

((/) Fi-;inces Iredell, inarried to George Erwin married to E. W. 1 liiMiard. in coniiress from 

of Alal)ama; (/>) Iredell married (first,) Klleii, Virginia, from ISll to 1S47; (r) Willie, mar- 

daiighter of Governor Adams; (second) Laura ried (tirst,) Co-x, (second,) Jovner; ((/) -Tohn, 

McMalion; (-■) Cadwalluder married Emma, dicnl unniainied. 

daughterofltr. Charles E. Johnson; ((() Allen, To Willie Jones and Mary Montfort were 
married Augusta Porclier; («•) Johnston, also born: (-') Anne Maria, marrieil to Joseph 
attorney general of North Carolina, married I>. Littlejohn; (/-) Willie, died single; (c) 
Elizaheth Watters Miller; (/') Annie Isabella; Robert A., died single; Itgislatiire LS20. 
married Dr. Thomas C. Robertson, of South Miirtlia, daughter of Robin Jones, married 
Carolina; (//) Willie; (/() llalcot Pride; (/) Judge Thomas Gilchrist;, issue, Griselda Gil- 
Helen, married J. Strieker Coles. clirist, who married Colonel William Polk, of 

IV. (-/) also had issue, thisd. Dr. Pride- Jones. Raleigh, to- whom were born, (n) General 

married first, Mary E. A. Cameron, daughter of Thomas G. i'olk, married Mary Eloise Trotter; 

Judge John Cameron; and second. Martha (/;) Dr. William J. Polk, who married Mary, 

Cain; fourth, Mary Rebecca, married to P. 13. daughter of Lundsfoid Long and Rebecca 

Ruffin; fifth, Robin, married Sarah Polk, killed Kdwards. To General Thomas G. I'olk were 

in battle of Brandy Station; sixth, Sarah Ijorn, (*/) Jane, married to Dr. Bouch(!lle; {h) 

Rebecca, married to Josiah Collins, jr. Mary, who was the tinst wife of Honorable 

IV. (M had issue following: First, Griselda, George Davis, of Wilmington; (r) Vv'illiani; 

married to Judge Russell Houston, Louisville, ((/) Richard; (r) Emily; (/) Thos. G. 

Kentucky;second,Allen Jones, born 1824, mai'- Colonel AVilliam Polk married a second 

ried first, Clendinin; second, Ann;i L. Fitz- time, Sarah Hawkins, issue- (.■) Lucius J. 

hugh,-lIelen:i,Arks; third, Thomas G., married Polk; (J) Bishop Le uiidas Polk; (e) Mary, 

Lavinia Wood, in 1825; fourth, Mary Jones, wife of Honorable George E. Badger; (/) 

born 1831, at Salisbury, married to Joseph Rufus K Polk; (A)- Alex. Hamilton; («) Georg.e 

Branch, brother of General L. O'B. Branch, W. Polk; (j) Susan, wife of Honorable Kenneth 

General Lucius J., born 1833, at Salisbury ;fi,fth Rayner; (/,) Andrew J. 

enlisted as private, became General [C.S. A.,] Elizabeth Eaton, only daughter of Robin 

married Sally Polk and lives in Maury County, Jones by his serond wife, married Governor 

Tennessee; sixth, Cadwallader of Helena Ark, Benj:unin Williams, vf Moore County, Gov- 

married Carrie Lowry; seventh, Rufus, born in ernor of North Carolina in 1799 and 1807; 

Tennessee, 1839, married Cynthia Martin. issue: 

Willie, son of Robin Jones, married Mary I. Allen William, educated at Eton. 

Montfort, educated at Eton, England; presi- 'fiiE Ckowell f.\mily. 

dent of council of safety, 177t!; in legislature. It has lieen truly oljserved that truth is 

1776 to 1779; continental congress, 1780; cou- stranger than fiction. 

vention at Hillsboro, 1788; died at Raleigh in After the do.ith of Cromwell, and the ac- 

1801, had issue as follows: cession of Charles II.. feai-iug pror-eeution 

I. Sally, married (first,) Governor H. G. from the crown, John and Edward, two of 
Burton; (second,) Colonel Andrew Joyner. the brothers of the Protector, in the same 

II. Martha, married to John W. E}.pes, year, left Kngland for America. They settled 
(wliose first wife was a daughter of Thomas first in Woodbridge, New Jersey. On their 
Jefferson,) to the last named were born, (r/) voyage, more etlectually to avoid the storm 



204 



WnEELER'8 REMINISCEXCES. 



inipeiiding, tliej-, with nuich solemnity, oiiel iiiuler General Greene, and was i^^ the 

changed their name to Crowell.* hattle of Entaw Springs, whioh decisive hattle 

John, who emigrated from Now Jerso}' to closed his military career. 

Halifax, married a Miss Lewis. He died He was a member of the legislature in 178(3, 

early leaving several children. Joseph, one of and of the continental congress in 1787, and 

his sons, married Miss Barnes. One of his in the First Congress, 1790, and re-elected to 



daughters married Colnnel Monfort, whose 
daughter was the wife of Willie Jones. Jlis 
sketch we have already presented. A son of 
Edward, the other hrotlier, settled in Georgia, 
and married a sistei' of Governor Rayburn-. 

Another son of Edward, Samuel, married 
Miss ]>radford, daughter of Colonel Bradford 
of the British army. He (Samuel) was in the 
revolutionary war, aiul served as a major, 
under General Greene. 

He live-d on Flint River, in retirement, and 
was distinguished for his modest, unobstrusive 



the Second Congress, 1791,-'93. 

In 1795, he was a member of the legislature 
from Halifax town. On November 20, 1802, 
he was chosen governor of the state, but died 
on 27th of November, of the sanie year before 
his inauguration. One son, Samuel Porter 
Ashe survived him, who died near Browns- 
ville, Tennessee, leaving three chihh'cn, John 
Ashe, of Mississippi; Shepard Ashe, of Ten- ■ 
nessee; and a daughter, who married Holmes. 

WiUis Alston was born, reared, and died in 
Halifax County. He was distinguished as a 



character. He had several children; among politician, and entered public life as a member 



them Colonel Jolin Crowell, who was a dele- 
gate in congress, when tiie territory' of Ala- 
bama was established in 1817, and when the 
state constitution was formed; was the fii'st 
representative in congress from that state, 
serving till 1821. Soon after he was appointed 
agent for the Creek Indians, then occupying 
large portions of Alabama and Georgia, until 
they were removed west of the Mississip[ii in 
1836. He died near Fort Mitchell, in Ala- 
bama, .June 25th, 1846. 

John Baptista Ashe, (born 1758, died 1802,) 
lived and died in Halifax. He was son of 
Governor Samuel Ashe, born in 1745; M'as a 
captain, at the battle of Alamance, in (gov- 
ernor Tryon's army, 1771, and with ,lohn 
Walker suffered at the hands of the regr.lators. 

He was at tlie battle of Moore's Ci'eek 
Bridge, a captain in Coilllonel Lington's regi- 
ment. 

He was promoted to rank of lieutenant eol- 

*IIere iu the quiet retreats of North Carolina, the 
restless and asiiiring blood of Cromwell found repose, 
and the exquisite lines of Gray were realized: 
•■ .Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest- 
Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood '' 



of the House of Commons in 1790, and served 
till 1792, he became senator in 1794, serving 
until 1796. He w^as elected to the Sixth 
Congress, 1799, and served till 1815, and 
in the Nineteenth Congress from 1825 to 
1831. During the war he was chairman of the 
committee of waj's and means; at that time 
a most important position. Without great 
abilities, he was a man of consummate tact, and 
successful in all of his enterprizes. He was 
consistent and uniform as a statesman. He 
died April 10, 1837. 

John Haywood was born, reared and lived 
in this county. He was the son of Egbert 
Haywood, who represented the county in the 
provincial congress in November, 1776, at Hal- 
ifax, which adopted the state constitution, and 
in the house of commons in 1777, and 1778. 

From the distracted condition of the 
country at this time, the opportunities to ac- 
quire education were few; but young Hay- 
wood entered the profession of the law, in 
which he was destined to become distin- 
guished, under many disadvantages. To 
the want of a systematic intellectual culture, 



HALIFAX COUNTY. 205 

was adiK'cl an mii;ainl_v [torson, ami an lui- luil History nf 'IV'iuK'ssoe," aiul tlio secoiiil, 
pleasant harsh voice. But possessing,' great "The Civil and Political llistor}' of Tennessee, 
(letei'nunation of character, an ardent love of from its Earliest Sottlenieiit to 1796." The 
stud}', and a loft}' ambition, he overcame those style of these works, however, i.s fiot elegant, 
disadvantages, and soon rose to the iiead of and the reading is nnintere-^ting. It is chiefly 
his profession. His succi'ss was manifested upon the fact of Ids Itoing one of the mo~t 
by his election, in 1791, by the legislature as learned and profound lawyers of the nation, 
attornev' general, the successor of Avery, Ire- that tlie fame of Judge Haywood rests. "" 
dell and Moore, allshining lights in the law. He married early in life Martha Jvlwards, 
He held this office until 1794, when he was from which union have sprung numerous de- 
elected one of the judges of the superior scendeuts, many of whom live in Alal)ama 
courts, in place of Judge Spencer, deceased, and Tennessee. 

Such was the estimate of liis associates, that When in North Carolina he resided on a 

Judge Hall decided in 1828, (in S|iier's case, farm he owned, about six miles north of Louis- 

Devereux 496,) as follows: "With no disre- b rg, in Franklin County. 

spect to the memory- of the dead ; or to the .John Henry Eiton, (born 1787, died 1856.) 

pretensiuus of the living, a greater criminal senator in congress, secretary of war, governor 

lawyer, than Judge Haywood never sat upon of Florida, and envoy to S[iain, was a native 

the bench in North Carolina." of Halifax County He was educated partly 

In 1809, he resigned the ofiice of Judge, to at tiie uuivei'sity, but never graduated. After 

defend James Glasgow, against the charge leaving the university, he studied law, and 

of fraud in issuing land warrants while he was emigrated to Tennessee. Here he entered 

secretary of state. successfully into politics, and so became, at 

The defendant was convicted, and Mr. Hay- the early age of thirty-one, by selection of 
wood incurred a degree of odium, for jiis the governor, one of the senators in con- 
course in defending him, that induced him to gress from Tennessee, which position he 
leave the state. He sought new fields of ser- held from 1818 to 1829. During the first ses- 
vice in Tennessee, Here betook rank with sion of his service, the invasion of Florida liy 
the ablest advocates, and soon was elevated General Jackson, was an important and excit- 
to the sui>reme court bench, in the place of ing question. The communication of the 
Judge Cooke, and where he remained until president on the subject, was refei'red to a 
his death, in Decemljer, 1826. committee, upon which was Mr. Eaton, Mr. 

In addition to his labors at tiie bur and on King, of New York, Mr. Forsyth, of Georgia, 
the bench. Judge Hajnvood, while in this state, and a member from Pennsylvania. Tiie 
prepared " A Treatise on the Duty and Office majority of this committee submitted a report 
of Justices of Peace, Sheriffs, &c.," "A Man- strongly condemning Jackson, froni which re- 
nal of the Laws of North Carolina," and two poit Eaton and King dissented. Eaton never 
volumes of re[torts; all works of high merit. during his life for a moment swerved in his 

He also published several theological and devotion and fidelity to '• the Hero of New Or- 

historical works. He was a firm believer in leans." His letters, signed •• W^'oming," in 

ghosts, and of the reappearance of departed favor of Jackson were considered models of 

spirits— the great weakness of a great mind, classical diction, and cogent reasoning. These 

He published in 1823, two volumes of his- contributed much towanls elevating Jackson 

tory. The first, ''On the Natural and Aboiigi- to the presidency. He further signalized his 



20G 



wheelp:r's reminiscences. 



attachment to him, by writing and publishing 
an elaborate and voluminous" life of Jackson." 
On the accession of this chief to the presi- 
dency. Eaton was appointed secretary of war, 
which position he held from 1829 to 1831, 
until his Diarriage with Mrs. Timberlake, the 
"the fair and fast" widow of Purser Tim-, 
berlake of the navy. There was scandal con- 
nected with this lady. The wives of Calhoun, 
Ingham. Branch and Berrien refused to call 
on her; Jackson took her part, and a dissolu- 
tion of the cabinet was the result. Mr. Eaton 
was governor of Florida, 1834,-'3G, and envoy 
to Spain from 183(5 to 1840. 

Governor Eaton was of commanding pre- 
sence; his literary alii lit ies respectable, his 
elocution graceful, and his voice remarkably 
tine. He was social and generous in his inter- 
course with his friends, and much esteemed. 

He died in Washington City, November, 
18o6. His widow married again, a!id recently 
died in Washington. 

J. J. Daniel, bora 1783, died 1848, one of the 
justices of the supreme court. Born, reared and 
(lied in Halifax. His early education was de- 
fective; he studied law under General William 
Iv. Davie. 

He was a member of the legislature in 1807 
and again 1812. 

In 1816, he was elected one of the judges of 
the superior courts, which ho held until 1832, 
when he was elevated to the supreme court 
bench; which exalted position he occuj)ied 
until his death, February, 1848. 

Judge Daniel was remarkable for his deep 
and varied knowledge of his profession^ and bis 
accurate and extensive stores of historical in- 
formation. These were never ostentatiously 
disj.layed, for he was as artless as innocence 
itself. The appropriate language of his as-soci- 
ate. Judge HutBn,on the occasion of his death, 
describes his character in true and vivid col- 
ors: 

"Judge Daniel served his country through 



a period of nearly thirty years acceptably, 
ably, and faithfully. He had a love of learn- 
ing, an inquiring mind, and a memory uncom- 
monly tenacious; he acquired and retained an 
extensive and varied stock of knowledge, es- 
pecially in the history and principles of the 
law; he was without ari'ogance or ostenta- 
tion — even of his learning. He had the most 
unaffected and charming simplicity and mild- 
ness of manners, and had no other purpose 
than "to execute justice, and maintain truth," 
therefore he was patient in hearing argument, 
laborious and earnest in investigation, candid 
and instructive in consultation, and impartial 
and firm in decision." 

So appropriate .in eulogium from so compe- 
tent a source was well deserved. 

He married Maria Stith, whom he survived, 
and by whom he had several children. 

John K. J. Daniel was a native of Halifax. 
He was educated at the universitj , wliere he 
graduated in 1821, in the same class with Hon- 
orable Anderson Mitchell and others, taking 
the first honors. He read law and practiced with 
much success. In 1831, he entei-ed political 
life as a member of the House of Commons, 
and served till 1884, at which session he was 
elected attorney general of the state, which 
position he held till 1841, when he was elected 
a member of Twenty-seventh Congre.-s, and 
re elected continuouslj* till the Thirty-second 
Congress (1851.) For many years he was the 
chairman of the committee on claims, for 
which his unquestioned integrity, clear and 
discriminating mind and patient industry, 
rendered hira a model chairman. After leav- 
ing congress, he removed toShreveport, Louis- 
iana, where he died In 18G8. 

Junius Daniel, born June 27, 1828, killed 
in battle May 12, 1864, son of the precccding, 
was born in the town of Halifax. Ilis early 
education was conducted by J. M. Lovejoy, 
Raleigh. He entered the military academy at 
West Point in 1846. After graduating, he 
was ordered to Newport, Kentucky. In 1852, 
lie went to Mexico, where he remai:;e.i four 
years repressing the Indiaris, with whom he 



HALIFAX COUNTY. 



207 



had frequent ekinnishes. On his return from 
New Mexieo, his father havitii^ piir('haseil 
lands in Louisiana, induced him to resign his 
commission in the army and aid in cultivating 
the soil. He was thus engaged, when Sumter 
fell. His military education, and iiis exem- 
plary character induced the authorities of 
Louisiana to offer him a command, but ho pre- 
ferred serving his own state. He came to 
North Carolina and tendered iiis services to 
Governor Ellis, they were promptly accepted, 
and he was appointed colonel of the fourth, 
afterwards fourteenth, regiment of North Car- 
olina troops, with which he remained until 
the expiration of the twelve months term of 
service. He was then elected colonel of the 
forty-third and also of the forty-tifth regi- 
ments, both of which had enlisted for the 
war, and aliout the same time he was tend- 
ered the command of the second cavalry. 
He accepted the command of the forty- 
fifth regiment. In October, 1862, he was 
commissioned brigadier. As a disciplin- 
arian he had no superior; in attention to the 
comforts and wants of his men, and handling 
his troops in action, as was proved at Gettys- 
burg, and Spottsylvania, he was the equal of 
any officer in the army. His brigade con- 
sisted of the thirty-second regiment, com- 
manded by Colonel Brabble, who was killed at 
Spottsylvania; the forty-third, commanded by 
Keeuan, who was wounded and captured at 
Gettysburg, and afterwards by Cary Whita- 
ker, killed at Petersburg. The forty-fifth, 
commanded first by Morehead, (who dietl at 
Martinsburg,) and then by Boyd, who was 
wounded and captured at Gettysburg, and was 
exchanged, to be killed at Spottsylvania; the 
fifty-third by W. A. Owens, killed at Win- 
chester, and the twenty-second North Caro- 
lina battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Col- 
onel Andrews who was killed at Gettj-sburg. 
What a sad record! How loudly does it speak 
of the heroic gallantry of these devoted men! 



General Daniel sfient the fall of 1802, with 
his brigade at Drury's Bluff, and in Decem- 
ber of that year, he was ordered to Norih 
Carolina, under General D. H. Hill. Shortly 
after the battle of Chancellorsville, he was 
transferred to Lee's army, Rliodes' division, 
attached to EwcU's corps, during the Peunsvl- 
vania campaign, the division being the advance 
column. When Carlisle, the extreme point of 
advance, was reached. General Ewell made an 
address to hia men, congratulating them on 
their success. Turning to Daniel's brigade, 
recently attached to his corps, said: "They 
have shown themselves so obedient to all or- 
ders, so steady and regular in their march, that 
he entrusted to them the charge of bearing the 
corps flag, confident that its honor would not 
suffer while in the keeping of such troops." 
The conduct of General Daniel at Gettysburg, 
the first real opportunity he had had to dis- 
play liis militar}' skill, won for him the esteem 
and admiration of his associates in arms. His 
brigade never faltered a moment on that dis- 
astrous field, but moved with the precision of 
a machine. We have to pass the intervening 
period to the closing scenes, the battles of the 
Wilderness, and Spottsylvania Courthouse, 

The morning of May 5th, 1864, was an au- 
spicious day in General Daniel's career. He 
was then in the reserve, supporting the Stone- 
wall and other brigades. General Joucs was 
killed, and all gave way before the impetuous 
charge of the enemy. At this critical mo- 
ment, when to hesitate was to be lost, Daniel 
ordered his brigade to charge, and he drove the 
enemy back. On the same night, (May 5th, 
1864,) Daniels brigade was ordered to the ex- 
treme right, and was kept constantly engaged. 

Grant had driven Johnson from his piosi- 
tion, Raraseur and Harris had gone to retake 
the works, the enemy were trying to break 
Lee's second line, pushing the right of Daniel's 
brigade heavily. He was a fe>v paces in the 
rear of the Forty-fifth regiment; while giving 



208 WHEELER'S EE.MINISCENCES. 

orders to one of his couriers he was strnek iu lie studied hwv with Judge John Haywood, 

the abdomen by a niinie Ijall, which, in a few but he never pursued the profession. lie pve- 

hours, proved his deatli wound. ferred the more excitino- career of politics, in 

A short time before his dissohUion the doc- whicli he was omineutly successfuL His first 

tors informed him that he was dying, and iisked appearance in public life was in 1811, as sena- 

if a minister of the gospel might be called in ; tor in the legislature from Halifax County, 

lie readily assented, and a minister was sent He was elected continuously until 1817, when 

for. All knelt down iu prayer; after prayer he he was chosen governor of the state. 

was very quiet, and requested to be raised up After serving the constitutional term, he 

in bed; tluit being done he breathed once or was again elected a senator in the legishiture, 

twice freely. "Now lay uie down," he said, in 1822, and tlie next year lie was elected sen- 

and folding his hands across his breast, and at or in the Congress of the United States, 

closing bis eyes, on May l-l!th, 18(34, the spirit and re-elected to the same distinguished post 

of Junius Daniel departed for another and in 1827. He resigned on being selected by 

better world. General Jackson as secretaiy of the navy. 

His remains were taken to the place of his On the dissolution of the cabinet in conse- 
birth; he was buried under venerable oaks quence of affair of Mrs. Eaton, already refer- 
in the old cliureli yard at Halifax, wliere red to in the sk'.'tcli of Governor Eaton, Gover- 
uianv of liis honored r-.dativcs sleep, "that nor Branch returned to his home, and was 
sleep that knows no waking." elected a nieniber of the house of representa- 

He left no children. His atfectionate wife, tives in 1831. .In 1834. he was again elected 

Ellen, the daughter of the late John J. Long, to the state senate, and in 183-t, a nicndier of 

still survives to ciierish with devoted affection the convention to revise the constitution of 

his stainless reputation, his daring valor, and the state. In 1838, he was the democratic 

his devoted patriotism. candidate for Governor of North Carolina, 

Benjumin MeC'ullock, also a native of Hali- and was defeated by Governor Dudley. In 

fax, was killed in the liattle of Elkhorn. He 1843, he was appc'intcd by the president 

was the grandson of a man by the same name; Governor of Florida, after which he retired 

these names are frequently mentioned in the from the arena of public life. 

Colonial History of North Carolina He died at Enfield, on January 4th, 18(33. 

Henry McCullock was, by order of the King, By his first wife, Miss Fort, he raised a large 

appointed secretary, vice Kice, deceased. His ^nd lovely family. He married a second time 

difficulties with Governor Johnston for sev- >ii-^. Bond, of Bertie County, (/(ce Jordan,) 

eral vcars created great confusion in the col- who did not long survive her distinguished 

oiiy.* hnsliand. 

John Branch, born 1782, died 1863, was James Grant, of Iowa, was born and reared 

born, raised, and die<l in Halifax County. His in Halifax County. His grandfather emigrated 

ancestors were of true revolutionary stock, from Scotland. His father, whose name he 

He was born November 4,1782; educated at bears, was boi'n in same county (17'Jl.) He 

the university, where he graduated in 1801, in was elected a mci/iber of the legislature in 

the same class with Thomas G. Amis, Thomas 1814, an<l in 1827, comptroller of the state. 

D. Bennehan, Francis Little Dancy,and John He married Elizabeth, daughter of .^hltthew 

Davis Hawkins. C. Whitaker, who represented Halifax in the 

^i^iu-dof Tnide;KonsO«ice,l2. state senate in 1807 to 1810. He died in 



HALIFAX COUNTY. 209 

1834, U'iiviii^- four sons, of wlioia Jaiae.s, the Nash Comity, otio of thf most i;-ifte(l hiwyors 
sul)joct of our preseut slcotch, was the eldest, of his day, and was ru-nisod in 182;J. He set- 
After his academic course, lie entered llie tied first in Xaslnille, and then removed to 
university, and grailuated in 18:51, in tliesame Halifax, where lie resided for many years, uti- 
class with Giles Mehaiio, Calvin Jones, Jaeoh til he moved to KMleij;h, where lie lived until 
Thompson, De B. Hooper, and others. As a his death. 

scholar, young Grant was among the lirst of He was elected a iiieniher of the legislature 
his class; and gave early presage of that high in 188';,-'40,'4-i and '44. He was defrated hy 
order of ahility which has since achieved for one vote, in 1888, in conseiiueiice of the sup- 
him friends, fortune and fame. port he had given t.i aid in the construction of 
He read law, and with that enterprise which the Wilmington and Weldon railroad. In 
marks his character he left his native state, 1846, he declined lieing a candidate, and never 
and sought his fortunes in the growing west, again appeared as a politician. His course in 
He first settled in Hlinois, and suhsciuoiitly the legislature was marked hy intelligence, in- 
removed to Iowa, whilst it was yet a territory, dependence, and integrity. Never did tlu^ state 
In 1846, he aided in organizing tin; constitution lia\'e a more devoted and selfsaeritii-ing ('iti- 
of the emhryo state, and thus hecame identi- zeii. A mere politiciaii he ne\-er was. (Jlearin 
tied with its history. Here he pursued with his convictions of right, ontsjiokeii in his views, 
energy, integrity, and success, a career of pro- and firm, decided and fearless in his opinions, 
fessioiiul labor and attained the highest he was little fitted for p.>!i't ics. Highly as he- 
judicial honors, he has also amassed a princely apjireciated the confidejice and regard of his 
fortune. He now occupies a [>rofessional posi- eountrymen, he never courted popular ap- 
tion second to no lawyer in the groat noi'th- plause at tlie expense of i)riiiei[)les. This was 
west. During the troubles of the civil war a p'>pnlarity that f)Iiowed him, but never was, 
his generous character was shown in oontribnt- iiursiied by him. Therefore, in the law aird its 
ing to the comfort and relief of the unfort- study, his great faculties found ani[jlo and 
unate confederate prisoners. At the late ap[iropriate exercise, and in its prat-tice he 
comnieiicement he gave to his Almx. muier sul)- had no sujierior. His reputation \vas fixed on 
staiitial proofs of his munificent liberality, a high and permanent foundation by a brief 
He delivered, at the ccminiencement of ]878, tiled in thecase of State r. ^\'ill, (1st Devereux. 
an address before the Alumni society, dis- and Battle.) That argument, then, was with- 
tinguished for its ability, research, path;)sand out a superior in the leg:d history of the s.ate, 
eloquence. and so stands to this (hiy. It is, indeed, a 

Bartholomew Figures ^loore, born January model without a rival. 

29, 1801, died November 29, 1878, was a native In May, 1848, he was appointed by Gov- 

of Halifax; born near Fishing Creek, in the ernor Graham, attorney general of the state, 

upper part of the county; the fifth son of (and in December, he was elected to t lie posi- 

James Moore, a revolutionary" soldier. tion b}" tlie legislature) which he resigned in 

Having been prepared for college, he en- consequence of lieing aii[) )inted on a commis- 

tered the Sopiiomore class, and graduated in- sion " to revise the statute laws of the state." 

June, 1820; in the same class with William H. His associates in this work was Asa Biggs 

Battle, Bishop Otey, Archibald G. Carter, and K. M. Saunders. They performed this 

and others. duty in an able manner and submitted their 

He read law with Thomas N. Mann, of work to tlie legislature of 18.54,-'55. 



210 



WHEELER'S RExMINISCENCES. 



Mr. Moore was the outspoken and fearless 
friend of the uuion, and the bitter opponent 
of tlie doctrine of secession. These opinions 
he exprcssod openly, under all circumstances. 
Many dillerod from him in these views, but 
all respected his sentiments foi' they believed 
in the purity of his convictions. 

Immediately after the war closed, Mr. 
Moore, with Governor Swain and William 
Eaton wore invited by the president to Wash- 
ington for conference and consultation as to 
the best mode of restoring North Carolina to 
the union.* 

No Roman tribune stood forth more fearless 
and bold, than did Mr. Moore on this occasion, 
for the rights of the people and the citizen. 
His sagaci. us advice, had it been followed by 
Mr. Johnson, would have saved muoh anxiety 
and suffering to the counti-y; but it was 
unheeded. Mr. Moore subsequently in (1867,) 
when negro suffrage was forced on the South 
strongly opposed it, and he predicted the very 
calamities of which its friends now complain, 
and suffer. He also opposed the military rule 
imposed by congress on the south, maintain- 
ing that the people ought to be allowed 
to choose their own rulers, and be governed 
by their own laws, not inconsistent with 
the constitution and laws of the United 
States. 

Profound as was Mr. ^[oore's reverence of 
the law. and his respect for its ministrations, 
his spirit of justice and the instinct of his 
nature opposed any official interference of the 
bench with popular rights. 

On the enforcement of the Canhy constitu- 
tion, which, by "general orders from these 
headquarters," set up governors and judges, 
appointed members of the legislature, and 
displaced others, duly elected, in defiance of 
popular will, political excitement throughout 
the state was intense. The judges of the 
supreme court openly took part in the can- 
*See .'.ketch of Governor Sv.uii;, p. o'j 



vass. It was against such participation that 
Mr. Moore took a bold stand. He drew up a 
protest signed by many prominent members 
of the bar throughout the state, which was 
the foundation of the notorious " contempt 
proceedings," in 1869. The ermine of the 
highest legal tribunal in the state received a 
stain from which that court, as it then existed, 
never recovered. 

Although Mr. Moore held no ofhcial posit- 
ion, for he never sought it; yet, from his long 
and eventful life, his opinion had much weight 
and it needed no official place to give his 
opinions power with the people of North 
Carolina. His ability, his acquirements, his 
unblemished reputation and the candor of his 
conduct, his fearless courage in declaring and 
maintaining liis opinions, gave him a strong 
hold on the confidence and regard of his 
country. 

The state may well place him high on her 
roll of illustrious dead, as he was for a long 
while one of her purest patriots. 

I>Ir. Moore was the devoted friend of educa- 
tion. In his will he bequeathed five thousand 
dollars to the university, one thousand dollars 
to the Oxford orphan asylum, and the same 
sum to the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. 
His devotion to the union is elo([uent]y ex- 
pressed in his will, for 

" E'en in his ashes lived their wonted fires," 
his will speaks thus: 

" I had i)een taught under deep conviction 
of my judgement that there could be no 
reliable liberty for my state, without the 
union of the states; and being devotee! to my 
state, I felt that I should desert her whenever 
I should aid to destroy the union. I could 
not imagine a more terrible spectacle than 
that of beholding the sun sliining tin the broken 
and dishonored fragments of states, dissevered , 
discordant and belligerent, and a land rent 
with ei\'il feu<ls and drenched in fraternal 
bloo,!. 

'■ I was truly happy when I saw the sun of 
peace rising with the glorious promise to shine 
once more on states equal, fi'ce, honored and 



HALIFAX COUNTS' 



211 



united. Although the promise has been loni? 
delayed hy an unwise policy, and I myself 
may never live to see the full orbed sun of 
liberty yjiine on my countiy as once it was, 
yet I have sti'oir^ hopes that my countrymen 
will yet be blest with that <;lorious sigiit." 

Over his remains, one who knew him long 
and knew hira well, uttered these eloquent 
and truthful words: 

" Here lies one who reposes after a long 
feast, where much love has been. Hero 
slumbers in peace and patience, a veteran, 
with all his wouuds in front, and not a blot 
on this scutcheon, after four score years of 
duty well done in the fierce and ceaseless 
campaign of life."' 

Mr. Moore was twice mnnied. In 1S28, 
he married Louisa, the daughter of George 
Boddie, of Nash, and, in 1835, Lucy, another 
daughter of the same. 

Lawrence O'Biyan Branch, son of Joseph 
and Susan O'Bryan Branch, was born in the 
village of Enfield, Halifax County, A'orth Car- 
olina, on November 28, 1820. His grand- 
father was a distinguished patriot of the revo- 
lution of 1770, and the historj- of liis state af- 
fords evidences of his daring and patriotism. 
His father was a gentleman in atHueut circum- 
stances, who died early. His uncle and guard- 
ian had been the governor of North Carolina, 
senator in congress, secretary of the navy un- 
der General Jackson, and governor of Florida. 

With him young Branch went to Washing- 
ton city, and his early education was conducted 
by S. P. Chase, afterwards Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court of the LTnited States, then 
a teacher in Washington. On his return 
to North Carolina, his studies, preparatory for 
college, were directed by that weil known 
teacher, W. J. Bingham, in Orange County. 
In January, 1835, he was martriculated at the 
university of the state, and passed with great 

*Mucli of the material of this sketch is from an able 
article in the Observer at lialeigh published at ti.e 
lime of his death. 



credit through the freshman clns-, but from 
some difficulties in whicli his brother.^ became 
involved at college, he was withdr;iv.-ii by his 
guardian, and sent to Nassau Hall, ''linceton, 
where he graduated in September, 18-38, with 
the first honors, in one of the first classes of 
that renowned institution. He delivered at 
this commencement the English salutatory ad- 
dress, being then only eighteen year- old. 

He commenced the study of the law with 
John Marshall, at Franklin, Tennesson'. During 
the period of his studies, the political cam- 
paign, so well known as the " Log Cabin Cam- 
paign ,''-'Opeiied; and it is believed that his 
mind and pen were more active in tlio exciting 
scenes of politics than in the grave studies of 
the law. He early commenced political life, 
the firm advocate of state I'ights, ai;d never 
for a moment, under any circimstances, 
swerved friim such teachings. 

After his studies of the law were enniiileted 
lie settled at Tallahassee, Florithi ; but not 
being of age, such were the genial manners of 
the youthful stranger, that the legislature of 
Florida passed a special act, allowing him to 
be examined, atid if pronounced quii'ified on 
examination by the judges, to allow !iim to 
practice. He was admitted, and pi.icticed 
with great success during the years r.f 1841,- 
'42 and '43. 

He early evinced a fondness for lailitar}' 
life, and served as aid to General Leigh Reed, 
in a campaign in Florida against the L'Srainole 
Indians. 

He married in April, 1844, Miss 'Sv.iicy H. 
Blount, only daughter of General V\'i;liam A. 
Blount, of North Carolina; and this and other 
circumstances caused his removal to that state, 
and he settled at Raleigh. His meiits were 
soon appreciated here. He was select .d as a- 
member of the literary board, direct ;r of the 
bank of the state, elector on the presidential 
ticket (Pierce and King,) and in 18.^2, presi- 
dent of the Raleigh and Gaston railroad. 



212 WIIEP]LER'S KEMINISCEXCES. 

It \\-(>nl(l exceed the limit prescrilied for this as nnfjiiestioned and reliable authority on a 

sketch, to detail tiie ahility and fidelity with snhject,. which in the future, may again be- 

whiuli he discharged all these iin[iortant come an important question in national poli- 

trusts. But justice to Irnth and nnjiaralleled cics. Such a powerful sentinel nt our very 

energy compels the olisei'vation, that to iiim post — gate, should, by either stratageni, force 

does tlie country owe the usefulness, if not the or purchase, be brought witliin our lines, 

existence of this I'ailroad, so iTiiportant, and Loved by many and respected by all of 

then so vital to the state, as tlie only one his associates in congress, his influence in 

leading to tlie capital. It had become dilapi- the house was unbounded. Such was his 

dated; it had injured tlio state, and mined stern sense of justice, his unsuspected integ- 

nuiny of its innocent stockholders. Under rity and vigilant sagacity', that those 

his active suiierinteudency, it sprung' at once twin Cerelnis of the treasury, John Letcher 

into activity, usefulness and profit, while his and George W. Jones, often asked his advice, 

genial and fi'aidi manners, his pronijit and heeded his opinion and followed his counsel, 

stern sense of right, won the respect and af- On the death of Aaron V. Brown, post- 

fection of all with whom its multifarous con- master-general in Mr. Buciianan's cabinet, he 

cerus bi'ouglit him in contact. Here he felt was telegrajihed as to his inclination.s to oc- 

and tiinuglit was the a[ipropriate sphere of his cupy that impoi'ta.nt department, but being 

usefulness. fr(.)m home, no answer was returned. On the 

But the congressional district had become resignation of Honorable Howell Cobb, as sec- 
disorganized. Private feud and personal am- retary of the treasury, lie was, on December 2, 
bition had lost to (Uir national councils a re[i- 18G0, appoitited by the president to succeed 
resenti\e from the metropolitan district, wiio hini. This was also declined. The clouds had 
reflected the voice of a mai(nity of the people, become dark and heavy in our southern sky, 
Without any solicitation on his jiart and and Mr. Branch had resolved upon his course, 
against his inclinatioiis, be was nominated, in lie joined the standard of the south as a pri- 
1855. as a candidate for congress. Tb.e ojipo- vate in the ranks of the Baleigh volunteers, 
sition was well organized and run theirstrong- The governor of the state solicited him to 
est man, w'ho was well and favoraldy known, of take the position of quartermaster and pay- 
acknowledged genius, and of indefatigable master-general of the North Carolina forces, 
energy. Mr. Branch was elected by a hand- These troublesome and intricate duties he dis- 
some majoi-ity. Such was the acceptaliility of charged with energy and fidelity. But he 
his conduct that he was again elected in 1S.t8, preferred more active service, and was ap- 
without opposition, and again in 1859, by an pointed colonel of the thirty-third regiment ; 
overwhelming majority. and after organzing it with great energy, went 

Bid the limits of this sketch allow, ample at its head into the field. He was soon pro- 

matei'ial is affoi-dcd by the records of the moted by the president to the command of the 

nation, to show his imiusti'y, ability, fidelity 4th lu'igadc, in the confederate army, and as- 

aud usefulness, ;is a niend)er of tiie national signed to duty at New Berne. Here on March 

councils. Important and delicate positio;is 14, 18r>2, with an inadequate force, some of 

were occu|)ieil by liim. As a member of the tliem raw-militia, with hastily ami ill-eon- 

committee on foreign affairs, his celebrated structed fortifications, he withstood for more 

I'ejiort on Cnlia mai'ked him as one of the than four hours the well appointed and fully 

statesmen of the age, and is referred to now equip[icd forces, under General Burnsidc, more 



HAIJFAX COUNTY. 



213 



tliau doulile his iiuiiiliors, iiiflictiii<; heavy loss 
on tlieni, and I'etiriiii;- in i;-oiid ordei' with his 
coninuuid. Tliis was far from iiiipairinsi' liis 
militarv reputation; for. witii his hriijadc, ho 
was ordered to the l)attle fields of Virj^inia. 
The battles of Hanover Conrt-honse, Mochan- 
icsville, Cohl Harbor, Fraser's Farm, Malvern 
Hill, Ce<lar Uun, Manassas, Fairfax Court 
house, Harper's Ferry and Sharpsl)nri>;. attest 
the valor of the brigade and the chivalric 
bearing of its chief. More than fifteen l)attle 
fields have been stained b}- their blood — their 
force reduced more than a tliird in killed and 
wounded. For its bravery at the battle: of 
Hanover Court-house, it received tlie a[)[)ro- 
l>ation of the general Commanding-geneial, 
Robert E. Lee, ami tlie gallant bearing 
I. f General Branch was particularly alluded to. 
It was the first body of troops that crossed 
the Chickahonnny, and engaged the heavy 
forces of the enemy, dro\e tliem back and 
took the first battle fiag from them. Of its 
ilve colonels, two fell on tlie field of battle, two 
wounded, the other taken prisoner; and its gal • 
lant general was killed — for at Sharpsburg^ on 
-September 19, 1862, after the heat of this se- 
vere battle was nearly over, General Brancli 
was struck by a minio ball in the head, and in- 
stantly died, falling into the arms of his aid. 
The ferocity and bloodthirsty disposition 
displayed by the ommandei's of varii)us de- 
tachments in the southern campaigns of thi^ 
revolutionary war, has been often lemarked; 
this has been accounted for in many ways, 
more or less rational. The population was 
small and widely scattered, and whilst the 
British commanders seemed to be determined 
to crush resistance by every means available, 
yet they seemed also desirous to terrify l)y the 
atrocity of those means. And yet, on the 
other hand, some movements and engage- 
ments of Marion, Sumter, and others, might 
fairly be offset against the terrible massacre, of 
Tarleton and Feri^uson. 



The~e terrible scenes were only added to by 
the fact that the population itself was more 
equally divided in their adherence to the 
crown, or to the cause of colonial indepen- 
dence, than in anj' of the other i)rovinces. and 
this brought about a mutual animo-;ity and 
deadly hate terrific to conteiuplate ; such 
scenes are alwa3's suppiised to accompan}' civil 
wars, but on this occasion, owing to the [iro- 
tracted struggle, thv.y became a systematie? 
series of assassiniition, rapine, and extermina- 
tion. Neighbors were arraigned against neigh- 
bors, brothers against brothers, and even 
fathers against sons. When a distinguished 
man was slain, it was proven by the size of the 
missile and th' dir.'etion in which it sped, 
exactly who slew him, and the boast was made 
acciii'dingiy. 

But if the war of the .south was blackened 
in its aspect, and the conduct thereof carried 
on with an ardor asul urged by a foi'ce inci- 
dent to a southern [ias-;ii)n, \'et there were not 
wanting many instances of individual proiv- 
ess, of partisan valoi' and of hor'Mc entei'prise. 
To piesent an accurate sketch of Marion's and 
Sumter's plots and counter-plots; fiecpiently 
passing into those' deej) and dreary solitudes, 
where it was as useless as it was dangerous for 
an enemy to pursue; but wiiere the opportu- 
nit}' [)resented itself, fiasliing upon the enemy 
like a meteor fi'om the skies, with a sudden- 
ness in their movements which astonished and 
confounded; and with a desperation in the 
valor displaj'ed w'liich could seldom lu; re- 
sisted. A combination of rare and valiant 
qualities that repeatedly gained a victory ovei- 
forces tenfold the number imder this command. 
The daring exploits of these twin " gods of 
war," would make a picture that the pencil of 
fiction itself could not surpass. 

If we place opposite the names of Marion 
and Sumter for skill and bloody deeds, the 
names of Tarleton and Ferguson, we must add 
and m dee lieavy and exceedingly dark the 



214 



WIIEP]LEK'S REMINISCENCES. 



lines to represent rapine, robbery, and cold- high living. He enjoyed the respect of all 

blooded bntchery in the pen portraits of the parties, and was of a genert)ns, kind disposition. 

two last named. Against this picture we set the character of 

We therefore turn to characters moving in a William Richardson Davie. None were more 



higher pLiiie, and at the bare mention of John 
Hamilton's name we have brought before us 
ou the camera a character noted for brave ac- 
tion in the tield, generosity to a fio when 



distinguished feu- galianti'y and enterprise. 
He was tall, well made, and remarkai)le for 
his manly beauty and the dignity of his man- 
ners, lie was studious in his habits, and of 



fallen, and all t!ie nobler qualities typical of a most refined tastes. He was a typical soldier 
soldier, although he was a loyalist and so fro- of the southern patriots. He excelled in feats 



quently denounced for serving against the lib 
erties of his adopted colony. 



of horsemanship, and his eloquent and sonor- 
ous voice, so distinct in articulatiii-.i and so 



Moore tells ns (History of North Carolina, commanding in delivery, could be heard over 
I., 249,) that after the battle of Moore's Creek a wide field. So heartily di+l he espouse the 
the tories no longer dared <jpen emitodiment, cause of liberty that in oi-ganizing his corn- 
but Lieutenant Colnnel John llamiltDii, a maud for the field, he expended the whole of 
scotch merchant, late of Halifax, repaired to his patrimonial estates. To his daring cour- 
St. Augustine, in Florida, and established a age, his extreme vigilance, and unrelenting 
camp, where a regiment of loyalists was organ- activity, the cause of American independence, 
ized. He soon raised a disciplined force is deeply indebl-ed. The terror with which 
which proved to be a firmidable aid to the he inspired the tories prevented their forming 
royal arms in America. Colonel Hamilton i" any considerable bodies, until Lord Corn- 
had seen much nulitary service. He bad wallis approached the .Mecklenburg section, 
fought at CuUoden; a man of large fortune and his lordship found in Colonel Davie and 



and of fine social qualities, he was beloved 
by his troops, and resjiocted by his opponents, 
to whom he was uenerous and humane. 



his gallant command, as obstinate an enemy 
as he met in any of his canipaigns. Man}" are 
the incidents of his gallantrv in the field. 



Even Governor Burke acknowledii'ed his and the graphic description of the defence of 



kindness to him while a prisoner. In the 
attack on Savannah, December 2('!, 1778, he 
was coni'ronted by (ieneral Howe, gallantly 
sustaining the brunt of this battle, and ilowe 
was defeated. 

He came to North Carolina at the same time 
with James Frazer, who settled at Frazer's 



Charlotte, Septumber 26, 1780, where, with 
his celebrated corps, he ciiecked the advance 
(if the whole of Cornwallis' army, has so fre- 
quently been recited as to become " familiar 
as household words."* It was b^- such heav}- 
blows as this that he severely ci-ippled the 
enemy, and made their march so tedious and 



Cross Roads, in Hertford County,and who had irksome as to break the spirit of their troops 

served under him as captain, at CuUoden, and and make the subjugation of North Carolina 

they were life long friends. Dr. G. C. Moore an impossibility. Not the creature of circum- 

states that he knew Colonel Hamilton, who was stance, but an elegant soldier, ever brave 

for a long time after the war the British consul i" the defence of his country's liberty, was 

at Norfolk, Virginia; that he was a short, William Richardson Dave, 

red faced man, full of gaiety, and fond of *Wheeler's History of North Carolina. II., 19,i. 



HERTFORD COUNTY. 



2IJ 



CHyXPTER XXXIII. 



HKRTFORD COUNTY. 



The year 1767, .says Moore in liis chronicles of 
Hertford County, .saw the nucleus of a beautiful 
village, perched on the lofty banks of the Meher- 
rin River, in this county. For years previous, it 
had been a favorite shipping point, from which 
Captains Meredith and Anderson had conducted, 
in their own vessels, a steady and lucrative trade 
with different foreign sea-ports. In 1768 the Leg- 
islature incorporated the town of Murfreesboro, 
with William Murfree, Patrick Brown, Redmond 
Hackett, William Vaughan and John Parker as 
Commissioners. 

The first house erected, was the residence of 
William Murfree, whicii stands near the landing, 
just beside the church-yard. The venerable and 
useful Aunt Peggy Weaver was long the occu- 
pant of this ancient edifice. She, too, has doubdess 
gone, and, as with the original Commissioners, 

"Each in his narrow bed forever laid. 
The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep." 

The Murfree family is of English origin. Wil- 
liam Murfree, born in 1730, was the founder of 
the famil}-. He was a man of influence and re- 
spectability, and took a decided stand in defence 
of the liberties of the country, when threatened 
by royal authority. He represented the county 
in the Provincial Congress that met at Halifax in 
November, 1776, which body formed our State 
Constitution. He married Mary Moore, by whom 
he had several children — Hardy, the founder of 
Murfreesboro in North Carolina, as also of a vil- 
lage of the same name in Tennessee ; James, 
William, Sarah, who married Samuel Cryer ; 
Patty, who married Benjamin Banks ; Betty, who 
married Richard Andrews, and Nancy, who mar- 
ried Jonathan Roberts. 



Major Hardy Murfree, son of the above, was 
born June 5, 1752, and was in the prime of'ilife 
when the revolution commenced. 

On the earliest organization of the military- 
force of the country, he was appointed by the 
Provincial Congress, at Hillsboro, on August 21, 
1775, a Captain in the 2d Regiment of State 
troops of the Continental Establishment, (Robert 
Howe, Colonel), and joined the grand Army of 
the North, under Washington. 

Under his eye he was engaged in the battles 
of Brandywine, Monmouth and elswhere. He 
was promoted to the rank of Major, and was se- 
lected to lead the desperate and successful attack 
on Stony Point, July 16, 1779. 

At this period, the affairs of the colonies were in 
a most desperate condition. Washington, in a 
letter to Col. Harrison, of Virginia, states that, 
' 'they were more distressed, ruinous and deplora- 
ble than at any time since the war commenced, 
and on the brink of ruin." t 

Washington determined to strike the enemy, 
and projected the attack on the strong fortress at 
Stony Point. He directed "Mad Anthony" 
Wayne to execute his plans. The attack was 
made at midnight ; the British were surprised 
and defeated. Two companies of North Caro- 
lina light troops made the attack, led by Major 
Murfree, whose bravery and gallant conduct is 
mentioned in General Wayne's official dispatch 
to Congress. 

Both of these companies were of the Second 
North Carolina Continentals, and led, with un- 
loaded muskets, the forlorn hope in this desper- 
ate enterprise. General Wayne was severely 
wounded, and Captain John Daves, of New 
Berne, second in command to Major Murfree's 



2l6 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Battalion, was also badly wounded, but their 
victory was complete.* 

This brilliant affair had a most exhilarating ef- 
fect upon the spirits of the patriots, and cheered 
them to renewed exertion in the cause of liberty. 
Major Murfree continued in the service until the 
close of the war, when he returned to his home. 

He married Sallie,the daughter of Col. Matthias 
Brickell, who was a pattern of modesty, as of 
beauty, and by whom he was blessed with a large 
family of children. He removed to Tennessee, 
where he ended his days. 

His son, William Hardy Murfree, (born 1781, 
died 1827), was born and lived for a long period, 
in Murfreesboro. He was educated at the Uni- 
versity, where he graduated in 1801, in same class 
with Ams, John Branch, Francis L. Uancy, and 
others. 

He studied hard, and stood high in his profes- 
sion. 

He entered public life in 1805, as a member 
of the Legislature. In 1813 he was elected a 
member of the XIII Congress, and re-elected at 
the XIV, 1815-17; afterward, he declined a re- 
election. He was able and eloquent, and sus- 
tained the war measures of Mr. Madison's ad- 
ministration. In 1825 he removed to Tennessee, 
and died in Nashville, January 18, 1827, leaving 
one son, William Law Murfree.'^ ].- .V; 

Thomas Wynns, from whose family name the 
county town of Hertford is derived, (Winton), 
was a distinguished citizen of this county. Here 
he was born, lived and died. He was possessed 
of great enterprise, of unspotted integrity, and 
of great personal worth. He lived near Winton, 
at Barfields. 

He was the youngest of four brothers — Ben- 
jamin, William, George and Thomas — soldiers of 
the Revolution, except Thomas, who was too 
young to take an active part. While still a 
youth, in 1 780, he was captured at sea in a vessel 

»See Wayne's Assault on Stony Point, by Dawson, Mor- 
risiana, 1863; Wayne's Dispatch, nth July, 1779, Marshal 
iv. 123; Campbell's Memoirs of Hull, 163 ; Armstrong's 
Life of Wayne, Sparks' Am. Bio.,iv. 46. 



called the "Fair American," with others, and 
carried to England. His good sense and accom- 
plished manners, made his stay in London a 
pleasant one. , 

The rigorous blockade did not entirely deter 
our people from their long established maritime 
habits. Our vessels traded with the West Indies 
and elsewhere. 

On July 24, 1782, Captain Lewis Meredith ar- 
rived at Edenton,from Bordeaux, with Lady Anne 
Stewart, the daughter of the Earle of Bute, and 
her husband. Baron de Polnitz. 

Wynns early embarked in political life, and was 
elected in 1 788, a member of the Convention at 
Hillsboro,toconsidertheCon.stitution. In 1790 he 
was elected to the State Senate, until 1 8 1 7, with the 
excepticm of the period (from 1802 to 1807) when 
he was a member of Congress, from this (the 
Edenton) district. 

This was the first time in her history that Hert- 
ford County saw one of her citizens in Congress. 
He was elected, to succeed Charles Johnson (who 
died about 1 801), over Colonel Dempsey Burgess, 
of Camden County, who had been an officer in 
the Revolutionary war. After his service in Con- 
gress, he declined a re-election, and returned to 
the service of his native county, and was elected 
continuously from 1808 to 181 7, a member of the 
State Senate. Unspotted in public life, he was 
a most useful and beloved citizen. 

He married Susan, daughter of James Manning, 
but no issue, and died June 8, 1825. His neph 
ews, William B. Wynns and James D. Wynns, 
were highly respected and useful citizens. 

Henry W. Long was an eccentric and able 
lawyer, a native of Hertford County, but never 
in political life. He often aspired to popular favor, 
but failing to receive it, devoted himself to his 
profession. His innocent absence of mind was 
the cause of much amusement to his brethren of 
the bar, with whom he was very popular. He 
married the only daughter of the popular and 
polished Harry Hill, who often represented the 
county from 1790 to 1795. 



HERTFORD COUNTY. 



217 



His only daughter married Richard I. Cowpcr, 
long the Sheriff of Hertford, and a representative 
in the Legislature. 

It may be well to preserve the foct in our nicm 
ories, that the Court House of Hertford County 
has twice been burned — once in 1S30 by an in 
cendiary, instigated by Wright Alien, who h(>i)C(l 
by this means to destroy the evidence against him 
of uttering a forged paper ; and again in March 
20, 1862, by the Federal forces, under Captain 
Allen Thomas, with his Massachusetts troops. 

In 1 79 1, along with General Wynns and Harry 
Hall, of Manney's Neck, as members of the Leg- 
islature, appeared James Jones, of Pitch Landing. 
He was the son of Colonel James Jones, and was 
born in 1765. His father entertained much of the 
ta.stes and ideas of the English people as to pri- 
mogeniture, and left to his son the bulk of his 
estate. He was fond of high living, elaborate 
dress, and the accumulation of wealth. His son 
was a member of the Legislature from 1792 to 
1806, until his increasing business compelled him 
to decline. He waxed richer and richer, until 
1815, when he hazarded a bold speculation, to- 
wit : he purchased all the naval stores in Eastern 
North Carolina. Peace came, produce fell, and 
he was ruined. His proud spirit could not brook 
his fallen fortunes, and he sank under the blow. 
He died in 1816. 

He married Anne, the sister of Isaac Walton, 
who lived near Nashville, Tennessee, and left a 
large family. Among them was James Sidney 
Jones, who stood at the head of the Bar, the peer 
of Gavin Hogg, Gov. Iredell, and others. He 
became very wealthy, and removed to Alabama. 

Thomas Manney was born in Manney's Neck, 
in this county, and was long one of its honored 
citizens. He was the son of James Manney, a 
wealthy and influential man, who represented the 
county in 1778 and 1785. 

His son read law with William H. Murfree — 
settled in Murfreesboro, and practiced for some 
years with great success. In 1817 he represented 
the county in the Legislature. In 1820 he acted 
as Secretary to Governor Franklin. 



About 1825 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, 
and practiced the law ; was elected one of the 
Judges of the Superior Courts of that State, which 
high office he held with the respect and esteem 
of the whole country. He married in Murfrees- 
boro, Rebecca, daughter of Rev. Daniel South- 
all, and raised a large and distinguished family, 
among them General Manney, and others. 

He died at Na.shville, April 15, 1864. 

The Gotten family and their descendants have, ./ 
for nearly two centuries, been inhabitants of the 
St. John Section, in this county. 

Captain Arthur Gotten, the progenitor, came 
from England early in and about 1750; made 
voyages as commander of a ship between Eng- 
land and North Carolina. He became wealthy, 
retired from the sea, and in his old age built the 
first brick house that was ever erected in Hert- 
ford ; he was quick in temper, sudden in quarrel, 
although a staid vestryman in the Church. He 
bore undying hatred to the English, arising from 
the barbarous murder of his father's kinswoman, 
the gentle and loving Lady Alice Lisle, at the 
hands of George Jeffries. His eldest son, Jesse, 
lived and died in Northampton County ; Cullen, 
in Hertford, and Godwin, (already referred to, 44) 
at Mulberry Grove, where his great-grandson. Dr. 
G. C. Moore, resided. 

His oldest daughter married James Moore, of 
Virginia ; another married Cornelius Moore, of 
Northampton ; another. Dr. James Usher ; an- 
other, Samuel Bell, and the youngest married 
Powell, and afterwards, Moses Tyler, father of 
the late Perry Tyler, of Bertie County. 

One of the Lords Proprietors, who joined in 
1729 in the surrender of the Charter of North 
Carolina to the Crown, was an English Barrister, 
John Gotten, of the Middle Temple, London. He 
represented the district originally granted to Lord 
Ashley. He was the grandson of the Rev. Thomas 
Gotten, the father of Lady Lisle. Under his pro- 
prietorship, several of his kinsmen and his name, 
emigrated to Bertie and the surrounding precincts 
Moore, 11, 53. 



2l8 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



With the exception of the Church of St. Paul 
at Edenton, and the Quaker settlements of Pas- 
quotank and Perquimans, there was scarcely a 
point in the Albemarle region at which, in the 
early days of Gov. Johnston, religious services 
were held. Soon after the creation of Bertie pre- 
cinct, as early as 1739, the Rev. Matthias Brick- 
ell became rector of St. John's parish. He was 
the first clergyman, west of the Chowan, who had 
a parish. Much of the character for morality and 
intelligence of the people of St. Johns, was owing 
to the efforts of this godly man. He possessed 
high social qualities and culture, and remarkable 
for men of his cloth, created in the minds of the 
people love and confidence. His church at Ahos- 
kie saw, on each Sabbath, the people collected to 
listen to his advice and instructions. 

Parson Brickell died years before the Revolu- 
tion, but left descendants. 

His oldest son, Colonel Matt. Brickell, was a 
leading man in the county, previous to 1775. He 
was a member of the First Provincial Congress, 
and died in the midst of the gigantic .struggle for 
independence. One of his daughters married 
Major Hardy Murfree; the other was the wife of 
John Brown, and the great-grandmother of the 
late John A. Anderson, and Dr. Godwin C. Moore. 
His two sons, Thomas and John, were often mem- 
bers of the Legislature. Thomas, 1781 to '85, 
and John in the Senate, 1782. 

For a full century the name of Brickell was 
known and honored in this county, but during 
the last fifty years has disappeared. ■' 

He was the brother of Dr. John Brickell, one 
of the earliest historians of the State, who came 
from England to North Carolina with Governor 
Burrington, in 1724. (Moore's Hist. i. 50.) 

Dr. Brickell lived at Eldenton, where he prac- 
ticed medicine. He went with a joint commis 
sion to the Cherokee Indians in Tennessee. 

In sketching the men of Hertford, this record 
would be marred were the merits of that most 
exemplary gentleman, Godwin C. Moore, passed 

*Moore's Hist. Sketches, xiii. 559. 



unnoticed. He was born in this county, about 
1 806, at the same homestead where his ancestors 
have lived for several generations. He was edu- 
cated at the Hertford Academy in Murfreesboro, 
and at the University ; studied medicine and grad- 
uated at the Pennsylvania University, and en- 
joyed a long and successful career as an able and 
acceptable physician. His skill in the healing 
art was only surpassed by his genial and generous 
disposition. 

He entered publiclifeasamember of the House 
of Commons, 1831, in the Senate of 1842; 
and again in the Commons in 1866. Modest 
and retiring in his disposition, he never was am- 
bitious of political favor ; his was the popu- 
larity that sought him, not that which was pur- 
sued. In 1837 h^ ^^^s urged, and did become a 
candidate for Congress, against Hon. Samuel T. 
Sawyer. And again, against Hon. Kenneth Ray- 
ner ; the canvass was irksome, and no one regret- 
ted his defeat less than himself. 

In 1832 he married Julia, daughter of John 
Wheeler, Esq. , who realizes in her lovely char- 
acter, her unstinted kindness, womanly modesty 
and affectionate disposition, every virtue that 
adorns her sex. Numerous children have grown 
up around them, and among them, not the least, 
is Major John W. Moore, the author of a History 
of the State, and of "Historical Sketches of Hert- 
ford County." 

Dr. Moore was an exemplary member of the 
Baptist Church, and for forty years continuously 
elected Moderator of the Chowan Association. 

He died May 26, 1880. 

In addition to Captain Frazer, (See ante, page 
214) the general restoration of peace in the Revo- 
lutionary war, brought no joy to John Brown, of 
Cuttawiskey Mansh. He was an ardent Tory. 
He was of gentle lineage and some culture, and 
had been for many years, during the reign of 
George II., an officer in the army. After the 
Colloden Campaign, di.sabled by wounds, he re- 
tired on half pay. 

He came to America and sought repose among 



HERTFORD COUNTY. 



219 



his kindred near St. Johns. He married Sarah, 
eldest dau<jhter of Matthias 15rickell. When the 
Rcvohition commenced, liis children had reached 
maturity, but the)- differed in their sentiment.s. 
His son John left the paternal roof and joined a 
Virginia Corps, the command of General Lafay- 
ette, and attained distinction. 

His daut^htcr Sarah married Cioilwin Gotten, 
who was in the army under Howt. 

Yet in spite of politics he wa.s hitjhly respected, 
and unmolested by those opposed to him in sen- 
timents. 

Kenneth Rayner long resided in Hertford 
County, and represented the county in the Leg- 
islature. He also represented this district in Con- 
gress. He is a native of Bertie. His father was a 
worthy and exemplary minister of the Baptist 
Church, a soldier of the Revolution in his youth.* 

Mr. Rayner, after a partial classical education 
at Tarboro Academy, studied law with Chief Jus- 
tice Ruffin, but his active and ambitious temper 
seemed rather to prefer the excitements of politi- 
cal life, than the quiet pursuits of the law. His 
first appearance in public life, was as a member 
of the Convention of 1835, to revise the Consti- 
tution. At this time, it had been more than forty 
years since the State had formed her first Consti- 
stution, and in the minds of many, some changes 
were needed to enable her to keep pace with the 
march of improvement in other States. Although 
the youngest man in this body, Mr. Rayner made 
an indelible impression. An abler body of men 
never met in the State: -^ It was presided over by 
Nathaniel Macon. The Governor of the State, 
the Judges of the Supreme Court, and the first 
minds of the State composed this body. 

The speech of Mr. Rayner, on "Abolishing 
the religious tests for office," which our puritan 
fathers had inserted in the first Constitution, was 
the speech of the Convention. The State felt 
the magnetism of its power, and it placed him at 

'='Mr. Rayner, in the 76th year of his age, died March 4, 
1884, at the National Hotel in Washington City, the incum- 
bent of the important position of Solicitor of the Treasury 
Department. — Ed. 



once among the leading men of iiis age. Its 
impassioned tones aroused the State ; all acknowl- 
edged its power and its truth ; all predicted from 
this gallant beginning, a brilliant career in the 
future. 

• The next year he was elected to the Legisla- 
ture, and continued until 1839, when he was 
elected a Member of the 26th Congress. 

William Nathan Harrell Smith, Chief Justice 
of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, is a 
native of this county. 

His father. Dr. William L. Smith, was a native 
of Connecticut, a graduate of Yale College and 
a physician by profession. In 18 10 he came to 
Hertford County where he settled, and married 
Ann Harrell; he died in 18 13. 

His son was born in Murfreesboro, in Sep- 
tember 24, 1812; here his early education was 
conducted at the Hertford Academy. After 
graduating at Yale College in 1834, he studied 
law at the Yale Law School, and returned to 
his home to practice. He soon rose by his 
solid acquirements and attention to his profes- 
sion, to its highest rank. He was elected, in 
1840, a member of the Legislature, and in 1848 
he was elected Senator from this county, and at 
the same session Solicitor of the Judicial Dis- 
trict for four years ; he was re-elected to the 
same position. In 1857 he ran for Congress, 
and was defeated by Dr. H. M. Shaw ; but was 
elected a member of the next Congress, (36th, 
1859-61.) In 1858 he was again returned to the 
Legislature. The sections of the North and the 
South were arrayed in hostile attitude, and civil 
war seemed then imminent. The South after 
many ineffectual struggles to elect a Speaker, 
put Mr. Smith forward as its candidate, and 
he was elected. But before the result was 
announced E. Joy Morris and some others 
changed their votes to Mr. Pennington, of New 
Jersey, who was accordingly declared Speaker. 
He served through the exciting and harrassing 
scenes of this Congress, and witnessed the inau- 
guration of Mr. Lincoln. He then returned 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



home and joined his fortunes with those of his 
native State. 

He was a member of the Confederate Con- 
gress at Richmond, during the continuance of 
that body. In 1865 he was again elected a 
member of the Legislature and aided in the 
reconstruction of the State under the plans of 
President Johnson. In March 1870, he was 
induced to move to Norfolk, Virginia, where he 
formed a law partnership with Hon. Asa Biggs, 
still keeping up his practice in his native dis- 
trict. Two years experience satisfied him that 
there was no place better for a North Carolinian 
than North Carolina itself. He returned to 
spend the remainder of his days within her 
borders, and settled at Raleigh. 

One of he most famous cases in which Mr. Smith 
was engaged was the defense of Governor Holden 
in January, 1871, when he was impeached before 
the Senate. It was no small compliment to his 
integrity and ability to have been selected as 
the advocate of one, to whom he had been 
always opposed, and against whom were em- 
ployed such counsel as Governors Graham, 
Bragg and others. His efforts displayed such 
ability and legal learning as stamped him one of 
the first advocates of the age. Could Governor 
Holden have been acquitted, such efforts had 
done it. He might have said as did Hector: 

" Si Pej'gama dcxtra dcffendi posscnt, 
Etiain hac dcfcnsa finssent." 

But it was all in vain. Governor Holden was 
found guilty and still lies under the ban of this 
sentence. 

On the death of Chief Justice Pearson, Gov- 
ernor Vance in January, 1878, appointed Mr_ 
Smith his successor— and this appointment was 
ratified by the people of the State at the polls 
in the fotTBwing summer. 

Chief Justice Smith is now in the maturity of 
life — his countrymen have great confidence in 
his integrity and learning ; and a brilliant as 
well as useful career has been his. 

He married, in 1839, Mary Olivia, the daugh- 
ter of William B. Wise, of Murfreesboro. 



Tristram Capehart lived at Murfreesboro ; he 
was born in Bertie County, September 16, 1796. 
He was one of the great and good men of his 
generation, a philanthropist of the purest nature. 
Many years prior to the civil war, he emanci- 
pated a large number of his slaves, sending 
them to Liberia, and giving them a large part of 
his estate to aid them in life. 

He was too young to serve in the war of 18 12, 
but without consulting with his parents, he en- 
listed ; his parents sent a substitute for him in 
the ranks and had him return to his home. He 
soon effected his escape and again enlisted him- 
self Another substitute was sent to supply 
his place, and yet a third, but his liberty-loving 
heart could not be satisfied with the quiet of 
home whilst his country was endangered from 
foreign invasion. A braver soldier never wore 
the American uniform. 

He married Emily, daughter of Daniel South- 
all of Virginia, a descendant of the Norfleets. 

He died March 3, 1859, leaving two sons: 
Archibald Ashbourne and Thomas. 

His only brother, Cullen Capehart, born 
March 17, 1789, on the shores of the Albemarle 
Sound in Bertie County, long lived in that sec- 
tion at his grand old home, Avoca, where 
ancient southern hospitality was extended to 
the brave and the fair. His maternal ancestors 
were French Huguenots, the Razeures, the 
father's descent being from the Ogilvies of 
Scotland and the German Capeharts. He was 
possessed of a noble soul, a brilliant intellect, 
and a princely estate, and with all he was a true 
patriot, sacrificing much for public good. He 
married a great belle and beauty, Milly Stanley, 
a daughter of William Stanley Rhodes, who 
was descended from the Earls of Derby, the 
Rhodes and the Averetts. He died at his resi- 
dence, Avoca, November 22, 1S66, leaving 
three children: Washington Capehart, Mrs. 
William Anthony Armistead, Mrs. Thomas 
Goode Tucker of Virginia. 

Dr. William Anthony Armistead was a de- 



HERTFORD COUNTY. 



scendant of the Armisteads of Gloucester, Vir- 
ginia. His genealogy is traced back to the Lees 
of that State, and to the Harramonds, the Jor- 
dans, the Blounts, the Spaights, and the Hills 
of North Carolina. He was born in Plymouth, 
North Carolina, October ii, 1808, and died 
January 17, 1856, in Virginia. 

He was an eminent physician, |at the head 
of his profession in Plymouth, and during the 
summer months the resident physician of the 
sea shore. 

He was as great in heart as in mind, as nobly 
didhe fill the station in life that he attained, 
adding honor to the honored line of his ancestry. 

He left only one child, Meeta Armfstead, who 
married Archibald Ashbourne Capehart. 

Judge David A. Barnes long resided at Mur- 
freesboro, but was a native of Northampton 
County ; the son of Captain Collin W. Barnes, 
who was a most worthy man and greatly es- 
teemed, the representative of his county in 1829 
and 1830 in the Legislature. 

David A. Barnes was educated at the Uni- 
versity and graduated in 1840 in same class with 
Governor Caldwell, John W. Cunningham, Lu- 
cius J. Johnson, William Johnston, Judge Shipp, 
C. H. Wiley, and others. He studied law, and 
with such success that in 1865 he was made one 
of the Judges of the Supreme Court. He was 
elected a member of the Legislature in 1844, 
1846 and 1850. During the war he was one of 
the Military Council of Governor Vance. In 
1873 he was a candidate for Congress and de- 
feated by C. L. Cobb. He married Betty, the 
daughter of Colonel Uriah Vaughan of Mur- 
freesboro — to which place he removed ; by his 
general manners and acquirements he always 
enjoyed the regard and esteem of his fellow- 
citizens. 

Jesse J. Yeates was born and raised in this 
county. His father, James Boon Yeates, was a 
farmer, an enterprising and useful man, and his 
grandfather, Jesse Yeates, served in the Revolu- 
tionary war. 



Tl:(' subject of our sketch was born in 1829; 
received a collegiate education, read law with 
Chief Justice Smith and was Solicitor of the 
county from 1855 to i860 — this latter year he 
was elected a member of the Legislature. 

When the Civil war commenced he raised a 
company and was elected Captain ; he was ap- 
pointed Major of the 31st North Carolina Regi- 
ment ; at the battle of Roanoke Island was taken 
prisoner. He was Solicitor of the Judicial Dis- 
trict from 1861 to 1866; and a member of t\ie 
Governor's Council. In 1871 he was elected to 
the State Constitutional Convention ; elected a 
member of the 44th Congress, 1875-77, and 
re-elected to the 45th Congress. 

Major Yeates is much esteemed for his talents 
and ability. He has been twice married; his 
last wife is a daughter of James Scott, by whom 
he has an interesting family. 

Richard Jordan Gatling, the inventor of the 
Gatling gun, is a native of this county, born Sep- 
tember 12, 18 18. His father, Jordan Gatlin, 
was an energetic, enterprising, and skillful 
farmer. He died in April 1848. The primitive 
log house where his son was born still stands, 
in Manney's Neck, near Murfreesboro. 

He received an " old-field school " education 
and was himself a teacher for a while, in one of 
those rudimental institutions. In 1844, he went 
to St. Louis, Missouri, and was employed as 
a clerk in a dry goods establishment. In 1849, 
he studied medicine and attended a course of 
lectures at the Indiana University, as also at 
the Ohio Medical College, and received a di- 
ploma as a physician. He located at Indian- 
apolis, where he married in 1854, the youngest 
daughter of Dr. John H. Sanders. 

The crowning act of his life and of his many 
ingenious inventions, was the production of the 
" machine battery gun," which bears his name, 
theidea of which he conceived in 1861. In 1866 
after repeated trials at Frankford Arsenal, at 
Washington and at Fortress Monroe, this 
weapon was adopted by the United States. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Since its use in the service of his own govern- 
ment, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Austria, Egypt, 
England, China, Japan, and other nations, have 
also recognized its great utility and invested 
largely in its purchase. 

By his inventive genius he has raised himself 
from an obscure log cabin in the wilds of Caro- 
lina, to become an associate of emperors and 
warriors ; and has revolutionized "the world of 
arms" as effectually as the railway has sup- 
planted the stage-coach, or the telegraph the 
one-horse mail line. This affords a lesson to 
the humblest of our nation, that by honest and 
persistent labor he may be the associate as also 
the peer of princes. 

By his genius and industry he has acquired 
fame and fortune. Dr. Catling now resides in 
Hartford, Connecticut, (where his establishment 
is), full of loyal love for the land of his birth, 
and delights to see and talk with any one hailing 
from " the old Niuth Sta/t:'"''- 

Connected with the reminiscences of this an- 
cient borough, occurred a notable event that 
deserves to be recorded. 

In 1825, General Lafayette on an extended 
tour through this country, entered our State and 
his first public reception was at Murfreesboro. 
He was no ordinary visitor, and was the Nation's 
guest. He had aided America to gain its inde- 
pendence, by contributing his substance, enter- 
ing her army, and shedding his blood in 
battling for her cause. Every preparation was 
made to receive the war-worn veteran with open 
arms and hearts. Thomas Manney, then a 
prominent lawyer and since a Judge in Tennessee, 
made the address of welcome. After resting 
here for two days, he passed on to Jackson, 
Northampton County, where he was met by 
Chief Justice Taylor and his companion in arms. 
Colonel William Polk, and by them escorted to 
Raleigh — thence to Fayetteville, and thus from 
State to State. After his tour, he returned to 
his French home, in the new frigate Brandy- 

■'See Potter's Am. Mag., May, 1S79. 



wine, so called in compliment to Lafayette. 
Congress voted him two hundred thousand dol- 
lars and twenty-three thousand acres of public 
land. 

We should do injustice were we not to notice 
the Chowan Baptist Female Institute, located at 
Murfreesboro in this county, which fosters with 
so much assiduity the real interests of society 
and annually sends forth living streams of sci- 
ence, beauty and morality to gladden and 
improve our State. The building was erected 
in 1850-51, it is four stories high, containing a 
spacious chapel, parlor, library, and rooms suf- 
ficient for one hundred pupils. In addition an 
adjacent building for the steward's family, music 
room, and an art gallery. 

It is chiefly patronized by North Carolina 
and Virginia, but occasionally it has had pupils 
from various other States, from Maryland to 
Texas. It has graduated nearly two hundred 
ladies. Rev. A. McDowell, D. D., was placed 
first in charge — and was succeeded by Rev. M. 
R. Forey of New York, who, aided by Dr. G. 
C. Moore, rendered substantial aid in collecting 
funds. In 1854 Dr. Forey was succeeded by 
Rev. William Hooper, who, after remaining a 
few years, was, on account of his health, com- 
pelled to resign, and Dr. McDowell again took 
charge. Under his guidance and aided by an 
able corps of teachers, this excellent institution 
will continue to be a blessing to our country, 
and an ornament of its section. 

Near the town of Murfreesboro in the adja- 
cent county, Southampton, Virginia, on August 
21, 1 83 1, a fearful and bloody insurrection of 
slaves occurred. Nearly one hundred white 
persons were ruthlessly murdered. The negroes 
were led on by Nat Turner, who pretended to 
be a preacher, and under the assumed inspira- 
tion of religion, perpetrated a series of wanton 
murders and robberies. These atrocities quickly 
aroused the whites, and armed forces from North 
Carolina and Old Point were rapidly raised and 
the insurrection subdued. Many of them were 



IIYDK COUNTY. 



223 



taken and executed on the gallows ; not, how- resisted the attack, and Hark was shot by him, 

ever, until many, from the aged matron to the when his followers retreated. For his gallantry on 

lielpless infant, had fallen victims to the be- this occasion, he was honored by General 

sotted blacks. This first attack was led b\' a Jackson with a commission in the Navj'. 
colored man named Hark, on the house of .Si- A sketch of the Wheeler family, who were 

moil ]i!ount, who was, at the time, a helpless long residents of this county, will be found in a 

cripple. Young lilount, his son, a mere j'outh, Memoir of the Author immediate!)- after the 

Preface. 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 



HYI3K COUNTY. 



David Miller Carter was a native of this 
county, though much of his early life was spent 
in Raleigh. He was prepared for college by 
Mr. Lovejoy, and graduated at the University 
in 185 1. He studied law and settled in the 
town of Washington, and formed a partnership 
with Hon. E. J. Warren. He pursued the pro- 
fession with great success. He was a Whig in 
politics, and strongly opposed to the doctrine 
of secession. But when the Federal Govern- 
ment announced the intention to coerce the 
States, he raised a company to serve during the 
war, which formed a part of the 4th North Caro- 
lina Regiment. At the battle of Seven Pines, 
he was severely wounded, so that he was never 
again able to serve in the field. He was 
assigned to duty as one of the three Judges of 
the Military Court of Longstreet's Corps, with 
the rank of Colonel, in which capacity he contin- 
ued until he was elected (1864) by the people of 



Beaufort County to represent them in the House 
of Commons. 

After the war was over he returned to the 
care of his large farming interests and the 
practice of his profession in Washington, where 
he remained until his removal to Raleigh. 

Colonel Carter was a public spirited man. 
He devoted much of his time and energy to 
the cause of education, and especially to the 
University of which he was a steady friend and 
a liberal benefactor, and to the management of 
the Penitentiary, of which he was one of the 
Directors. 

His health gradually failing, he repaired to 
Baltimore for medical aid — but in vain. He 
died at Baltimore on January 7, 1877. He 
married twice, first a daughter of D. P. Perry, 
and second, a Mrs. Benbury, one of the most 
amiable ladies of the State. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



TRKDELL COUNTY. 



Hugh Lawson White, (born 1773, died 
1840,) who became a Judge of the Supreme 
Court of Tennessee and a Senator in Congress, 
was a native of Iredell County. He was of 
Irisli descent. His grandfather immigrated to 
this country about 1742, and left si.x sons: James, 



Moses, John, William, David and Andy — many 
of whose descendants now reside in this county. 
James, the father of Judge White, was a soldier 
of the Revolution. He moved to Knox Coun- 
ty, Tennessee, in 1786, served as a General in 
the Creek War, was distinguished for his integ- 



?24 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



rity, ability and bravery. He bestowed on 
his son every advantage of education. Judge 
White's early education was conducted by Rev. 
Samuel Carrick, Judge Roane, and Dr. Robert 
Patterson of Philadelphia. In 1795, he studied 
law in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the office of 
James Hopkins. After completing his studies, 
he returned home to Tennessee ; where he soon 
acquired fame and fortune in the practice of his 
profession, and at the early age of twenty-eight, 
he was elected Judge of the Superior Court, 
among such compeers as Andrew Jackson, 
Jenkins Whiteside and GeorgeW. Campbell — by 
no means an empty honor ; but in 1807, he re- 
signed this position. Two years afterwards, 
when the Supreme Court was established he was 
unanimously chosen one of the Justices thereof, 
where he presided for six years with great satis- 
faction to the country and honor to himself 
At this time Tennessee severely suffered from 
the hostile devastations of the Creek Indians. 
At this dark and perilous period, when the he- 
roic Jackson was in the midst of a wild territory, 
surrounded by savages, his scanty force dis- 
affected and mutinous, Judge White left the 
Bench, and with only one companion, sought, 
and after great peril and exposure, found tlie 
veteran, Jackson to whom he volunteered his 
services, which were gladly accepted. 

In 1 820 he was appointed by President Mon- 
roe, (with Governor Tazewell of Virginia and 
Governor King of Maine as colleagues,) a Com- 
missioner, under the Convention with Spain, 
which position he held for four years. In 1825 
when General Jackson resigned his seat as Sena- 
tor in Congress, Judge White was unanimously 
elected his successor. He was re-elected in 
1827, and in 1832, when hewas chosen President 
of the Senate. In 1836 he was a candidate for 
President. 
He resigned his seat in the Senate in 1839, 

■Tile vote was as follows : VaiiBuren, 170 ; Harrison, 73 ; 
White, 26 (Georgia and Tennessee); Webster, 14; Mangum, 



having received instructions from the Legisla- 
ture of Tennessee to vote for measures that his 
judgment did not approve. He returned to his 
home at Knoxville, and in the next year, (1840, 
April, ioth,)fuIl of years, honored and esteemed 
for his virtues, universally loved and respected, 
he died. 

William Sharpe, (born 1742, died 1818,) re- 
sided and died in this county. He was the old- 
est son of Thomas Sharpe, and was born in Ce- 
cil County, Maryland. At an early age, he re- 
moved to Mecklenburg County, where he mar- 
ried a daughter of David Reese, one of the de- 
cided patriots of that day, and a member of the 
Convention of May 20th, 1775. 

Mr. Sharpe was a Lawyer by profession. I 
copy from the records of Lincoln County: "At 
January Term, 1785, William Sharpe, Esq., pro- 
duced in opeti Court his license to practice as 
Attorney-at-Law, and was admitted to the 
Bar accordingly." He removed to Iredell 
County, then Rowan County, and was zealous 
and active in the cause of the people. The 
records of the Committee of Safety for Rowan 
County prove his patriotism and courage. He 
was a member of the Provincial Congress which 
met atNewBerne, April, 1775, and at Hillsboro 
in August following, also at Halifax in 1776; 
he was aid to General Rutherford the same year 
in his Campaign against the Indians, and the 
next year with Waighstill Avery, Robert Lan- 
ier and Joseph Winston, he was appointed by 
Governor Caswell to treat with them. 

He was appointed a member of the Conti- 
nental Congress at Philadelphia in 1779, ^"^ 
served till 1782. 

He died in July, 18 18, leaving a widow and 
twelve children. His eldest daughter married 
W. W. P>\vin, of Burke, who was Clerk of the 
Superior Court of that County for many years, 
and the Agent of the State Bank. She was the 
mother of fifteen children. The second, Ruth, 
married Andrew Caldwell of Iredell, who was 



IREDl-.LL COUNTY. 



often a member of the LcLjislaturc, and the 
father of Judge David F. Caldwell, Hon Joseph 
P. Caldwell, and Dr. Elam Caldwell of Lin- 
colnton. 

Dr. Charles Caldwell, an extensive and pop- 
ular writer, professor in Transylvania Univers- 
it\-, and one of the Founders of the Medical 
School at Louisville, was a native of this sec- 
tion. He resided for a time, in his early age, 
near Mount Mourne, in Iredell County. He 
was a man of gigantic proportions and capable 
of great labor, physical and mental. He wrote 
valuable papers on Malaria, Quarantines, Phys- 
ical Education and Phrenology. In the last he 
was an enthusiastic a follower of Combe, Spur- 
ziem and others, and lectured extensively on the 
subject in different sections of the country. 
His tribute to Fisher Ames, in Rees' Encyclope- 
dia, is unrivaled, He wrotea paper on Leibig's 
"Theory of Animal Heat," which utterly refut- 
ed the learned German's theory. 

In 1819, while filling the Chair of Natural 
History in the University of Pennsylvania, he 
published "Life of General Nathaniel Greene," 
which was mercilessly criticized in the North 
American Review, (January, 1825.) He died 
at his residence in the city of Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, in July, 1853. He was probably at the 
time of his death the oldest practicing physi- 
cian in the United States, being 90 years of 
age.- 

David Franklin Caldwell, born 1790, was a 
native of this county, educated at the Univers- 
ity and studied Law with Archibald Henderson 
at Salisbury. He was a Member of the House 
of Commons from this county in 1816, '17, '18 
and '19, and represented Rowan County in the 
Senate in 1829, '30 and '31, of which he was 
chosen Speaker. In 1844 he was elected 
Judge of the Superior Court, the duties of 
which office he discharged with dignity and 
satisfaction. 

-N. C. Uni. Mag. II., 297. 



He died after a short illness, respected and 
esteemed by all who knew hiin. He was twice 
married, first to Miss Alexander, and secondly, 
Mrs. Troy. 

His brother, Hon. Jos. Pearson Caldwell, born 
in 1808, died 1853, was also a native of this coun- 
ty, where he lived and died. He was educated at 
Bethany Academy, and studied Law with Judge 
Caldwell. He was elected Senator in the Leg- 
islature in 1833, '34, and in 183S, '40 and '42 he 
was a Member of the House of Commons. 

He was elected a member of the 31st Con- 
gress, (1849, S'') ^"^ re-elected to the 32nd 
Congress, (185 i and '53.) He was a useful and 
worthy member, universally esteemed for his 
abilities and genial temper. He died suddenly, 
June 30, 1S53. 

Robert Franklin Armfield was born July 9th, 
1S29, near Greensboro, and educated at Trinity 
College, North Carolina. He read law with 
John A. Gilmer, and has been in the continu- 
ous practice of his profession. 

He was a member of the State Convention 
of 1861, which passed the Ordinance of Seces- 
sion, but resigned and went into the 'arm} as 
a subaltern in the 3Sth North Carolina Regi- 
iment, of which he afterwards became Lieu- 
tenant Colonel. He was wounded at the Battle 
of Shepherdstown, (1862). Whilst at home on 
furlough, wounded, he was elected Solicitor for 
the State in the Sixth Judicial District, in 
which capacity he served until removed by 
Governor Holden, in 1865. He has avoided 
political office, declining several nominations to 
the Legislature. He was elected however to 
the Legislature in 1874, as Senator from the 
counties of Iredell, Alexander and Wilkes, and 
here was chosen President of the Senate, and 
ex-officio Lieutenant-Governor of the State. 
He married Miss Mary A. Denny of Guilford, 
and is blessed with a large family. 

David Moffit Furches, Judge of the Superior 
Court, resides in this county. He is a native 
of Davie County, born April 2nd, 1832. Edu- 



226 



whep:lkr's reminiscences. 



cated at Union Academy, he read law with 
Judge Pearson, and settled at Mocksville. He 
was a emmber of the Constitutional Conven- 
tion in 1865, and '66. He removed to Stater- 



ville and was once a candidate for Congress, but 
was defeated by Major Robbins. He was made 
Judge, August, 1875, to fill the vacancy occa- 
sioned by the resignation of Judge Mitchell. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



JOHNSTON, JONKS AND LKNOIR COUNTIKS. 



The same spirit of resistance to the illegal 
exactions of authority, which subsequently ter- 
minated in the battle of Alamanie, was early 
evinced by the bold men of this county. 

I extract from the Public Records in London, 
the following, contained in a dispatch from 
General Tryon to the Earl of Hillsboro : 

"Brunswick, N. C, Dec. 24, 176S. 
■ I will mention another affair which happened 
in August last. A body of about eighty men 
came to the Court in Johnston County, with the 
intention to turn the Justices off the bench, as 
had been done in the spring before, in Anson 
County The Justices thought it prudent (al- 
though the first day of the court) to adjourn the 
court for the term. Upon the notice of their 
approach they collected some gentlemen who 
were friends to the Government, and attacked 
the insurgents with clubs ; and after a smart 
skirmish drove them from the field." 

William A. Smith resides in Johnston county. 
He has only an old field school education, but 
possesses such force of character and common 
sense that has enabled him to attain positions 
of importance and power. He was born in 
Warren County, January 9, 1 828 ; worked on the 
farm till fourteen years of age, when he engaged as 
a hand on the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad. 
Hoping to better his fortunes, he went to Lou- 
isiana, and settled at Shreveport, but he soon 
returned to his native State and settled in 
Johnston County. The people soon discov- 
ered his merits. In 186 1 he became a mem- 



ber of the (Secession) Convention. In 1S64 
elected to the Legislature. In 1865 he was a 
member of the Convention called by Governor 
Holden. In 1868 he was chosen President of 
the North Carolina Railroad. In 1870 he was 
elected by the people a member of the Senate, 
of the Legislature, but was unseated. He was 
elected to represent the Raleigh district in (the 
43rd) Congress (1873-75). After serving in 
Congress for one term he declined a re-election. 

Nathan Bryan represented this, the Newberii 
District in (the 4th and 5th) Congress 1795-99, 
and was a man of great usefulness and piety. 
He was prominent in the Baptist denomination. 
He died while in Congress, at Philadelphia, in 
1798, and was succeeded by Richard Dobbs 
Spaight, Sr. Moore says that he was wealthy 
and talented. 

Hardy B. Croom (born 1798 — drowned Octo- 
ber, 1837) was long a resident of Lenoir County. 
He was born 1798 ; educated at the University, 
where he graduated in 18 17, in the same class 
with John M. Morehead and others. He read 
law with Judge Gaston, and was distinguished as 
a scholar and a gentleman. He represented 
this county in the Senate in 1828. He married 
Miss Smith of NewBerne. On a voyage from 
New York, on the steamer "Home," he and 
his famil)' were drowned, October 9, 1837. 

An interesting question of law arose from this 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



227 



tragic event. If Mr. Croom survived lii.s cliil- 
ciren only for a moment, tlien a large estate went 
to certain heirs ; if not, then, to other heirs. 

William D. Mosely, late Governor of Florida, 
(1845-49) was a native of Lenoir County. He 
was educated at the University, and graduated 
in same class with Robert Donaldson, Thomas 
J. Green, Hamilton C. Jones, Rev. Robert 
Hall Morrison, James K. Polk, Hugh Waddeli, 
and others. He represented the county in the 
Senate for many years, and in 1832 to 1835 was 
elected Speaker of the Senate, and presided with 
great dignity and satisfaction. His ancestors 
are well known in our early History. Edward 
M sely was the Surveyor General of the Provi- 
dence in 1723 and charges against him for 
malfeasance in ofifice were preferred by Sir 
Richard Everhard — as also Burrington the 
Governor. He was one of the Commis- 
sioners with Christopher Gale, William 
Little and Colonel Lovick, to run the divid- 
ing line between Carolina and Virginia. Colo- 



nel Byrd, I'itz Williams and Danridgc, being the 
Virginia Commissioners. 

Hon. George Davis in a late lecture (Novem 
ber, 1879), " -^ Study: Colonial History," 
speaks of Edward Mosely as one of the ances- 
tors of Governor Mosely, as being one of the great 
men of North Carolina; that of all men that 
watched and guided the tottering footsteps of 
our infant State, there was not one, who, in 
intellectual ability, in solid and polite learning, 
in scholarly cultivation and refinement, in cour- 
age and endurance, in high Christian morality, 
in generous consideration for the welfare of 
others, in all true merit, in fine, in all that makes 
a man among men, could equal Edward 
Mosely." 

In 1707 he was Chief Justice, and in 1709, 
being then Surveyor General, was appointed 
with his deputy, John Lawson, to run the 
northern boundary line. 

About 1840 Mr. Mosely removed to Florida, 
where he was much esteemed, and was the iirst 
Governor of the State, from 1845 to 1849. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



I.INCOLN COTINTV. 



There are few portions of North Carolina, 
around which the halo of chivalric deeds and 
unsullied patriotism clusters more brilliantly, 
than this section. The battle of King's Moun- 
tain, Ramsour's Mill, the passage of the Ca- 
tawba by Cornwallis, and the gallant resistance 
and the lamented death of General Davidson ; 
all shed a flood of memories around this region, 
alike interesting and patriotic. But our present 
duties are confined to biographical sketches, 
and we leave this fair field of history for other 
and more competent laborers. 

Among the patriots of our Revolution, none 
deserves our gratitude more than Joseph Gra- 
ham, (born 1759 — died 1836); he was the founder 



of this family in North Carolina. He was a 
native of Penns}lvania, born in Chester Count)-, 
October 1 3, 1 759. His mother was left a widow 
with si.x small children and but slender means. 
He removed to North Carolina, when her son, 
Joseph, was about ten years old, and settled 
near Charlotte. His early education was con- 
nected at the academy in Charlotte, he was 
distinguished for his assiduity and good conduct. 
There studies made him acquainted with the 
history of events and prepared his mind for the 
revolutionary struggle which soon ensued. He 
testified that he was present in Charlotte, May 
20, 1775, when and where the first declaration 
of independence was made, and speaks of the 



228 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



impression made on his mind by the solemn and 
heroic decisions of that day.* 

He enHsted at the age of nineteen years and 
served in the 4th Regiment of North CaroHna 
troops under Colonel Archibald Lytle, and in 
Captain Goodsen's Company. They were 
ordered to rendezvous at Bladensburg in Mary- 
land. On this month they received intelligence 
of the battle of Monmouth and that the British 
had gone to New York, so their services would 
not be needed. He returned home on furlough. 
He was again called into service under General 
Rutherford in 177S ; was in the battle of Stono, 
June 20, 1779. The next year he was seized 
with fever, and after two months' severe illness, 
was discharged near Dorchester, and returned 
home. After recruiting his health, while en- 
gaged in endeavoring to aid his mother in 
support of the family, and was ploughing in 
the field, he heard that the British had defeated 
Colonel Buford at the Waxhaw, and were ap- 
proaching Charlotte; he joined the Mecklen- 
burg Regiment, and was appointed Adjutant of 
the Regiment, which was ordered by General 
Davidson to Charlotte and there join General 
Davie. 

The British Army entered Charlotte, Septem- 
ber 26, 1780, and General Graham was ordered 
to cover the retreat of General Davie. A sharp 
conflict took place about four miles on the road 
to Silisbury, when General Davie's force was 
not within supporting distance. Colonel Locke 
of Rowan was killed and General Graham 

sEx'ract from Declaration of General Joseph Graham, 
sworn to in open C jurt in Lincoln County, North Carolina, 
October 30, 1832, and now on file in the Pension Bureau at 
Washington, D. C , in order to obtain the benefit of the act 
of Congress pafsed June 7, 1S32. 

" The deponent stat&s he has a record of his age; that he 
was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, on October IJ, 
1759— that he removed to Mecl<lcnburg Cnunty, North 
Carolina, when about ten years of age, that he was present 
in Charlotte on the 20th day of Miy\ I775. "'hen the com- 
niittee of the County of Mecklenburg made their cehhrated 
Declaration of Independenee of the British Crown, upwards 
of a year b;fore the Congress of the United .States did at 
Philadelphia— that he resided in Mecklenburg County, 
until June, 1792, and since that time in the County of Lin- 
coln." Let the doubters of this event read this affidavit ! 



received nine severe wounds, the scars of which 
he carried to his grave. 

His life was preserved by a large stock buckle 
which broke the violence of the blow from a 
sabre. He was for two months disabled from 
service. As soon as he recovered from his 
wounds he again entered into the service of his 
country ; he raised a company of mounted rifle- 
men, and joined General Davidson's command, 
which disputed the advance of Lord Cornwallis 
at Cowan's Ford on the Catawba river. His 
command was the first to commence the attack 
on the British troops, which was continued 
until they had crossed. 

It was here, on February i, 1781, that General 
Davidson fell The North Carolina troops under 
General Graham continued to harrass the Brit- 
ish as they proceeded towards Virginia. Gen- 
eral Graham attacked the guard at Hart's Mill, 
near Hillsboro. The same day he was united 
to General Lee's forces and was in that action 
where a large number of Tories, under Colonel, 
or Doctor, Pyles, were defeated. After being 
in several other severe skirmishes, the British 
retired to Wilmington. General Rutherford, 
who had been for some time confined at St. Au- 
gustine as a prisoner of war, taken at Gates' 
defeat, returned to duty and ordered General 
Graham to raise a legion of cavalry, of which 
Robert Smith was Colonel, and Graham the 
Major, and to march on Wilmington. Near 
Fayetteville, he made a gallant and successful 
attack on a body of Tories commanded by the 
noted Tory, McNeil, at McFall's Mill on the 
Raft Swamp, completely defeated him and dis- 
persed his forces, twenty or thirty being killed 
or wounded by the sabre only. 

He surprised and defeated at Alfred Moore's 
plantation, a mile below the ferry at Wilming- 
ton, a band of Tories, and killed and wounded 
twelve of them. He made an unsuccessful 
attack on a British garrison in a brick house 
which covered the ferry opposite Wilmington. 
He was detached by General Rutherford, to a 
place called Seven Creeks, near the South Caro 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



229 



Una line, when he was attacked at midnight by 
the noted Tory, Colonel Gainy. The Tories 
were repulsed by General Graham's forces. 

This detail of the services of General Graham, 
is collected from his declaration, filed October 
30, 1833, in the records of the Pension Bureau 
at Washington to obtain a pension, (No. 17953)- 

This campaign closed the military services of 
General Graham in the Revolutionary War, and 
he retired to private life. He was elected the 
first Sheriff of Mecklenburg County ; and from 
1788 to 1794, with but few intermissions, rep- 
resented this county in the Senate of the 
Legislature. 

In 1 8 14, the war with the Creek Indians was 
raging. General Graham was appointed to 
command a brigade, and marched to the seat of 
war. They arrived just as the final battle of the 
Horse Shoe was fought, which ended the war. 
He was for many years. Major General of the 
5th division of the State Militia. 

In 1802 he addressed the Legislature on the 
subject of organizing the Militia, and on apian 
for a Military Academy, for which he received 
the thanks of the Legislature. This address 
was printed by order of the Legislature. He 
removed in 1792 to Lincoln County, and en 
gaged in the establishment of iron foundries ; 
for more than forty years he conducted this im- 
portant interest with energy and success. 

By a life of industry and temperance he 
enjoyed a "green old age." He died on No- 
vember 12, 1836, and was buried at McPelah, 
in Lincoln County. Over his grave is the fol- 
lowing inscription : 

"Sacred to the memory of Majok General 
Joseph Graham, who died November 12, 1836, 
aged "J"] years. He was a brave, distingushed 
and intelligent officer in the Revolutionary War, 
and in various campaigns from May, 1778 to 
November, 1781 ; commanded in fifteen engage- 
ments with signal courage, wisdom and success. 

"On September 26, i78oafter a gallant defense 
of the ground first consecrated by the Declara- 
tion of American Independence, hewaswounded 
near Charlotte. In 1814 he commanded the 



troops of North Carolina in their expedition 
against the Creek^ Indians. His life was a 
bright and illustrious pattern ol domestic, social 
and public virtue. Modest, amiable, upright 
and pious, he lived a noble ornament to his 
country and a rich blessing to his family, and 
(lied with the hope of a glorious immortality." 

GENEALOGY OF THE GRAHAM FAMILY. 

James Graham emigrated from County Down. 
in Ireland, at the age of 18 years, and settled 
in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the early 
part of the eighteenth century. He also ap- 
pears to have resided for a time in Berks and 
Lancaster Counties. The tradition is that he 
was of the family of the chieftain and hero of the 
same name, who bore such a conspicuous part in 
the military annals of Scotland* in the century 

-The expressirn "niilit.iry .innals of Scotland" is used in 
pref rence to history, for the very good reason tliat the his- 
tories, £0 far, have never done him justice. He lived in tlie 
legends of Scotland, a prcrtotype of that herci (Stonewall 
Jackson) (f a later day, who with a corps but half-armed, 
drove more numerous and finely (quipped foes from the 
field, and. with the captured supplies and arms, so prepared 
his troops for further and greater conquests. Finally yield- 
ing "to supfrior resources," he was told by the executioner, 
that after death he was to be drawn and quartered. He 
calmly replied that he would cheerfully submit to the 
more general distribution of his body, as it might teach 
mankind iluUe et ih-corum fro patria mart, and as a testimo- 
ny of the cause for which he suffered. 

Whilst Cromwell comiuered England against the Stuarts, 
the Marquis conquered Scotland for them, but disgusted 
with the cant of the Praise God Barebones he soon lost all 
sympathy (or them and became their most active foe. The 
Stuarts lost their sceptre by the Revolution of 1688, and 
the memory of James Graham has since then received the 
scant justice allotted to heroes of lost causes "He was 
truly a Christian and a gentleman, and well deserved to 
have his memory preserved and celebrated amongst the 
most illustrious persons of the age in which he lived.". — 
Clarendon's History ■ f the Great Kebellior. Hook XII, 367. 

John Graham, of Claverhouse was of a very difierent char- 
acter, and the odium justly altaching to his name, unre- 
deemed by any marked talents or manly virtues, has misled 
those historiaris, who did not take the trouble to gather 
the evidence from the traditions among those with whose 
ancestors he acted, therefore they pass him over in silence, 
or unjusly condemn him. In these pages we cannot give 
his life, nor does it become important to establish the 
truth of the tradition of the Pennsylvania and North Caro- 
lina Grahams. T5y the table of iheir geneology we find 
that a son of the Pennsylvania J ames Graham called a son 
Robert Montrose, and in thene.xt generation we find |ames 
Monirose Graham and Junius Montrose Graham. John 
Davidson, jr , who died about 1870, aged over ninety years, 
frequently spoke of General Grahams's connection with the 
Duke of Montrose, and the name "Montrose" was greatly 
revered by General Graham. These and other things we 
mention as famiiy traditons and reminiscences. The New 
Berne family of Grahams have a similar tradition, but the 
families are unable to trace back to a common ancestor. 
They are believed, however, to be of the same house. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



preceding, and finally illustrated the sincerity of 
his faith in the conservative princ'ples for 
which he had gained many a brilliant victory in 
the open field, by a death upon the scaffold. 
May 2 1 St, 1650. With the spirit of the pion- 
eer, the young man made his way to the new 
world, relying entirely upon his own exertions. 

He was twice married in Chester. We are 
not informed of the descendants of the first mar- 
riage. 

His second wife was a Mrs Mary Barber, nee 
McConnell, who was remembered by the last 
generation as a lady of culture and piety. She 
survived him, and in 1769, joined the tide of 
emigration southward, with her six children, 
and settled in Mecklenburg County, North Car- 
olina. She was accompanied by her brother in- 
law, Charles Moore, who settled in the adjoin- 
ing county of Lancaster, South Carolina, he 
was the grand-father of the late Governor 
Moore, of Alabama. She was not a disinter- 
ested spectator of the Revolution, which soon 
engaged the attention of the country, but like 
all the other women, about the 'Hornets' Nest," 
upheld its principles from first to last with un- 
flagging zeal. She died July 19th, 1791, and 
was buried at Sugar Creek Church. 

Her children were John ; George ; Joseph ; 

Sarah, married to Allison ; * Anne married to 

Robert Barnctt, who died Septtmber 9th, 1830, 

aged So; and Esther Barber who married Cathey. 

I. John wasagraduateof Liberty Hall, formerly 

■He enlisted under Ji sepli Craham, when a call for vol- 
unteer cavalry was made to nieei the liritish invasion of 1 7S0, 
and was with Davie's rear-guard which successfully repelled 
three charges of Tarleton's Legion (September 26,) on In- 
dependence Square, in Charlotte, North Carolina. During 
the fight, he insisted upon dismounting to t:et a steady aim 
at an offiier, wh' ni he believed was Cornwallis, and was 
only deterred from doing so through the peremptory order 
' to keep the saddle, " enforceil by the Cap-ain drawing 
his •■word up' n him. Nearly a half-century afterwards, so 
Governor William A. Graham was wont to tell, he would 
speak about his disappointed shot with as much feeling as 
if it had but ju-t occurred. 

An hour or -o later, a little beyond Sugar Creek Church, 
the Captain himself was left for dead on tl e field, with 
nine wounds received whilst endeavoring to rescue his gal- 
lant lieutenant, George Locke who had lingere 1 too long 
in maintaining this parthian contest against overwhelming 



called Queen's Museum, in Charlotte; was after- 
wards at Princeton, and received the degree of 
M. D., under Dr. Rush in Philadelphia. He 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary Army, and 
left an interesting diary, which is in the hands 
of the Historical Society of North Corolina. 

He moved to South Carolina, had charge of a 
college on Black (?) River, married a Miss 
Cooper and died without issue. 

Below we present a copy of his diploma at 
Liberty Hall, as a matter of historical interest : 
State ok North Carolina, 1 
Mecklenburg County. J 

This is to certify that Mr. John Graham hath 
been a student in the Academy at Liberty 
Hall, in the State and county above-mentioned, 
the space of four years preceding the date 
hereof, that his whole deportment during his 
residence there was perfectly regular, that he 
prosecuted his studies with diligence, and made 
such acquisitions, both in the Languages and 
Scientific Learning, as gave entire satisfaction to 
his teachers. 

And he is hereby recommended to the friend 
ly notice and regard of all lovers of religion and 
literature wherever he may come. 

In testimony of which this is given at Liberty 
Hall, this 22nd diyof November, 177>S.='- 
Isc Alexander, President. 
Eph. Brevard, \ j^ustees 

Abr'm Alexander, j 

II. George (see sketch), twice married, first to 
a Miss Cathey, second to a Mrs. Potts. He was 
an ensign in the First North Carolina Regiment, 
(James Moore, Colonel,) appointed Sept 1st, 

■'1 he exact date of changing the name would be a preg- 
nant fact. It is certainly improbable that, after that time 
when "in the year 1775, after our Revolution began and 
the principal characters in Mecklenburg County met on 
sundry days in <,)ueer.s's Museum, in Charlotte, to digest 
Articles of a State Constitution in anticipation that the 
province would proceed to do so," the trustees would much 
longer continue to carry the royal name upon an institution 
of learning to which British authority had refused a charter. 
The Articles bear date September 1st, 1775. and were given 
to the public in the same year, (1S37), that Mr. Force discov- 
ered the "full copy of the whole proceedings," (declaration, 
military order, and all in one) as attested and "signed by or- 
der of the committee " This was four years before Dr. 
McNitt's death, and it was Mr. Force's publication, which 
doubtless, brought out his. — R. D. G. 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



231 



1775. Issue were Polly, married to Geo. Cor- 
rith, and Jennie married to Wm. E. McRce. He 
was one of the party of thirteen, who, (in Oc- 
tober 3, 1780, at Mclntire's Creek, seven miles 
north of Charlotte, successfully ambuscaded and 
stampeded a British foraging party of four hun- 
dred and fifty infantry and sixty cavah}-, with 
about forty wagons. Their names are worthy 
of individual mention and are as follows : James 
Thompson, Captain ; Francis Bradley, George 
Graham, James Henry, Thomas Dickson, John 
Dickson, George Houston, Hugh Houston, 
Thomas McLure, John Long, John Robinson, 
George Shipley and Edward Shipley. 

III. Joseph (see sketch) married Isabella 
Davidson. Issue : (a) John Davidson ; (b) So- 
phia; (c) James; (d) Polly; (e) George Frank- 
lin; (f) Violet Winslow Wilson; (g) Mary; (h) 
Robert Montrose; (i) Joseph; (k) Alfred, (1) 
Isabella, married to William Alexander. 

(a) John D. married, first, Elizabeth Conner, 
second, Jane Johnston. Of the first marriage, 
were Mary Anne, married to James H. Orr, of 
Charlotte; Isabella; Chas. C. married Mary E. 
Mebane, of Greensboro — moved to Memphis; 
Malvina S. married John A. Young; Joseph 
Montrose married Mary Washington, of New 
Berne — moved to Camden, Arkansas; Henry 
W., Martha C. married P. K. Rounsaville; Eliza 
D. married John S. Sloan, of Greensboro, North 
Carolina, later of Brenham, Texas; James F. ; 
Hamilton A. married Louise Mason, of Lam- 
pasas, Texas, and Julia A. 

Of the second marriage (a) Robert Clay ; (b) 
Sophia married Dr. John Witherspoon, of Ala- 
bama—issue John; Robert Sidney, M. D., mar- 
ried Mrs . Mary Bratton nee Torrence ; Thomas 
married Kate Hatch; Alfred married Tariffa 
Cocke; Graham; Eliza married Judge Henry 
Goldthwaite, Alabama; Mary married Charles 
Dickey, of Brown Brothers, New York City; 
Louisa married W. H. Anderson, of Mobile; 



(c) James, born in 1793, University in 1814, 
Legislature in 1822-24-28-29, United States 
Congress 1833-45-47-49, died in 185 i. (c) Geo. 
Franklin, University, and M. D., settled in 
Memphis, married Martha Conner— issue; Anne 
Eliza married William Johnston, of Charlotte, 
North Carolina; (f) Violet married Dr. Moses 
Widslow Alexander— issue, James G. ; Junius 
Montrose, Hamilton L. ; Wistar Winslow, Syd- 
enham Benoni married Emma P. Nicholson, 
Captain of Infantry C. S. A., Legislature 1879, 
1S83 ; Dovey married Rev. Mr. Cunningham ; Isa- 
bella Louisa married Dr. William J. Hayes; Em- 
ily; Eliza Rosinda; Mary Sophia; Julia Susan 
married Thomas McGehee Smith; and Alice 
Leonora. 

(g) Mary married Rev. Robert Hall Morrison 
(see sketch) ; (i) Joseph moved to Tennessee, 
married Kimbrough — issue, George C, married 
(i) Alabama Record, (2) Mrs. Perkins, (3) 
Miss Daniels; Albert married Marshall; Joseph 
married Mrs. Alston ; Lydia ; and Sophia mar- 
ried Rutland. 

(m) William A. married Susan, daughter of 
John Washington, of New Berne— issue, Joseph, 
married Elizabeth Hill, (University and M. D., 
Captain and Chief of Division Light Artillery, 
and Surgeon C. S. A.) ; John Washington mar- 
ried Mrs. Rebecca Anderson, nee Cameron, 
Lieut, and A. D. C, Captain and Major of 
Infantry, C. S. A. ; in State Convention from 
Orange in 1868, Legislature in 1871-1876; an 
attorney. 

William A. Jr. married Julia Lane, Univer- 
sity and Princeton, Captain of Cavalry, C. S. 
A., Major and A. A. G. of North Carolina; 
Legislature from Lincoln County in 1874-79. 

James Augustus married Elizabeth Webb, 
University, from private to Captain of Infantry, 
C. S. A.; A. A. & I. G., Cooke's Brigade, 
Legislature from Alamance County in 1871-72, 
an attorney. 



232 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Robert D., University, from private to Cap- 
tain of Infantry, C. S. A., occasionally acting 
Adjutant, and commanding Regiment ; after the 
war finished his university course, and admitted 
to the bar. 

George W., married Sally Shaver, University 
and M. D. ; Augustus W., married Lucy Horner, 
University, an attorney. 

Susan W. married Walter Clark, an attorney 
at Raleigh. 

Wm. A. Graham, (born Sept. 5, 1804, died 
August II, 1875). Of his father we have already 
given a faithful sketch, many of the Revolu- 
tionary incidents of which were obtained 
from his statement, when applying for a pen- 
sion for his military services, which discloses 
his patriotic character. His mother was distin- 
guished for her personal accomplishments and 
beauty* 

He received his early education at the com- 
mon schools of the county and commenced his 
classical education at Statesville, under charge of 
Rev. Dr. Muchat ; here he was noted for his thirst 
for knowledge, and aptitude for learning. Such 
was his desire for books that one of his class- 
mates at the time, says of him, ' ' he was the 
only student I ever knew who would spend his 
Saturdays in reviewing his studies of the past 
week." 

After careful preparation he was sent to the 
University, where he graduated in 1824. This 
was one of the largest and ablest classes ever 
sent forth by the University. It was one of which 
Professors Olmstead and Mitchell declared that 
"Yale might have been proud." Many of them 
afterward won high distinction in political and 
professional life — among these was John Bragg, 
Judge and a Member of Congress from Ala- 
bama; James W. Bryan, eminent as an advocate 
and statesman; Thomas Dews, of Lincoln, a 
son of genius and misfortune ; Mathias E. Manly, 
Judge of Superior and Supreme Courts of North 

'■Much of the material of tliis sketch h.is been g.-ithered from the 
memorial oration on "Tlie life and character of Mr, Graham, by 
Montford McGhee (1876;. 



Carolina, (who divided with Governor Graham 
the highest honors of the class) ; A. D. Sims, 
member of Congress from South Carolina, 
1845-48; and others. His collegiate career was 
marked by obedience to rules, and habits of 
diligent study. 

He read law with Judge Ruffin and was ad- 
mitted to its practice in 1826. He selected Hills- 
boro as a residence and here he came in compe- 
tition with such legal athletes as Ruffin, Murphy, 
Mangum, Nash, and Badger, all of whom at- 
tained positions as Judges. Against such giants 
in the profession Mr. Graham had to contend, 
and such was his assiduity, his high mental ac- 
quirements, his perseverence and labor, that he 
arose to the front rank, and was retained in all 
the most important cases in this circuit. For 
forty years he maintained this high position. 
As an equity lawyer he was pre-eminent. In 
1833-34-35 he was a member, from Hillsboro, 
of the House of Commons, and from 1834 to 
1840, elected from the County of Orange, and 
for the two last years was elected Speaker. His 
labors were incessent, as were his efforts for the 
welfare of his country. But his talents were 
soon to be transferred to the National Legisla- 
ture. A political revolution in the State in 1840 
brought about vacancies in the representation of 
the State in the Senate of the United States. 
Judge Strange, under instructions of the Leg- 
lature had resigned his seat, as did also 
Bedford Brown. Mr. Mangum and Mr. Gra- 
ham were elected their successors. This was a 
perilous time in political warfare. Mr. Graham, 
although among the youngest members of the 
Senate, bore himself with such dignity as to se- 
cure the attention and the respect of this distin- 
guished body composed of such illustrious men 
as Clay, Calhoun, Webster, Buchanan, Wright, 
and others. His speeches on the "Loan Bill," 
the "Apportionment Bill," and other measures, 
attracted the attention and the admiration of the 
country. 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



233 



On the expiration of his term (March 3, 
1843) another revolution in politics occurred and 
Mr. Haywood was elected his successor. 

In 1844, he was nominated by the Whig 
party as a candidate for Governor of the State. 
His opponent was Michael Hoke of Lincoln 
County. They were both natives of the same 
county ; both in the prime of manhood, both of 
fine address, of large political experience, and 
both stood high in the forum and at the bar, 
as also in the affections of their party. The 
campaign was actively carried on, with unsur- 
passed ability — Mr. Graham was elected. His 
administration was so acceptable, that he was 
re-elected by an increased majority over Louis 
D. Henry. During his two terms, the State 
made large and important progress in all her 
substantial interests. 

In 1848 he delivered an address, before the 
Literary Societies at the University, remem- 
bered as a solid and practical production. 

In 1852, he addressed the New York Histor- 
ical Society on the British invasion of North 
Carolina, in 1780-81, which was an able and 
accurate exposition of the services and suffer- 
ing of North Carolina, in that perilous ordeal. 
In i860 he delivered an address, at Greensboro, 
on the life of General Nathaniel Greene and the 
Revolutionary events of the State, in aid of 
the erection of a monument at that place, to 
General Greene. 

In 1866 he delivered a discourse in memory 
of the life and character of Hon. George E. 
Badger, which was an able and faithful portrait 
of that distinguished advocate and statesman. 
He also delivered an address upon the life of 
Hon. Thomas Ruffin. In 1875 he addressed 
the citizens of Charlotte, on the "Mecklenburg 
Declaration of Independence" of May 20, 1 775 ; 
an exhaustive, unanswerable argument, proving 
to the candid reader, beyond all cavil or question, 
the authenticity of that memorable and patri- 
otic document, and that no historical event is 
better established. Upon these, chiefly rests 



his fame as a writer and as an author. It is to 
be regretted that he did not leave a more ex- 
tended record of his researches and knowledge 
as a historian. No one was more familiar with 
every event connected with the history of the 
country than was Governor Graham. He was 
at the time of his death, the President of the 
North Carolina Historical Society. 

After his term as Governor had expired, he 
was tendered by the President, the Mission to 
Russia, or to Spain ; but as he had no desire to 
leave the country, these were declined. 

On the accession of Mr. Fillmore to the 
Presidency (1850) he was tendered a seat in his 
Cabinet, which he accepted. His first report, 
as Secretary of the Navy, is dated November 
20, 1850, and received the admiration and sanc- 
tion of the country. He projected and carried 
out the expedition to Japan under Commodore 
Perry. Its success has marked an epoch in the 
history of the age. It opened to commerce a 
trade, before closed to the world, and established 
friendly relations of an enduring character with 
that extensive empire. 

Another expedition was sent out in 1851, 
under Governor Graham's administration of the 
Navy Department — the exploration of the 
valley of the Amazon, by Herndon and Gibbon. 

The labors of Governor Graham as Secretary 
of the Navy, were closed by his nomination, in 
June 1852, as Vice President, on the ticket with 
General Winfield Scott as President ; but the 
election was in favor of General Franklin Pierce. 
Governor Graham was again a member of the 
Senate in the- Legislature of 1854. The ques- 
tion, known as Free Suffrage, was the great 
question of the session. Governor Graham 
was opposed to the manner of the change by 
legislative enactment, and advocated a conven- 
tion. 

The close of Mr. Buchanan's administration 
brought signs ominous to the tranquility of the 
country. The clouds had been gathering, dark 
and heavy and were ready to burst. The elec- 



234 



whf:eler'S reminiscences. 



tion of a sectional President was considered by 
many, and specially by South Carolina, a reason 
for secession, and on December 20, i860, that 
State held a convention which declared the con- 
nection of that State with the Union dissolved, 
and proceeded to place the State in an attitude 
hostile to the United States. This example 
was followed by other States south of her. 

North Carolina's Legislature directed the 
question of calling a convention to be submitted 
to the people. The press, and the people were 
much exercised on this momentous question. 
The meeting of the people was largely attended, 
and addressed by the ablest statesmen, as Mr. 
Badger, Governors Morehead, and Graham, 
in opposition to secession. The people with 
just unanimity declared against calling a con- 
vention. But when (April 19, 1861) Sumter 
was fired upon, and surrendered to the Confed- 
erate Army, the "Northern heart was fired." 
./ On the 15th Lincoln had called for 75,000 
troops ; then the whole Southern section became 
aroused, the glorious summer time of peace gave 
place to the wintry blasts of war and discontent. 
Virginia seceded. This placed North Carolina 
in such a position that she must cither join in a 
war against her neighbors and sisters, or unite her 
fortunes with them and share their fate. She 
did not now hesitate in her decision. Influ- 
enced by their views, a convention was called, 
which met on a day memorable in her history 
(May 20, i86i). and passed an ordinance of 
secession from the Federal Union, by a unani- 
mous vote; the 20th of June of that year saw 
North Carolina a member of the Confederacy. 
To this measure Governor Graharn made a strong 
but fruitless opposition. He wished the State 
to hold her destinies in her own hands, that she 
might act as the exigencies of the hour should 
require. He was eminently conservative in his 
views. He it was who opposed an ordinance to 
define and punish treason, in a speech of great 
power and matchless eloquence. 

He was calm and considerate whilst the tem- 



pests howled around him, and the signals of war 
burned in every beacon height. 

In December, 1863, Governor Graham was 
elected to the Confederate Senate by a majority of 
two-thirds of the Legislature, and took his seat 
in May, 1864. This was a perilous period for the 
Confederate cause, and it needed all the counsel, 
comfort and support that could be afforded. 
The brilliant success of early years of the war 
had been followed by a succession of defeats 
and disasters. The battle of Gettysburg, that very 
Waterloo of the war, had been fought and lost 
to the Confederates ; Vicksburg had fallen, and 
the armies of the North had cut the South in 
twain. Sherman had made his ' ' march to the 
sea," his track was marked by rapine and deso- 
lation. Ihe force opposed to the South, was 
as seven to one.* It had become plain that the 
war could not be longer successfully prosecuted 
by the South. 

In this cloud of gloom, a ray of hope appeared 
in the form of a conference at Hampton Roads, 
between Lincoln and the Confederate Commis- 
sioners ; this took place on February 3, 1865. 
The terms offered by Mr. Lincoln were, that 
the seceded States should return to the Union, 
with slavery as it was ; but that slavery was 
liable to be abolished by an amendment to the 
Constitution. The Southern Commissioners 
demanded independence. There could be no 
compromise reached, and the conference ended. 
On their return, the commissioners, Mr. Davis 
and Mr. Benjamin, made speeches to the public, 
but they seemed fiat, almost insipid. The tenor 
of the speeches rriade by Mr. Davis and Mr. 
Benjamin, showed that they were not based upon 
a realization of .the facts of the case, but Mr. 
Graham did realize the true condition of affairs 
in all its force. His letters, published in " The 
Last Ninety Days of the War, "show how clearly 
his vision swept the political horizon. The Con- 

*The whole number of Confederates surrendered, includ- 
ing Lee's command, amounted to 150,000. The whole 
number of Federals amounted to 1,050,000. (Stephens' Hist. 
U. S., p. 161). 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



235 



gress of the Confederacy adjourned March i6, 
1865. Governor Graham returned home, and 
had a long conference with Governor Vance. 

He laid before the Governor the views of the 
President, the state of the Army, and recom- 
mended that the Legislature be convened. He 
stated that Richmond would soon fall, and that 
Lee's Army would be disbanded for want of 
food, if for no other cause. The Governor 
agreed to summon his council, but the advance 
of Sherman into North Carolina, hastened the 
collapse of the Confederacy and decided events. 

On Saturday, April 8, 1865, Governor Swain 
wrote to Governor Graham to meet him at 
Raleigh to confer with Governor Vance. Gov- 
ernor Graham replied on the same day in a long 
letter. Some difference of opinion as to the 
true version of this interview between Governor 
Vance and Governor Graham, exists up to this 
time; in this we take no part. "The Last 
Ninety Days of the War," gives the corres- 
pondence on this subject. 

The surrender left the State under tne control 
of the Federal Generals. Governor Vance was 
arrested and brought to Washington as a pris- 
oner. A provisional Governor was appointed 
with power to call a convention. A constitu- 
tion was prepared, but it was not accepted by 
the people. Mr. Graham opposed its ratifica- 
tion. The "Reconstruction Measures" were 
now passed and suffrage was adjusted on a new 
basis ; all the black adult males were enfran- 
chised, and a large portion of the white race was 
disfranchised. Under this adjustment, a new 
convention was called, and a new constitution 
adopted. In this disordered state of affairs, a 
convention of the Conservative party of North 
Carolina, was called. It met in Tucker Hall, 
Raleigh, on February 10, 1868 ; Governor Gra- 
ham presided and spoke at length on the state 
of the country. 

He denounced the " Reconstruction Meas- 
ures," as "outside the constitution," and with 
dauntless spirit maintained the true principles 



of government. The effect of this address 
was to arouse the people from their despondency, 
and infuse new life within them. From that 
day the Democratic Conservative party dates 
its existence. In a short time, this party gained 
possession of the Legislature, and has retained 
it ever since. 

The Convention of 1865, had directed that 
the Legislature should be called, and so it met in 
the winter of that year. Governor Graham was 
elected from the county of Orange, but not 
being enfranchised, was not allowed to take his 
seat. He was, however, elected by that Legis- 
lature to the United States Senate, by a large ma- 
jority. He repaired to Washington and offered 
his credentials — which were laid on the table. 
He presented a respectful and manly memorial, 
but was not permitted to take his seat. 

The State of North Carolina, in 1870, was 
the theatre of scenes, unparalleled in American 
History. The authority of the reconstructed 
government had been in existence for two years 
— and peacefully submitted to. Acts of a 
" wild species of justice," occurred in the coun- 
ties of Alamance and Caswell, but they were 
few, and no where took the form of resistance 
to law. These were deplored by all prudent, 
thoughtful men. The Governor by proclama- 
tion declared " these counties in a state of 
insurrection." He sent troops into these coun- 
ties, who arrested and imprisoned leading 
citizens, without charge, or without process of 
law. Measures were commenced to organize 
Courts Martial for their trial. 

Recourse was had to the //a/vas corpus, "the 
great writ of right" among all English speak- 
ing people. The Chief Justice (Pearson) was 
applied to and he promptly issued the writ, but 
owing to the action of the Governor, he (Pear- 
son) declared ' ' the power of the Judiciary 
exhausted." A petition for redress was then 
made to Judge Brooks, of the United States 
District Court, who ordered the writ to be 
issued, the prisoners were brought before him, 



236 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



after hearing, patiently, argument on both sides, 
were discharged. The question of jurisdiction 
was argued by Governor Graham. Judge 
Brooks' action did much to re-kindle the affec- 
tion of the people towards the National Gov- 
ernment. For his course in this unhappy event, 
on December 14, 1870, a resolution was passed, 
"impeaching the Governor, W. W. Holden, of 
high crimes and misdemeanors;" on December 
22, the Senate was organized as a court, and sat 
for^forty days, — Governor Graham being the first 
counsel on the part of the Managers. Holden was 
found guilty, was ' ' deposed from office and dis- 
qualified to hold any office of profit or trust in 
the State." The first State to rid herself of a 
Governor in this way. 

In 1867, Governor Graham was selected by 
its munificent donor, one of the Trustees to 
distribute the princely charity of George Pea- 
body, for educational purposes. 

Governor Graham, although selected as one 
of the almoners of the Peabody educational 
fund, had always been the constant and devoted 
friend of education. Especially was he unre- 
mitting in his efforts in favor of the University. 
He attended all its commencements, and was 
active in its behalf. 

Some time after this he received an additional 
testimonial of the high esteem in which he was 
held by States, as well as by individuals. The 
boundary line between Maryland and Virginia, 
had been undefined, and he was selected by 
Virginia as one of the arbitrators. Several 
meetings took place between him and the arbi- 
trator selected by Maryland, but the matter 
was unsettled at the date of his death. 

A meeting of the boundary commissioners 
had been appointed to take place at Saratoga 
Springs in New York, in August, 1875. From 
his constant and severe labors at the bar, his 
friends felt that he was overtaxing his strength. 
Symptoms developed themselves showing a 
disease of the heart, and created serious appre- 
hensions. He went to Saratoga accompanied 



by Mrs. Graham and his youngest son. For 
several days he appeared in his usual health, 
but he was attacked with great severity at night, 
and all that science and affection could suggest, 
proved unavailing. He expired on August 11, 

1875. 

The intelligence of his death created a pro- 
found sensation throughout the country. His 
remains were borne in sorrow to his home at 
Hillsboro. Meetings of the bar, of States, of 
political opponents as well as friends in Mary- 
land, Virginia, Washington City, and elsewhere, 
were held, to express their great estimate of the 
illustrious dead, and the deep regret at his loss. 

His knowledge of men and books was deep 
and varied. Whatever he professed to know he 
knew thoroughly, and what he wished to know, 
he rapidly acquired and exhausted. In the 
character of his mind he was more solid than 
showy. His imagination never run riot with 
his judgment. In his addresses or speeches, 
one may look in vain for any gay and gorgeous 
flowers of literature scattered around his path, 
but his power lay in solid argument and in the 
broad and plain road of reason. He possessed 
but little of that power which is often indulged 
in by an impassioned speaker and which passes 
like an electric shock, to the minds of his hearers, 
bearing them along in the very torrent, tempest, 
and whirlwind of passion. He rather let dis- 
cretion be his tutor, and he never overstepped 
the modesty of nature, in his addresses. This 
moral and mental equilibrium, was doubtless 
attributable to the Scotch-Irish blood that he 
inherited. As an orator, he resembled rather 
the massive solid Doric column, with but little 
or no Corinthian ornament. 

Such was William A. Graham. 

We have now endeavored to trace the career 
of Governor Graham from his cradle to his 
grave. Most of our people have seen, known, 
and admired him. In person he was of a tall 
and commanding presence, — as Mr. McGehee 
expresses it, " the ideal of the patrician." His 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



237 



face and figure were so agreeable that nature 
bestowed on him, as Lord Chesterfield expresses 
it, "a perpetual letter of recommendation." 
His manners, always modest, were kind and 
genial, and friendly, yet forbidding any famili- 
arity ; he was always dignified and self possessed. 

Of the large family left by Governor Graham, 
many have already made their mark ; among 
them, his son William A. Graham, Jr. He 
was born in Hillsboro, on December 26, 1839 ; 
educated at the University, and at Princeton, 
where he graduated in 18C0. 

He entered the Army as a First Lieutenant 
of Company K, Second North aCrolina Cav- 
alry, and in May, 1862, was promoted to a 
Captaincy, and was at Gettysburg, July 30, 1863, 
where he was wounded. After this he was 
Assistant Adjutant General, in which capacity 
he served during the war. In 1874, he was 
elected to the State Senate from Lincoln and 
Catawba counties receiving every vote cast in 
the two counties, and was re-elected from the 
same district, August, 1876. His name was 
canvassed for Congress as a suitable successor 
of Honorable Walter L. Steele. 

Major Graham married in 1864, Julia, daugh- 
ter of John W. Lane, of Amelia County, Vir- 
ginia, by whom he has an interesting family. 

John Washington Graham, son of William 
A, Graham, was born in Hillsboro, July 22, 
1838. He was educated at the Caldwell Insti- 
tute and the University, where he graduated in 
1857, in same class with A. C. Avery, George 
M. Duskin, William H. Jordan and others. 
He served for two years as tutor, at the same 
time studying law under Judge Battle and S. F. 
Phillips. He entered the army as a subaltern in 
the 27th North Carolina Regiment, and was pro- 
moted to the rank of major. He was wounded 
and taken prisoner at Petersburg. In 1S65 he 
was Solicitor of Orange county, and served for 
three years. He was elected in 1878 to the 
Constitutional Convention, and to the Senate in 
1868-70-76. In 1872, was the unsuccessful 



nominee of the Democratic party for Treasurer. 
He married Rebecca, daughter of Paul C. Cam- 
eron, Esq. 

General George']' Graham (born 1758 — died 
1826), was a brother of General Joseph Gra- 
ham, and the uncle of Governor William A. 
Graham. lie was a native of Pennsylvania, 
and came with a widowed mother and four 
others to North Carolina, when only six years 
of age, 

He was educated at Charlotte and was distin- 
guished for his assiduity and noble traits of 
character. He was devoted to the cause of his 
country's freedom ; in 1775 he with a few others 
rode all night to reach Salisbury, there seized the 
Tory lawyers, Dunn and Koothe, and carried 
them to Camden, South Carolina, where they 
were imprisoned. 

He was, while the British were encamped at 
Charlotte, active in attacking their foraging 
parties, and rendered their^^supplies precarious 
and hazardous. 

He was a Major General of the Militia, often 
a member of the Legislature, and for a long 
time Clerk of the Court of Mecklenburg 
County. He died, March 29, 1826, and lies 
buried in Charlotte. The marble that" covers 
his grave bears the following : 

" Sacred to the memory of Major General 
George Graham, who died March 29, 1826, in 
the sixty-eighth year of his age. 

He lived for more than a half of a century, in 
the vicinity of this place, and was an active and 
zealous defender of his country's rights in the 
Revolutionary War ; and one of the gallant 
twelve, who dared to attack and actually drove 
400 British troops at Mclntire's, seven miles 
south of Charlotte on October 3, 1780. George 
Graham filled many high and responsible public 
trusts, the duties of which he di.scliarged with 
fidelity. He was the people's friend, not their 
flatterer, and universally enjoyed theunlimited 
confidence of his fellow-citizens. " 

Genealogy of the Brevard Family. 

The Brevard family, — this name was distin- 
guished in the RevolutionaryjWar, for its devo- 
tion to the cause of liberty. It is of Huguenot 



2.^8 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



origin. The Edict of Nantz, which granted 
toleration in religion to France, was repealed in 
1685, by Louis XIV, letting loose the blood- 
hounds of persecution thereby. Thousands 
fled to America for safety and freedom of con- 
science. Speaking of one of these refugees 
(Pierce Bowdoin) in a lecture before the Maine 
Historical Society at the commencement of 
Bowdoin College, in 1849, Mr. Robert Win- 
throp says : 

" He was one of that noble set of Huguenots 
of whom Caspar de Coligny, the gallant admi- 
ral who filled France with the glory of his 
name, was one of its most devoted disciples, and 
one of its most lamented martyrs ; which race 
has given to our land, blood every way worthy 
to be mingled with the best that has ever flowed 
either in the veins of Southern cavaliers, or 
Northern puritans. He was of that noble stock 
that gave three out of the five Presidents to the 
old ongress of the Confederation; and_ which 
gav_ to South Carolina, her Lawrences, her 
Marions, her Hugers, and her Marigalts ; her 
Jays to New York ; her Boudinots to New Jer- 
sey ; and her Dexters, and Faneuil, with the 
cradle of liberty to Massachusetts." 

And he might have added, her Brevards, with 
the first declaration of independence to North 
Carolina. Of such stock sprung the Brevards ' 
of our State. 

The first of this family, of whom much is 
known, left his native land, on the revocation 
of the Edict of Nantz (16S5) and went to the 
north part of Ireland where he became intimate 
with the family of McKnitts. 

He is the first to whom the name can now be 
traced; was a Huguenot, who fled from France 
in the revocation of the Edict of Nantz in 1685, 
and settled among the Scotch-Irish in the north 
of Ireland. He came to Elk river, in Maryland, 
in company with the family of McKnitts, one of 
whom he subsequently married- — issue, i. John, 
2. Robert, 3. Zebulon, 4. Benjamin, 5. Adam, 
and 6. Elizabeth. 

The three elder brothers with their sister 
came to North Carolina, between 1740 and 
1750. 



I. John married a sister of Dr. Alexander 
McWhorter, from New Jersey, and settled near 
Center Church in Iredell County, — issue, (a) 
Mary, (b) Ephraim, (c) John, (d) Hugh, (e) 
Adam, (f) Alexander, (g) Robert, (h) Benja- 
min, (i) Nancy, (k) Joseph, (1) Jane, (m) Re- 
becca. 

(a) Mary, Married General William Davidson, 
who was killed in the Battle at Cowan's Ford, 
February i, 1781 — issue, William Lee Davidson, 
who married Betsy, daughter of Major John 
Davidson (q. v.). Margaret married Rev. Finis 
Ewing, to whom were born, Hon. Ephraim Bre- 
vard Ewing, (Judge of Supreme Court of Mis- 
souri — a large connection still living, to which 
belongs the wife of Senator Francis Marion 

Cockrell), and George Davidson married 

Mushat. 

(b) Ephraim, author of " a more formal de- 
claration" than the Davie copy of the original, 
married a daughter of General Thomas Polk, 
and is buried beside his wife in Charlotte. He 
was a graduate of Princeton and a member of 
the medical profession, issue, Martha married 
Dickerson of South Carolina — believed to be 
the same that was killed in a duel by Andrew 
Jackson, — to whom were born, James P. 
Dickerson, Lieutenant Colonel, Palmetto Regi- 
ment, fell in storming a fort in the attack upon 
City of Mexico. 

(d) Hugh, Legislature from Iredell, 1780-81. 

(e) Adam, an attorney at Statesville, married 
Sally Harper ; went with the first troops from 
North Carolina to Washington's army, where 
he served a year ; afterwards in battle of Ram- 
sour's Mill, &c. — had issue, (i) Rebecca married 

McRea, to whom was born Rev. J. M. Mc- 

Rea, now of Salem, Indiana. (2) Sally mar- 
ried John, son of Major John Davidson (q. v.) 
and father of Matthew, whose son is Hon. R. 
H. M. Davidson, the Member of Congress from 
Florida. 

(f ) Alexander married Rebecca, daughter of 
Major John Davidson — issue, (i) Eliza married 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



239 



Wm. Edward' ILij-nc of South Carolina, who 
had Colonel Isaac llayne, of Charleston, At- 
torney General, Commissioner from South Caro- 
lina to Washington City, 1861; a daughter, 
married Judge Butler of South Carolina ; a 
daughter married Martin ; and a daughter who 
married Taylor. 

(2) Ephraim. 

(3) Franklin married Margaret Conner. 

(4) Robert married Harriet Davidson, and to 
them were born Ephraim Jr. and Alexander F". 

(5) Harriet married Major Daniel M. Forney, 
(see Genealogy of Forney family). To these were 
born Eloise married to General Jones Withers of 

Mobile, Alabama ; Mariah married Judge 

Moore of Alabama; Alexander B,; Harriet; 
Mason ; Susan, wife of Dr. B. C. Jones of Ala- 
bama ; and Emma, wife of Col. M. Smith of 
Alabama. 

(6) Theodore married Caroline Mays, and to 
them were .born, Theodore Jr., Brigadier Gen- 
eral, Confederate States Army, a lawyer at Tal- 
lehassee, married Mary, daughter of Governor 
Call of Florida, and had Caroline and Robert ; 
Ephraim, a surgeon. Confederate States Army ; 
Robert, M. D. married Mary Stoney. 

(7) Joseph married Hopkins of South 

Carolina, no issue. 

(8) Mary married Professor Brumby of South 
Carolina College, aad had Alexander Brevard, 
Mrs. Russell, Mrs. Glover, Mrs. Dr. Gaston, 

Haywood Glover, Ephraim, Mrs. married 

McConnell. 

(i ) Nancy married Jtidge Davidson, and both 
were killed by Indians at the head of the Ca- 
tawba river. 

(k) Joseph married Rebecca, (daughter of 
Captain Ely Kershaw, 2d South Carolina Reg- 
ulars in war of 1776, captured at Charleston, 
and died, a prisoner at Bermuda in 178 1), a 
Lieutenant of the Continental line, at the age of 
seventeen, and served until the close of the war 
of 1776; settled in Camden, South Carolina, 
Attorney, Judge, and author of Digest of Stat- 



ute Laws of South Carolina. He had issue: Mrs. 
Kershaw, to whom were born, J. B. Kershaw, a 
Major General, Confederate States Army ; 
Attorney, and Judge Superior Court in South 
Carolina, (now of Camden, South Carolina). 
Joseph had also the following children : 

(1) Dr. Alfred Brevard, who married the 
daughter of Duncan McRea, and died in 1836, — 
issue, Edward; Alfred (C. S. A.), and Harriet 
McRea, of Camden. Alfred left one daughter, 
Harriet, also resident of Camden. 

(2) S.irah Taylor married Benjamin T. Elmore, 
brother of United States Senator, — issue, Au- 
rora (wife of Colonel Jones, Treasurer of the 
University of the South, Suwanee, Tennessee); 
Sarah F. , wife of Charles S. Richardson, son of 
Governor John P. Richardson of South Caro- 
lina ; and Edward Brevard Elmore of Alabama ; 
(3) Eugene ; (4) Edward ; and (5) Joseph). 

(1) Jane married Ephraim, a brother of Ma- 
jor John, and son of Robert Davidson of Chest- 
nut Level, Chester County, Pennsylvania. 
Though only a boy, was courier to General 
William Davidson, in the Cowan's Ford cam- 
paign. 

(m) Rebecca married Jones, and moved 

to Tennessee. 

John Brevard was too far advanced in years, 
when the Revolutionary War commenced, to be 
in active service, yet he possessed, and instilled 
in his children, that great love of liberty and 
the rights of the people which possessed his soul. 
So public and notorious was his attachment to 
the cause of Independence and his opposition 
to tyranny, that when the British Army came 
to his house, and they found no one there except 
his wife, an old lady, — his house and every out- 
house was burned to the ground. No other 
reason was given for such outrage, than that 
" she had eight sons in the Rebel Army." 

We regret that we have not been enabled to 
obtain more extended information as to the 
head of this family. The best efforts we have 
made have been to secure information and more 



240 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



accurate genealogical knowledge of date of 
births, deaths, and services of the different mem- 
bers of this distinguished family. The name has 
been worthily bestowed one of our loveliest 
mountain villages, the capital of Transylvania 
County. 

We have from a reliable source, the names of 
each of the descendants, and have presented 
them to our readers, and now shall take them up 
in these sketches, with such information as we 
have been able to procure. 

I. Mary Brevard the oldest daughter of John 
Brevard, married General William Davidson, 
born 1746 — killed, February i, 1781, whose 
name is worthy of the memory and gratitude of 
every true North Carolinian, for he sealed with 
his life blood, his devotion to the cause of lib- 
ertj', and independence. 

He was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 
Lancaster County, and immigrated to North 
Carolina in 1750. 

He was educated at the Academy at Char- 
lotte. When the war of the Revolution began, 
the Provincial Congress at Halifax on April 22, 
1776, placed the State on a war footing, by 
raising four additional regiments to the two 
already in the Continental service. Of the 
4th, Thomas Polk was madeColonel,and William 
Davidson, Major; and forming a part of a brig- 
ade which marched under command of Briga- 
dier Nash to join the Grand Army of the North 
under Washington ; it was for three years under 
the eye of that great chief, and participated 
in the battles of Brandywine, September, 1777, 
Germantown, October, 1777, and Monmouth, 
June, 1778. 

The North Carolina troops were sent in No- 
vember, 1779, to reinforce the Southern Army, 
commanded by Major General Lincoln at 
Charleston. 

There are no particulars recorded of the ser- 
vices of Davidson in the actions of Brandywine, 
Monmouth, or Germantown, and such has been 
the carelessness or neglect, as to North Caro- 



lina, that the student of history may look in 
vain, for any statement or notice of the troops 
of North Carolina, except that General Nash 
was killed at Germantown, and that Colonels Polk 
and Buncombe were wounded. But the brigade 
of North Carolina troops was, unquestionably, 
a part of the Army, and bravely performed its 
duty.* 

Previous to this event, he had been promoted 
to the command of a regiment. As he passed 
through North Carolina, Davidson obtained 
permission to visit his family, which he had not 
seen for nearly three years. The delay pro- 
duced by this visit, saved him from captivity, 
for on his arrival at Charleston, he found it so 
closely invested that he was prevented from join- 
ing his regiment. Lincoln surrendered May 12, 
1770. Davidson returned home and raised troops 
to suppress the Tories, who, encouraged by the 
approach of the British, had become daring, 
desperate and dangerous. At Calson's Mill, he 
encountered a strong force of Tories, gave them 
battle and a severe engagement occurred in 
which Davidson was dangerously wounded by 
a ball passing entirely through his body ; this 
kept him from the field for two months. On 
his recovery he immediately went into active 
service, now promoted to be a Brigadier in 
place of General Rutherford, who was taken 
prisoner at Camden. He was active with Sum- 
ter and Davie, in checking the advance of the 
British troops. To that intent he posted his 
command at Cowan's Ford, on the Catawba. 
At daybreak, February i, 1781, the British 
Army, under Lord Cornwallis, commenced 
crossing. The picket of General Davidson, 
challenged the enemy, and receiving no answer, 
fired. 

Lord Cornwallis had his horse killed under 
him ; Colonel Hall was killed, also three privates, 
and thirty-six wounded. General Davidson, in 

2M;imiscript letter of Governor Graham, 1823; supple- 
ment to Lee's Memoirs ; Washington's papers ; Letters 
December, 1779-1 780 to Lafayette. 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



241 



riding from the point where he expected the 
enemy to cross to the place where they did, 
was fired upon, a rifle ball passed through 
his heart and he fell dead from his horse. As 
the British only had muskets, and the Tories 
rifles, and he was slain b_\' a rifle shot, it is be- 
lieved he fell by the hand of a Tory. '' 

General Henry Lee in his "Memoirs of the 
War," says: 

"The loss of General Davidson would have 
always been felt at any stage of the war. It 
was particularly detrimental in its effect at this 
period, as he was the chief instrument relied 
upon, by General Greene for assembling of the 
militia. 

' ' A promising soldier, was lost to his country, 
in the meridian of life, and at a moment when 
his services would have been highly beneficial 
to her. He was a man of popular manners, 
pleasing address, active and indefatigable." 

The Congress of the United States in 17S1, 
passed a resolution to erect a monument to his 
memory, but it has never been done. Tradi- 
tion says that Richard Barry, one of the signers 
of the Mecklenburg Declaration, and David 
Wilson bore his body away and buried it by 
torchlight, in the graveyard o^ Hopewell 
church : 

*' We buried iiini darkly at dead of night, 
The sod with our bayonets turning, 
By the str.iggling moonbeam's misty light, 
And our torches dimly burning." 

Many of General Davidson's descendants still 
live in this region, honored and respected. A 
county embalms his name, and a flourishing 
institution of learning perpetuates his memory. 

II. Dr. Ephraim Brevard was the eldest son of 
John Brevard. When a boy, he had the mis- 
fortune to lose one of his eyes. His education 
was not neglected, however, and after a course of 
preparatory studies, he entered Princeton Col- 
lege, New Jersey. He studied medicine, and 
settled in Charlotte as a practicing physician. 
Here by the amiability of his manners, his 
superior qualifications and principles, he ac- 

■■ It is said, and the tradition is, that a Tory l)y the name of 
Hager, shot General Davidson. 



quired friends and influence. The war for inde- 
pendence had commenced, and the blow had 
been struck at Lexington. 

It was clear to all that Elngland thought the 
colonies had to submit to any measures she 
thought necessary. The spirit of the people 
was aroused, and a meeting was called composed 
of delegates from each captain's district for con- 
sultation, to meet at Charlotte. This conven- 
tion was organized by appointing Abram Alex- 
ander as chairman, and John McKnitt Alexander 
and Dr. Brevard as secretaries, and a committee 
was appointed who drafted resolutions, one of 
which declared themselves " free and independ- 
ent people, and are, and of right ought to be, 
a sovereign and self-governing association under 
the control of no power other than that of our 
God and of the general government of the Con- 
gress ; to the maintenance of which they pledg- 
ed their lives, their fortunes and their most 
sacred honor." 

These resolutions were drawn up by Dr. Bre- 
vard, who, with two others, was a committee 
for that purpose, and they were read and unani- 
mously adopted. 

Copy of a manuscript in the handwriting of 
Adam Brevard, the brother of Dr. Ephraim 
Brevard, the author of the Mecklenburg Dec- 
laration of Independence, from the copy in the 
possession of Rev. J. M. McRea, of Salem, 
Indiana : 

Iredell County, N. C, July 13, 1824. 

July 4, 1776, a mere speck on the great and 
fleeting current of time, but from which emana- 
ted the most important decision of the com- 
bined hnm.an intellect — I mean the Declaration 
of Independence — an era which will grace the 
historic page, while freedom and liberty, with 
their concomitant blessings, are the porticn of 
the human race. The inquiring mind sponta- 
neously traces so rich a stream in a retrograde 
direction in order to reach the fountain from 
which it issued. What section or particular 
portion of the United States may claim the 
greatest, or some minor share in the above cele- 
brated instrument, is immaterial to the following 
disclosure, which fell under the observation of 



242 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



the writer, when all the organs of both body 
and mind were in their free and uncontrolied 
exercise. I mean the Declaration of Mecklen- 
burg County, of May 19, 1775. A detail of 
facts with some collateral incidents (observed as 
above), will rest the matter upon a basis in 
which the rational mind may justly infer the 
authenticity and truth of the whole matter. 

In the month of either June or July, 1775, 
being in Salisbury at a court of Oyer, when the 
late Governor Martin as Judge, a gentleman, a 
citizen of Mecklenburg County, arrived in town, 
then on his way to Philadelphia, where Con- 
gress was then in session, as delegate or bearer 
of said Declaration from said county. His 
identity and business soon transpired, and as 
Salisbury was then inhabited by a number who 
were Loyalists or Tories, (to use the then new 
phrase) and timid Whigs, who had not embarked 
in the Revolutionary struggle, the bearer, who 
was a man of spirit, which he fully manifested in 
the subsequent struggle, was treated by the 
above persons as the tool of a precipitous and 
unenlightened mob, who were rushing head- 
long into an abyss where Congress had not 
dared to pass. This intemperance was, how- 
ever, very suddenlj' arrested by a gentleman 
from the same county, who had entered with 
all his powers into the impending contest, and 
who offered to rest the propriety and justness 
of the proceedings, both of Mecklenburg and 
the delegate, upon a decision by the arm of 
flesh, with any one inclinable to abide the re- 
sult. Matters were soon hushed and the Dele 
gate retired to rest, and resumed the journey 
the next morning. 

In the autumn of the year 1776, the writer 
being one of the number who composed the 
college, or academy of the Queen's Museum, 
lived with a brother, Dr. Ephraim Brevard, into 
whose possession the letters, orations, and 
other exercises (usual in such institutions), 
were handed over for wrapping paper and other 
uses in his professional line. My curiosity 
frequently led me to ransack and examine the 
several contents for aid and assistance in my 
own task, when I came across a Declaration of 
Independence by Mecklenburg County. Upon 
requiring an explanation from the Doctor, he 
informed me that it was the mass, or rudiments 
out of which he had, some time before drawn 
the aforesaid instrument, which had been dis- 
patched to Congress, as before noticed. The 
whole of the above proceedings then opened 
to view. 

Being in Philadelphia in the latter part of the 



year 1778, and of the year 1779, till May, dur- 
' ing that space Mr. William Sharpe, then of 
Rowan County, North Carolina State, arrived 
in that city a delegate from the aforesaid State. 
The officers and soldiers of the States then gen- 
erally, and of North Carolina in particular, 
were extremely straitened, and some almost, 
(I might safely say altogether) beggared by the 
depreciation of their pay. The writer took 
every proper opportunity within his sphere of 

mixing in these occasional and (manuscript 

has here become illegible) companies, when their 
mutual wants, complaints, privations — their 
several situations, forsaken and desolate for love 
oi country, for which nakedness and starvation 
were like to be their final reward. 

Amongst a variety of topics the Declaration 
of Independence became a subject of remark ; 
the company was large, composed of a number 
of the higher officers and members of Congress. 
Amongst the former was, particularly. General 
Charles Lee — -recently plunged into disgrace for 
misconduct at the battle of Monmouth, and 
• Tom Payne, you may say infidel Tom Payne, 
if you please, — but to come to the point : 

The Declaration of Independence of Meck- 
lenburg County in the State of North Carolina, 
somehow floated into notice. In a variety of 
remarks and observations, which were promis- 
cuously thrown out, Mr. Penn of North Caro- 
lina, and some others, (whose names cannot 
now be recollected), declared themselves highly 
pleased with the bold and dignified spirit which 
so enlightened a county of the State he had the 
honor to represent, had exhibited to the world 
and furthermore that the bearer of the instru- 
ment had conducted himself very judiciously 
on the occasion by previously opening his busi- 
ness to the delegate of his own State, who 
assured him that a very short lapse of time 
would bring all the provinces, or new States 
into the same situation as Mecklenburg county. 
Dr. Ephraim Brevard was born in Maryland, 
in the year 1744, was brought to North Caro- 
lina in 1746 or 1750, and was sent with his 
cousin Adlai Osborne on the conclusion of the 
Indian War in 1760 or 1761 to Prince Edward 
in Virginia, to a grammar school under a certain 
William Cupples. 

Adlai Osborne, Ephraim Brevard, and Thomas 
Polk, went to Princeton College in 1766. Eph- 
raim Brevard and Thomas Reese taught a school 
for some time in Maryland, which enabled him 
(Ephraim Brevard) to put himself under Dr. 
Ramsey, to qualify himself as a physician. 
They lived for some time in Philadelphia, 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



243 



then moved to Somerset County, Maryland. 

Dr. Ramsey was invited to Charleston, South 
Carolina, and Dr. Brevard practiced in Char- 
lotte, as before hinted ; then married, lost his 
wife, entered the Southern Army, and was cap- 
tured in the fall of Charleston, and I believe 
there caught a disease which baffled all the skill 
of medicine, as I, myself, heard Dr. Reid, the 
Physician General to the Southern Army, de- 
clare, as I rode with him from Charlotte to 
John McKnitt Alexander's, where Dr. Brevard 
expired. He was buried in Charlotte beside 
his wife. " See Sonf/iim //o>/u-, o( ]i\\y S' 1S75, 
furnished by Dr. J. M. Davidson, of Ouincy, 
Florida. 

A more extended notice of this immortal 
paper will be presented under the head of Meck- 
lenburg County. 

Dr. Brevard served in the army as Surgeon, 
and was taken prisoner at the surrender of 
Charleston, May 12, 1780. From confinement 
and unwholesome diet he was taken so seriously 
ill that he was permitted to return home. He 
proceeded as far as the house of John McKnitt 
Alexander, his friend and compatriot. It was 
there he breathed his last, in 1781, but he lies 
buried by his wife in the lot now occupied by A. 
Brevard Davidson, in Charlotte. On this same 
lot was located the "Queen's Museum, "before 
the Revolution, its name was changed to "Lib- 
erty Hall." 

In the words of Dr. Foote in his admirable 
Sketches of North Carolina, "he thought clearly, 
wrote well, fought bravely, and died a martyr to 
that liberty which none loved better, and few 
understood so well." 

He left only one child, a daughter, who mar- 
ried Mr. Dickerson of South Carolina, whose 
son. Colonel James P. Dickerson, was Lieuten- 
ant Colonel of the South Carolina Regiment in 
the Mexican War, and fell in battle near the City 
of Mexico. 

We have seen that John Brevard's other chil- 
dren were : 

III. John, who served as Lieutenant in the 
Revolutionary War. 

IV. Hugh, also an officer and in battle of 
Ramsour's Mill. 



V. Adam was a blacksmith, served one year 
in the army and afterward became distinguished 
as a lawyer, wit, and writer. 

VI. Alexander Brevard entered the army of 
the Revolution as cadet, was promoted to cap- 
taincy in the Continental Army and engaged in 
the battles of White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, 
Brandywine, Monmouth and Germantown. 
The severity of this service, broke down his 
health, and he was sent into the country for its 
restoration. After a short absence he reported 
in person to General Washington, who seeing 
his delicate figure, reduced by suffering and war, 
remarked to him that he was unfit for duty in the 
service and advised him to return home. 

He did so and his native climate soon improved 
his health, he then joined the Southern army un- 
der General Gates, by whom he was assigned to 
the duties of Quartermaster in his command, 
and as such served in the battle of Camden, Af- 
ter Gates' defeat, and General Greene had suc- 
ceeded to the command of the Southern army, 
Brevard saw much active service before the close 
of the war. In the hard-fought battle of Eutaw, 
(the hardest in the South), he behaved with 
great gallantry. 

The war being ended, he returned home and 
entered into the iron business with his father-in- 
law, Major John Davidson, and General Graham, 
who also had married a daughter of Davidson. 
This business he continued until[his' death, No- 
vember I, 1829. 

He left seven children. Among them were 
Ephraim, an extensive iron manufacturer ; 
J. Franklin, in Legislature from Lincoln (1818); 
Robert, an iron manufacturer ; Alexander Jo- 
seph M., in Legislature (1827); Theodore, moved 
to Alabama, there elected Judge, moved to Flor- 
ida afterwards; Harriet, married to Daniel M. 
Forney ; Mary, and others. 

VII. Joseph, the youngest son of John Bre- 
vard, held the commission of Lieutenant in the 
Continental Army when only seventeen years 
old. He was, as many of the family now are, 



244 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



delicate and small. A brother, Alexander, said 
that he was ' ' always sorry when Joe had to go on 
guard duty, for he was so small." He was de- 
tailed by the commanding officer at Philadelphia 
as his Secretary, and continued until he was ap- 
pointed a Lieutenant of Cavalry in the Southern 
army, in which he served until the close of the 
war. He then studied law and settled in Camden, 
South Carolina. Here he attained distinction in 
the profession and was elected Judge of the Su- 
perior Courts. He wrote a Digest of the Laws 
of South Carolina, and several volumes of Re- 
ports. He was elected a member of Congress 
from his district 1819 to 1821, and died in Cam- 
den, South Carolina. 

The Forney family were among the early set- 
tlers of Lincoln county. The founder was Jacob 
Forney, sen., who was (born 1721, died 1804) 
the son of a French Huguenot; he fled from 
France on the revocation of the Edict of Nantz, 
and setded at Alsace on the Rhine. At the age 
of fourteen he came to Amsterdam, thence to 
America; settled first in Pennsylvania, and in 
1754 he moved to Lincoln county, North Caro- 
lina. In the first years spent in this settlement he 
was greatly harrassed by the Indians. When the 
English were in pursuit of Morgan, their progress 
was impeded by the high waters of the Catawba. 
Lord Corriwallis made his headquarters in For- 
ney's comfortable house for three days, consum- 
ing his entire stock of cattle, hogs, poultry, &c. 
The early records of the county exhibit the fol- 
lowing : ' ' Ordered b}' the Court that Jacob 
Forney and his two sons pay no taxes for 1780. " 
He was too old to do much service in the Revo- 
lution, but his sons, James, Peter and Abram, 
did their duty as unwavering Whigs. He died 
in 1804, near the place where he first settled in 
Lincoln county. 

Peter Forney, (born April, 1756, died Febru- 
ary, 1834), was the second son of Jacob Forney, 
sen. He was born in Lincoln county. During 
the war of the Revolution his services were cheer- 
fully rendered in defense of his country. After- 



ward he devoted his attention to the manufacture 
of iron, then a new and lucrative employment. 
In it his industry, prudence and sagacity soon 
made him prosperous, and he acquired fortune and 
comfort. His home was the resort of many who 
always found it " Mount Welcome," as it was ap- 
propriately named. There rich and poor were alike 
cared for. His unstinted hospitality and genial 
manners, as well as the high and honorable conduct 
which marked all his dealings with his fellow men, 
rendered him the object of their regard, and even 
affection. He was elected in 1794 to the House, 
and in 1 801 -'02 to the Senate of the State Leg- 
islature, and (in 1813 to 181 5) a member of 
Congress. He served also as Elector on the 
Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and Jackson tickets. 
With these repeated evidences of the partiality 
of his friends, and with the weight of three score 
and ten years pressing upon him, he declined 
all further public service. After a short illness, 
without pain or suffering, he quietly departed 
this life February 1st, 1834. 

He married on March 4, 1783, Nancy Aber- 
nathy, by which union he had twelve children : 

I. Mary, married Christian Reindhart. 

II. David M. married Harriet Brevard. "• 

III. Jacob, married Sarah Hoke, from whom 
sprung : (1) David Peter, born 1819 ; (2) Joseph 
B., born 1821 ; (3) William H., born 1823 ; ed- 
ucated at University, an officer in Mexican War, 
lawyer, member of Legislature, General in Civil 
War, elected to the 44th Congress ; (4) Barbara 
Ann, born 1826, married Rowan; (5) Emma, 
born in 1832, married Rev. Thomas A. Morris; 
(6) John H., born 1829, West Point; (7) George 
H., born 1835, killed in battle of Wilderness ; (8) 
Amelia, married J. M. Wylie ; (9) Maria Louisa, 
married Williams. 

IV. FAha., married first, Webb, and afterward, 
Dr. John Meek, of Alabama. 

V. Susan, married Bartlett Shipp, from whom 
sprung : (i ) William, M. (Judge of Superior Court, ) 
married (1) Cameron, (2) Iredell, Legislature, 
Senator from Henderson 18G2 ;) (2) Eliza, mar- 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



245 



ried W. V. Hjiiiim, Judge of Supreme Court ; 
(3) Susan, married S. L. Johnson. 

VI. Lavinia, married first John Fuienwider. 

Vn. Nanc)% married Dr. Wm. Jolinson, from 
whom sprung: (i) Ann, married Dr. Calloway; 
(2) Martha, married Huntl}' ; {3) James I'rank- 
lin ; (4) Robert; (5) WilUam ; (6) Jo.seph, mar- 
ried Hooi<cr ; (7) Susan ; (8) Mary ; (9) Bartlett 
S., of Baltimore. 

VIII. Caroline, married Ransom H. Hunley. 

IX. Sophia, married Dr. C. L. Hunter, whose 
daughter married John H. Sharp, of Norfolk, Va. 

X. James M., married Sarah Fuienwider. 

A son, Moses, the third child, died unmarried, 
in iMabama ; whilst the fifth child, Joseph, died 
in youth. They should have been included in 
the foregoing. — Ed. 

Daniel M. Forney (born 1771, died 1847) was 
a native of Lincoln county, the first son and the 
second child of General Peter Forney, whose 
sketch we have just given. His education was 
such as the country schools afforded, but clear 
and excellent judgment, and his genial manners, 
early marked him for public usefulness. He 
was in the prime of manhood wlien the War of 
18 1 2 commenced, and he was appointed Major 
in the United States Army. He served in that 
capacity until the war closed, with gallantry and 
credit. He was elected a member of (the 14th) 
Congress 18 15-'! 7, and re-elected to the 15th, 
but resigned and was succeeded by Hon. Wil- 
liam Davidson, of Charlotte. From 1823 to '26 
he was elected to the Senate of the State Legis- 
lature. He removed in 1834 to Alabama, where 
he spent his remaining days at his adopted home 
in Lowndes county. He died in October, 1847. 

Major Forney married Harriet, daughter of 
Captain Alexander Brevard, by whom he had 
several children. 

Abram Forney (born 1758, died 1849) was 
the youngest son of Jacob Forney, sen., and a 
native of Lincoln county. He entered the Rev- 
olutionary army early, and was engaged in the 
battles of Ramsour's Mill, King's Mountain and 



elsewhere. He lived to a good old age and de- 
lighted to talk of the spirit-stirring events of the 
war. He was the father of Captain Earheart 
Forney, now of Lincoln. 

Michael Hoke (born 18 10, died 1844) ^^'^^ ^ 
native of this county, the son of Colonel John 
Hoke. He was educated at Captain Partridge's 
Military Acadcmj^ Middletown, Connecticut, 
and read law with Robert H. Benton. He was 
blessed with an agreeable person, brilliant ora- 
torical ability, and attractive manners. This 
won him "troops of fricnd.s." In 1834 he was 
elected a member of the House of Commons, 
which position he held until 1842, when he de- 
clined a re-election. In 1844 he was nominated 
as the Democratic candidate for Governor, in 
opposition to Hon. William A. Graham, but, 
after a campaign conducted with great ability, he 
was defeated. It was a contest long to be remem- 
bered in North Carolina. The dignified and 
majestic presence of Graham was formidably 
rivalled by the matchless manner and ready hu- 
mor of Hoke. It was a war of giants. The 
exposure to the malaria of the low country, and 
his continued and earnest efforts, cost Colonel 
Hoke his life. For within a month after the 
election, to the great grief of sorrowing friends, 
he died at Charlotte on September 9th, 1844, 
after a short illness, certainly brought on by the 
exposure and fatigues of the campaign. He 
married I'rancis, .daughter of Robert H. Bur- 
ton, and left several children, among them. Gen- 
eral Robert Frederick Hoke, born 27th of May, 
1837, who was educated at the Kentucky Mili- 
tary Institute. He entered the army in the late 
Civil War as a Lieutenant, and was engaged in 
the first battle of the war, which occurred at 
Bethel, and he was also in the last contest. He 
won by his firmness, ability and gallantry, the 
rank of Major General, and was several times 
severely wounded. To record all the "hair- 
breadth 'scapes," and the .services of General 
Hoke would be to well nigh write the history of 
the Army of North Virginia. 



246 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



John Franklin Ilokc, son of Colonel John 
Hoke, and the brother of Colonel Michael Hoke, 
is a native of this county. He is liberally edu 
cated — a graduate of the University in 1841, in 
the same class with Thomas L. Avery, R. S. 
Bridgers, Robert Burton, W. J. Clarke, William 
F. Dancy, John W. Ellis, Montford McGehee, 
Charles and Samuel F. Phillips, Thomas Ruffin, 
Robert Strange, Horatio M. Polk and others. 
He studied law. In the Mexican War he was 
appointed by the President a Captain, and com- 
manded his company with much gallantry in the 
severely contested battles of Cerro Gordo, Tol- 
ema and National Bridge. 

In the late Civil War he commanded a regi- 
ment of North Carolina troops, and discharged 
every duty with gallantry and fidelity. He is 
one of the few field officers in that unhappy 
contest from North Carolina who passed un- 
scathed. He is now in the quiet practice of his 
profession at his native place. 

Dr. William McLean was a Surgeon in the 
Revolution. He was a native of Rowan county ; 
born April 2d, 1757, and was educated at Liberty 
Hall College in Charlotte. He studied medicine 
under Dr. Joseph Blythe; was appointed a Sur- 
geon's Mate in the Urst North Carolina Regi- 
ment on January i, 1782, commanded by Colo- 
nel Archibald Lyde, and served in Charleston, 
James Island and elsewhere, to the close of the 
war. 

He then settled on his farm in ' ' the South 
Point " neighborhood, and engaged in an exten- 
sive practice, in which he was eminently suc- 
cessful. 

In 1 8 14 he was elected Senator from Lincoln, 
and in 181 5 he delivered an address at King's 
Mountain commemorative "of the battle, and 
caused to be erected, at his own expense, a head 
stone of dark slate rock, with appropriate in- 
scriptions on both sides. On the east side the 
inscription is, • ' Sacred to the Memory of Major 
William Chronicle, Captain John Mattocks, Wil- 
liam Robb and John Boyd, who were killed here 



on the 7th of October, 1780, fighting in defence 
of America." And on the west side is inscribed : 
" Colonel Ferguson, an officer belonging to His 
Brittanic Majesty's service, was here defeated 
and killed." 

On the 19th of June, 1792, he married Mary, 
daughter of Major John Davidson, and died in 
Lincoln, October 25, 1828, leaving several chil- 
dren, among them Dr. William B., John D. and 
Robert G, McLean. 

James Houston (born 1747, died 18 19) resided 
and died in this county. He was born in 1747, 
and was the early and devoted friend of his 
country's liberty ; he took an active part in the 
cause. In the battle of Ramsour's Mill, near 
the present town of Lincolnton, between the 
Whigs and Tories, he took an active part, and 
by his undaunted courage contributed to the 
success of the Whigs on that occasion. In this 
engagement he was severely wounded in the 
thigh, from the effects which he never recovered. 
Seeing the man who inflicted this painful wound, 
he shot him in the back, and killed him as he 
ran. A copy of the muster roll of Captain 
Houston's company is preserved. (See Dr. C. L. 
Hunter's Sketches of Western N. C. 197.) 

He was the father of a large family, distin- 
guished for their manly appearance and bodily 
strength. Dr. Joel Brevard Houston was one 
of his sons. Captain Houston died on August 
3, 18 19, and was buried in Center Church-yard. 

Dr. C. L. Hunter, who has already been no- 
ticed in the sketch of his father. Rev. Hum- 
phrey Hunter (see page 176), resided in this 
neighborhood. 

In the holocaust offered on the altar of South- 
ern rights, during the late unhappy Civil War, 
there was no purer or devoted oblation than that 
patriotic son of North Carolina. Stephen Dod- 
son Ramseur (born May 31, 1837, fell in batde 
October 19, 1864). He was the son of Jacob A. 
and Lucy M. Ramseur, and was educated at the 
Military Academy at West Point, where he 
graduated in i860. He was commissioned as 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



247 



Secoiul Licutcnaiil of .Arlillcr}', and was sta- 
tioned at l'"ortress Monroe. W'lien the war be- 
tween the States commenced, he felt it was his sa- 
.sacrcd duty to stand by liis State; he therefore rc- 
sitjned his commission in the United States A rnn-, 
and tendered his services to the newh- formed l^on-- 
ernment at Montgomery, Alabama, by which he 
was appointed First Lieutenant of Artillery, and 
ordered to the Mississippi. While on his way 
to his post, he received a telegram announcing 
his election to command the " Ellis Light Artil- 
lery " then being formed at Raleigh. He re- 
paired in haste to this new dut}', and in a \ery 
short time secured the necessary complement of 
men, guns, horses and other equipments. After 
drilling and practicing his battery in the summer 
of 1861, he proceeded to join the army in Vir- 
ginia. He was stationed near Southfield, 
on the south side of the James River, where he 
spent the fall and winter. This battery was 
composed of the flower of the youth and man- 
hood of the State, and by its excellence in evo- 
lutions and perfection in drills, was the c}'nosure 
of attention and gained for its j-outhful com- 
mander the encomiums of all reviewing gene- 
rals. In the spring, when Richmond was men- 
aced by McClellan, Captain Ramseur was or- 
dered to report to General Magruder at York- 
town. Before any serious fighting on the Pen- 
insula occurred, Captain Ramseur was promoted 
to the command of the 49th Regiment of 
North Carolina Infantry. This regiment was 
composed of raw troops, but by the exertions of 
its practiced commander, it was soon prepared 
for the front. It received its "first baptism of 
fire" in the skirmishes which preceded the terri- 
ble battles around Richmond. Encouraged and 
inspired by the fearless intrepidity of its com- 
mander, it participated with gallantry in the 
seven da)-s' battles. In the last of these, at 
Malvern Hill, July i, 1862, while leading a vic- 
torious charge. Colonel Ramseur was wounded 
in the right arm above the elbow, so severely 
that some time elapsed before he was able to 



reach his home. While at home he was given a 
Brigadier's commission, and in October, 1862, 
although far from recovered from his wound, he 
repaired to Richmond and explained to President 
Davis the reluctance he felt in accepting the e.x- 
altetl rank offered him. Its acceptance was 
urgc:d, and he was atlvised to return home until 
health was restored. General Ramseur, instead 
of returning home, sought out the army and as- 
sumed the command of his brigade, which had 
been left without a General since the death of 
General George B. Anderson. This brigade 
was composed of the Second, Fourth, Four- 
teenth and Thirtieth Regiments of North Caro- 
lina troops, and, although General Ramseur was 
a stranger from another branch of the service, 
and succeeded an officer of great ability, well 
skilled in the art of war, commanding the confi- 
dence and affections of his men — yet he dis- 
armed all criticism by his high professional at- 
tainments and his amiability of character, inspir- 
ing his men by his own enthusiastic temper with 
those lofty qualities which distinguish the sol- 
dier. The brigade was attached to Jackson\s 
corps, and at the battle of Chancellorsville (May 
3, 1863), while leading a charge, General Ram- 
seur was again wounded by the explosion of a 
shell. This second wound did not take him 
from the field. He continued with his brigade 
through the Pennsylvania campaign, and in the 
battle of Gettysburg/July, 1863), he led it with 
distinguished courage. On the return of the 
army from Pennsylvania, there seemed to be a 
lull in the terrible din of war, and the division was 
preparing to go into winter quarters, near Or- 
ange Court House, when he obtained a leave of 
absence, and on October 27, 1863, he was mar- 
ried to Ellen F. Richmond, of Milton, North 
Carolina. After spending some time at home, 
he again repaired to his command. The next 
general engagement in which he bore a part was 
at the Wilderness (fought from 5th to 12th of 
May, 1864), and Spotsj'lvania Court House 
(lOth to 1 2th of May), in which his brigade be- 



248 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



haved with such desperate courage as to win the 
unstinted applause of the whole army. In the 
latter battle General Ramsour was again wounded 
in his disabled arm, and had three horses shot un- 
der him ; still he never left the field, but con- 
tinued to lead his brigade in the charge. He was 
complimented on the field by Generals Ewell 
and A. P. Hill, and thanked by General Lee. 
The next month he was promoted to a Major 
General's rank, and assigned to the division for- 
merly commanded by General Early. Early's 
corps, composed of Gordon, Rhodes and Ram- 
seur^s divisions, was detached from Lee and sent 
to repel Hunter, who was threatening Lynch- 
bvu-g. Early reached L)'nchburg in time to save 
the city, and after the repulse of Hunter, marched 
for the third time into Maryland. No serious 
fighting occurred until the army reached Mon- 
ocacy Bridge, where (June 9th) Ramseur and 
Gordon defeated General Wallace. The Army 
of the Valley then marched within five miles of 
Washington (July, 1864), and but for timely re- 
inforcements the Capital would ha\-e been cap- 
tured. General Early, in "The Southern Mag- 
azine," Baltimore, has given a full account of the 
condition and consternation of the Federal Capi- 
tal at that time. 

The addition to the Federal forces caused 
Early to hold a consultation with Generals Breck- 
enridge, Gordon, Ramseur and Rhodes, and a 
retreat was ordered to the lower Valley of Vir- 
ginia. At the battle of Winchester (September 
19, 1864), General Ramseur sustained the brunt 
of battle from daylight until 9 or 10 o'clock, 
when the other divisions came to his relief In 
this fierce combat the gallant Rhodes was killed. 
General Ramseur was transferred from Early's 
old division to the division left without a Major 
General by the fall of Rhodes. He commanded 
this but one month, when he too met the death of 
a gallant soldier at the battle of Cedar Creek, on 
the 19th of October, 1864. 

In his report of this battle. General Earh- 
states : 



"Major General Ramseur fell into the hands of 
the enemy mortally wounded, and in him not 
only my command, but the country, suffered'. 
heavy loss. He was a most gallant and energetic 
officer, whom no disaster appalled, but his cour- 
a<Te and energy seemed to gain new strength in 
the midst of confusion and disorder. He fell at 
his post, like a lion at bay, and his native State 
has reason to be proud of his memory."* 

James Pinckney Henderson (born' in 1808, 
and died 1858), the son of Major Lawson Hen- 
derson, was born, raised, and educated in Lin- 
coln county, in the town of Lincointon, He 
studied law and was admitted to practice, about 
1829. At this time, his health was prostrated 
by a severe hemorrhage from the lungs; he 
sought the mild climate of Cuba for relief, 
where he spent the winters of 1833-34. He 
returned, much improved; and, in hopes of 
effecting a full restoration of health and the 
improvement of his fortunes, he moved in 1835, 
to Mississippi, Here he remained until the 
Texas troubles commenced, and in common 
with Houston, Lamar, and other brave spirits, 
he drew his sword in the service of the "Lone 
Star," republic, and spent the remainder of his 
life under her flag. 

For more than twenty years of his life, he 
was spared to participate in the stirring events 
of that eventful period. His brilliant career as 
her Attorney General, her Secretary ofState.and 
her first Governor ; Major General of her forces 
in the Mexican War, (distinguished at Mon- 
terey) ; her Minister Plenipotentiary to France 
and England, and finally her Senator in the 
Congress of the United States, all now has 
become historical. These rapid strides of suc- 
cess are due to his high sense of honor, his 
integrity of character, his indomitable energy, 
and to his deep knowledge of men and events. 
He fell a victim to consumption, so fatal to 
his family, and died while a member of the 



«See Land we Love, May, i86S. 



LINCOLN COUNTY. 



249 



United States Senate, at Wasliington City, on 
June 4, 1858, leaving a widow [lur Frances Cox, 
daughter of John Cox of Philadelphia) and 
tiiree children to mourn his loss. 

Bartlett Shipp (born March 8, 1786— died 
May 26, 1869) resided and died in this county. 
He was the son of Thomas Shipp, who immi- 
grated from Virginia and settled on Dan River 
near Danbury, where his son Bartlett was born 
— whose mother was a Joyce. 

The early education of Mr. Shipp was defect- 
ive and acquired by his own exertions. How- 
ever, from an inquiring mind and a literary 
taste,he mastered the English, and acquired a fair 
knowledge of the classics. In his early days 
he taught school, which tended to fi.x this rudi- 
mental education. He realized the truism of the 
Latin philosopher, "disco docfiuio." 

Enterprising and patriotic, when the war be- 
tween England and the United States began, 
he enlisted as a volunteer in 1812, and marched 
with a company from Stokes county. 

After his service ended he returned and stud- 
ied law, under Joseph Wilson, one of the most 
brilliant and successful advocates of the day. 
After obtaining his license, he settled in Wilkes 
county. Li 18 18, he removed to Lincoln 
county, where he married Susan, daughter of 
Peter Forney, and where he resided for the bal- 
ance of his life. As a lawyer, he was remarkable 
for his strong common sense, his familiarity 
with the elementary principles of his profession, 
his stern advocacy of justice, and unspotted 
integrity. 

He grasped with intuitive perception the strong 
points of a case, and used them in argument with 
great ability and yet perfect frankness and sin- 
cerity. These qualities made him popular with 
his associates. But he was quite as fond of the 
allurements of politics as the pursuit of his pro- 
fession. He was often a member of the Legis- 
lature (1824-26-28-29-30). He was po.ssessed 
of strong convictions, and was not very choice 
of terms in which he expressed them. But no 



one had less vindictive feelings or was more 
honorable or generous towards those who dif- 
fered in opinion from him. 

To his friends, whose merits he recognized 
and whose sincerity he had tested, his attach- 
ment was strong, no matter to what party they 
belonged. Yet in the convictions of policy, he 
was consistent, firm, and unyielding. 

His last public service was as a member 
of the Convention of 1835; tlie ablest body 
of men that ever assembled in the State ; 
which body amended our Constitution. Here 
his experience and sagacity were universally 
conceded. 

He died at Lincolnton, on May 16, 1869, '" 
the eighty-fourth year of his age ; respected 
and loved by all who knew him. (Dr. Hunter's 
Sketches, 275). 

He left, by his marriage with Miss Forney : 

I. William M. Shipp, graduated at Univer- 
sity 1840, Judge of Superior Court, 18G3, who 
now resides in Charlotte ; one of whose sons is 
now a Cadet at West Point. 

II. Eliza married William Preston Bynum, 
late one of the Judges of the Supreme Court. 

III. Susan married Johnson. 

Robert H. Burton (born 17S1 — died 1842) 
son of Colonel Robert Burton of Granville 
county, was long an honored citizen of Lincoln 
county ; educated at the University and studied 
law. He applied himself with such assiduity 
and fidelity, that he soon rose to the front rank 
of the profession, and in 18 18, was appointed 
one of the Judges of the Superior Courts of 
Law, which, after riding one circuit, he re- 
signed. In 1830, he was elected Treasurer of 
the State, which he also declined. He was 
much respected as a sincere Christian, an able 
counsellor, and an honest man. He died in 
1842, leaving a numerous family to mourn his 
loss, and emulate his example. 

David Schenck, one of the Judges of 
the Superior Courts of the State, is a native 
of Lincoln. 



250 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



The Schenck family is of Swiss extraction. 
In 1708, Henry, John, and Michael Schenck, 
who were Mennonites, where driven out of 
Switzerland by religious persecution, and being 
invited by William Penn, they with a number 
of other colonists, emigrated to the vicinity of 
what is now Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. 

In 1729, these colonists were naturalized by 
a special act of Parliament on account of "their 
industry and their peaceable and religious 
conduct." 

Michael Schenck who sprung from one of 
these threebrothers.was born February 28, 1737, 
and Michael Schenck, his son, was born near Lan- 
caster, February 15, 1771. He immigrated to 
North Carolina about the year 1795. He was 
married. May ii, 1 801, to Barbara, daughter of 
Daniel Warlick, who was killed in a fight with 
the Indians, on the Ohio frontier. 

In the year 1815, Michael Schenck erected a 
Cotton Factory on Mill branch, two miles east 
of Lincolnton. 

We were shown two spindles which were used 
in this, perhaps, the first cotton factory erected 
south of the Potomac river. 

It was rather a rude structure, compared with 
our modern machinery. The whole consisting 
of only seventy-five spindles, the iron shafts of 
which were made in a blacksmith shop, by Da- 
vid Warlick, who was a superior workman in 
his day ; and the spools and other wood work 
were made by Michael Beam, a neighbor of 
Warlick. The house containing the machinery, 
was a simple log structure twenty-five feet 
square. 

The spinning was done by means, of what 
machinists call a mule — the thread being drawn 
out horizontally and then wound on broaches. 
It was then reeled, and sold as fast as it could 
be manufactured at fifty cents per pound in 
specie. 

This factory was erected and put in operation 
by Michael Schenck, who had emigrated to this 
county from Pennsylvania. It was placed on 



Mill branch two miles east of Lincolnton, and 
the first yarn was made in the year 1815. 

This proved profitable enough to justify Mr. 
Michael Schenck in sending to Providence, Rhode 
Island, for more improved machinery, which 
was put in operation on the same site in 18 18. 
This, in its turn, was laid aside, and Mr. Schenrk, 
in copartnership with the late Colonel John 
Hoke, Sr., of Lincolnton, and Dr. Bivings, 
erected the large factory, on the south fork of 
the Catawba, two miles south of Lincolnton, 
but this was burned in 1863. 

His son, Dr. David Warlick Schenck, son of 
Michael, was born at Lincolnton, February 3, 
1809, and was educated at the Academy of that 
town. He studied medicine with Dr. James 
Bivings, and afterwards attended lectures at 
Jefferson College, in Philadelphia. He married 
Susan Rebecca Bevens, daughter of Simeon 
and Eliza Bevens, November 8, 1882, by whom 
he left two children, Barbara and David. He 
was eminent as a surgeon and one of the best 
read men in the State. He died at Lincolnton, 
December 26, 1861, a very encyclopedia of infor 
mation. 

His son, David Schenck, the subject of this 
sketch, was born at Lincolnton. March 24, 1835, 
and was educated at the Academy, principally 
by Silas C. Lindslay, an eminent teacher of that 
day. 

He read law two years with Haywood W. 
Guion and obtained his County Court license in 
June, 1856. He then went to Judge Pearson's 
Law School, at Richmond Hill, till June, 1857, 
where he obtained his Superior Court license, 
and settled immediately in Dallas, Gaston county, 
North Carolina. He was elected County Solic- 
itor, and enjoyed a lucrative practice at once. 

On August 25, 1859, he married Sally Wil- 
fong Ramseur, daughter of Jacob A. and Lucy 
D. Ramseur, and sister of Major General S. D. 
Ramseur. 

In November, i860, he returned to Lincoln- 
ton, his native place, and in 186 1, on the elec- 



MACON COUNTY. 



251. 



tion of Hon. Wm. Lander to the Confederate 
Congress, he was elected to tlie State Conven- 
tion to fill his place. 

This was the only political office he ever held 
and he always refused to hold any other. 

He practiced his profession in competition 
with such lawyers as William Lander, W. V. 
Bynum, Haywood Guion, and J. I*". Hoke, and 
received his full share of business. 



In 1874, he received the Democratic nomina- 
tion for Judge of the Ninth Judicial District, 
and was elected by a majority of 2,100, nearly 
double the former Democratic majority. His 
term expired in 1882. He has a large family, 
aiidlike "old Chuckey," he is "spreading him- 
self" to take care of them. 



CHAPTER XXXVHL 



MACON COUNTY. 



James Lowrie Robinson was born in Franklin, 
Macon county, September 17, 1838. His fa- 
ther, James Robinson, came to North Carolina, 
from Tennessee, was a merchant of note and 
character, and died in the village that was the 
birth place of his son, June, 1843. His early 
training was only what the common schools of 
his county and the village Academy afforded; 
and a year at Emory & Henry College, was 
added to his education by his own hard-earned 
wages and the kind assistance of a friend and 
relative. 

When armed men sprang vp in every hamlet 
of North Carolina, at the call of her authorities, 
he volunteered as a private foot soldier in Com- 
pany H, 1 6th North Carolina troops, and 
became Quarter-master Sergeant in the same 
regiment. At the re organization he was 
elected Captain of the Company of which he 
was a member and its triumphs became a part of 
his history. Wounded at the Battle of Seven 
Pines, he led his men over the fields of Manassas, 
when it was baptized with blood a second time. 
Participating in the engagement at Chantilly 
I'arm, he was present at the terrible struggle 



that decided the Maryland campaign at Sharps- 
burg. 

When he had laid aside his sword and returned 
to peaceful vocations, his people recognized in 
him the deliberate courage and solid qualities of 
mind that are valuable in civil employments, 
and chose him to be their Commoner in 1868. 
He was returned without opposition in 1S70. 
No mark of confidence could have bestowed 
greater honor upon him. He had been one of 
a bold and true minority that had withstood the 
seductions of a reckless and extravagant admin- 
istration, and had rendered success for the 
Democracy possible. When chosen a repre- 
sentative in 1S72, he was almost by common 
consent, elevated to the highest honor of the 
body of which he was a member, and when the 
Speaker's gavel was again tendered him in 1S74, 
it came as a palm of merit that he had no right 
to put aside. 

The retribution in the history of North Caro- 
lina came in 1876. The ruined places were restor- 
ed. The counties, bearing names conspicuously 
North Carolinian, and composing his Senatorial 
District, called him to serve them in the Upper 



252 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Chamber of the State's councils. He came 
without opposition, and was chosen President 
of that distinguished body. Long experience 
and great familiarity with the duties of a pre- 
siding officer over a deliberative body, made it 
eminently fit that he be chosen to fill this high 
position. His conduct of the business of the 
Senate, from the assembling of the Legislature 
until the promotion of Lieutenant Governor 
Jarvis added to his growing reputation as a leg- 
islator and parlimentarian. No man ever had 
more loyal constituents and no people ever had 
a more faithful servant. His Senatorial services 
were endorsed by a re-election unsought and to 
which no opposition was offered. 

His elevation to the second place in the State, 
is a natural result of unselfish services done his 
people, of devotion to the tenets of his political 
profession, and of the determination of North 
Carolinians to call to command, men who have 
been faithful in the ranks. In the flush of a 
strong manhood, under his honors and delicate 
duties, he will be found modest and simple, a 
worthy Lieutenant stands ready to command. 

Silas McDowell is placed among the "Living 
Writers of the South, " as possessing energy and 
an original Franklin like genius, eminently 
worthy of consideration. He has long resided 
in Macon county, although a native of York 
District, South Carolina, when he was born, in 
1795. His education was scanty; he was for 
three sessions a student at the Newton Academy 
at Asheville, working morning and evening and 
on Saturdajs, to pay his board. 

At an early age, he was apprenticed to the 
trade of a tailor, in Charleston, South Carolina, 
and after his time had expired he worked for ten 
years at his craft in Morganton, and four years 
at Asheville, where he married the niece of 
Governor Swain. 

In 1830, moved to Macon county. For si.x- 
teen j-ears he was Clerk of the Superior Court 
of Macon Count)', and for five years Clerk and 
Master in I'lquit)-. He w.is alwaj's a hard stu- 



dent, especially in practical mineralogy, geology, 
and botany, not so much from books as from 
the great volume of nature that this wild and 
unexplored county presented to his inquiring 
mind.. When asked by a learned professor, 
who was struck with his original and correct 
views of science, recently, "at what college he 
had graduated ?" he pointed to the broad and 
bold mountains around his homestead: "These 
wild mountains are the only college at which 
my name has ever been entered as a student !" 
Like the great poet of nature, he did not need 
the spectacles of books to read the great history 
of nature. 

Mr. McDowell has a pleasingly happy faculty 
of describing scenery, the lofty cloud-capped 
mountains, the weird craggs with their nestling 
valleys. These first brought him before the 
public, and his sketch "Above the Clouds," 
was extensively copied in the papers of the 
day(i829). This called for others, and they 
came. His pen pictures of the Table Rock, 
Casar's Head, Hawkbill Peak, Hickory Nut 
Gap, and other sketches, have attracted thou- 
sands to visit the wild and weird scenery in this 
region of enchantment. 

The most prominent work of his pen, is his 
"Theory of the Thermal Zone," which has 
attracted so much attention and has been pub- 
lished in the Agricultural Reports of the United 
States. The utility of this discovery is this : 
when mountains enclose a valley, the thermal 
belt or no frost stratum does not lie more than 
two hundred and fifty feet above the level of 
the valley. This is the true home of the grape, 
as it is a warm and dry atmosphere that fully 
develops all those luscious qualities, without any 
danger of frosts killing the young germs. 

An enthusiastic admirer of scenery, here will 
find ample subject, while the health-inspiring 
climate, so genial and salubrious, ever renders 
existence a luxury. 

Mr. McDowell died at his home in Macon 
county, on July 1.4, 1S79. 



M/\RTIN COUNTY. 



253 



ClIAl'll'R XXXIX. 



N4AKTIN COUNTY. 



Wliitniill Hill lived and died in this county. 
For sketch of whom, see Bertie county. 

Asa Biggs (born 1811 — died 1878) was born, 
reared and hv^ed for a long time, in Martin 
county. He was born on February 4, 181 1. 
After receiving a classical education, he studied 
law, and was licensed in 1831. His first appear- 
ance in the political theatre, in which he was 
destined to perform a prominent part, was as a 
member of the Convention, to amend the Con- 
stitution, in 1835, the first convention called 
since the adoption of the Constitution in 1767. 
This was an admirable school for a young man, 
just then twenty-four years old, and taking his 
first lessons in political knowledge; for the 
master minds of the State, as Macon, Gaston, 
Branch, Daniel Outlaw, Carson, Spaight, Gil- 
liam Morehead, Rayner, Meares and others, 
were members of that illustrious body. How 
well he improved this opportunity, his subse- 
quent success in political life fully demon- 
strated. 

In 1840, was the " log cabin campaign," when 
overwhelmingadversitybefelhis(the Democratic) 
party. Mr.Biggs, however,survivcd this disaster 
and was elected a member of the Legislature ; 
He evinced such sagacity and foresight that gave 
him prominence and influence. He proposed 
(adverse tothe views of the Democratic party)that 
wise measure of internal improvement of con- 
structing a railroad from the mountains to Beau- 
fort Harbor, at the expense of the State, 
requiring all branches to be built by individual 
enterprise. Had his views been adopted, our 
railroad system would not have presented the 



conllict of interest, or confusion of routes, all 
tending to swell the importance of the com- 
merce of other States only to our detriment. He 
was re elected in 1842, to the House, and in 
1S44 a member of the .State Senate. He was 
elected a member of the 39th Congress, 
1845-47, succeeding Hon. Kenneth Rayner, and 
defeating Hon. David Outlaw, who in turn 
defeated him for the next Congress (1847-49). 

He was appointed one of a Commission (with 
B. F. Moore, and R. M. Saunders) to revise the 
Laws of the State, which work is a monument 
of his patience, ability, and legal knowledge. 

For the second time, Mr. Biggs was returned 
to the Legislature (1854) a member of the 
Senate. He was, unquestionably the leader of 
the Democratic party in the Legislature. He op- 
posed the proposition of the Whig party, led by 
Governor Graham, to call a Constitutional Con- 
vention, by a majority of the Legislature. Al- 
though this measure was supported by the 
prestige and power of the ablest men of the 
Whig party, such was the force of the argu- 
ments and the power of the speeches of Mr. 
Biggs, that the measure was defeated. 

By this Legislature, he was elected a member 
of the United States Senate ; here he served 
with credit to himself and satisfaction to his 
State, until he resigned in 1858,10 accept the posi- 
tion of United States District Judge, made vacant 
b)' the death of Judge Potter. He was succeeded 
in the Senate by Hon. Thomas L. Clingman. 
For the place of Judge, he was well suited, by 
his unsullied integrity, his patient research, and 
extensive acquirements. But the war came on, 



254 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



the State seceded, and he resigned the United 
States Judgeship, and accepted a similar posi- 
tion under the new (Confederate) Government, 
which he held until the close of the war. 

During the troubled times of the war, he was 
a relugce, with his family, to Tarboro. As soon 
as hostilities ceased he returned to his profes- 
sion, which he pursued with success, until 1869. 
Having been one of the signers of the protest, 
by the Bar against the partisan conduct of 
Members of our Supreme Court, in the Presi- 
dential campaign of 1868, and feeling outraged 
at the oppression of the Court in disbarring the 
signers, he removed to Norfolk and became a 
partner in the house of Kedar Biggs & Co. 

In 1870, he formed a law partnership with 
Hon. Wm. N. H. Smith, and continued in the 
practice with Judge Smith until the removal of 
the latter to Raleigh. In the Counting House, 
Judge Biggs evinced the same sagacity and 
probity, combined with labor, caution, and en- 
durance for work, as he showed in the other 
walks of life, and stood as high in this new field 
of labor, as he had at the Bar or in the Senate 
Chamber. He was an active and useful Mem- 
ber of the Board of Trade of Norfolk, and 
esteemed for his enterprise and public spirit. 
While attending to his mercantile duties at liis 
counting house, on March 6, 1S78, he was struck 
with a disease of the heart, carried home and 
in spite of all the skill of science and the kind- 
ness of affection, he suddenly expired. 

Judge Biggs left a wife and six children, three 
sons, and three daughters, to mourn their loss. 



The eldest of his sons, Captain William Biggs, 
is the editor of the Oxford Lance. 

Judge Biggs was a fair sample of a North 
Carolina gentleman, solid rather than showy in 
his acquirements, retiring and modest in his 
opinions, but tenacious and firm when assailed. 
Consistent and conciliatory in his course. As a 
statesman he was pure and patriotic; as a law- 
yer he was learned, able, and successful; as an 
orator he did not rank or aspire, — 

'■ The applause of listening Senates to command," — 

But his addresses were replete with good sense, 
and practical wisdom. Whatever position he 
occupied, he was equal to his duty — never above 
nor below it. As a gentleman, he was always po- 
lite, yet zealous and tenacious; he possessed "that 
chastity of honor," that regarded the slightest 
imputation upon it, as a wound. As a parent 
and a husband he was provident and affectionate, 
and as a Christian, he was a devote member of 
that much misrepresented, but pure and sincere 
denomination, the " Primitive Baptist," and 
in their faith he died. 

Joseph John Martin is a native and resident of 
Williamston, in this county. He was born No- 
vember 21, 1833 ; educated at the Williamston 
Academy, and read law with Judge Pearson. 

He has served as Solicitor for the Second 
Judicial District, for several years. He was a 
delegate to the National Convention at Cincin- 
nati, and was elected a Member of Congress to 
the 46th Congress, as a Republican, receiving 
12,125 votes, against 12,084 for J- J- Yeates, 
Democrat. His seat was contested by Mr. 
Yeates. 






meckli:ni5urg county. 



255 



CHAITI^R XL. 



MECKLKNBURO COUNTY. 



With the Centennial City of Charlotte, the 
Capital of Mecklenburg are associated glowing 
revolutionary remembrances. It was here that 
the first Declaration of Independence was pro- 
claimed, on May 20, 1775. The heroic battle 
grounds of King's Mountain, Cowan's Ford, 
Ramsour's Mill are in its vicinity. It was here 
(September 20, 1780) with a handful of troops. 
that General Davie held the forces of Cornwallis 
in check, in whose retreat Colonel Lock was 
killed, and General George Graham seriously 
wounded. It was here, on December 3, 1780, 
that the ' ' Fabius of America, " General Greene, 
took command of the Southern Army. 

Of " illustrious men," says Thucydides, "the 
whole world is their sepulchre." But there are 
some sacred spots which have been specially 
consecrated in the memorials of all ages of 
mankind by the holy halo which surrounds the 
illustrious acts of patriots and martyrs. Of 
these is Maranthon, Bannockburn and Lexing- 
ton. History may well add Charlotte. 

All hail to thee, thou good old Slate, the noblest of the 

band ! 
Who raised the flag of Liberty, in this our native land ! 
All hail to thee, thy worthy sons were first to spurn the 

yoke. 
The tyrant's fetters from their hands, at Mecklenburg they 

broke. 

One of the great landmarks in North Caro- 
lina history, especially that touching the Meck- 
lenburg section, was the Queen's Museum, after- 
ward called Liberty Hall, to which reference 
has been made heretofore, (see Brevard and 
Graham Genealogies in Lincoln county). We 



extract from Caruther's Life of Caldwell, the 
following: 

"The history of Liberty Hall Academy is 
interesting to the friends of literature, as a bold 
and vigorous effort made for its promotion at 
that early day, and under the most discouraging 
circumstances, and it is especially interesting to 
Presbyterians, as being one in a series of efforts 
made by the people in that region, to establish 
a literary institution, not only of a high order 
but on Christian principles, and under Christian 
influences. Both before and after its incorpora- 
tion, the Presbytery of Orange exercised a 
degree of supervision over Liberty Hall, as 
they probably would have done over Queen's 
College, if it had gone into operation ; but pre- 
cisely on what grounds and to what extent, does 
not appear. For this purpose the Presbytery 
met, during its existence, much oftener in Char- 
lotte, and Sugar Creek, than in any other part 
of their bounds. They appointed committees 
to examine the students, and they co-operated 
with the Trustees in securing the services of Dr. 
McWhorter. They sometimes held part of 
their session in one of these places, and the 
remainder in the other. Thus having met in 
Charlotte, October i, 1775, they adjourned in 
the evening to Sugar Creek, where they trans- 
acted the rest of their business, and among 
other things, they appointed Messrs. Caldwell 
and Reese to examine the school in Charlotte." 
Again : " Fourth Creek, April 10, 1778, Messrs. 
McCorkle, Hall, and McCaule, are hereby ap- 
pointed to write a letter to Dr. McWhorter, 
concerning the Acadeni}' in Ciiarlotte. " 



256 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Again the same writer says: "As the pop- 
ulation between the Yadl<in and Catawba rivers, 
was almost wholly Presbyterian, except the 
Germans, the act for incorporating Queen's 
College at Charlotte, was of course obtained 
through their influence, and the institution, if 
it had gone into operation, would have been 
sustained by them, though it was not chartered 
as a Presbyterian college, for they had not then 
felt themselves compelled, as they have done 
since, to take that ground. * * * 

"In April 1777, the first year of American In- 
dependence, an act was passed by the Legisla- 
ture of North Carolina, incorporating Isaac 
Alexander, President; Colonel Thomas Polk, 
Colonel Thomas Neal, Abraham Alexander, 
Waightstill Avery, Adlai Osborne, John Mc- 
Knitt Alexander, Dr. Ephraim Brevard, Rev. 
David Caldwell, Rev. James Hall, Rev. James 
Edmonds, Rev. John Simpson, Rev. Thomas 
Reese, Rev. Thomas Harris McCaule, as Trus- 
tees of Libcity Hall Academy. These gentlemen 
had various powers, such as corporations of 
this nature usually possess. The first meeting 
of this respectable body was held in Charlotte, 
January 3, 1778." * 

So the change of name to Libcity Hall was 
certainly determined on />cforc April, 1777, and 
in less than two years after the culmination of 
the meetings, that had been held within its 
walls, in the Declaration of Independence in 
the name of the "citizens of Mecklenburg 
county." The Revolutionary War closed its 
halls, and they were desecrated by Cornwallis' 
troops, who burned them, when his retreat 
upon Wilmington commenced. 

The same author (p. 140) speaks of the early 
educational advantages of North Carolina, as 
follows : (see on this subject, Wheeler's History 
of North Carolina, I. p. 116). 

"When the Orange Presbytery was organized 
the summer before the Regulation Battle, it 

■ Life of Cildwell, pp. 194-95. 



consisted of seven ministers, and these all lived 
in North Carolina. They were all men of class- 
ical education, and most of them were graduates 
of Princeton College. There seems to have 
been, as already stated, a classical school in 
Charlotte ; probably another in Granville or 
Orange ; and Dr. Caldwell's school which had 
now been in operation about five years, since 
1766, and had prepared several young men for 
college, some who became distinguished minis- 
ters of the gospel. (Foote says : " Five of his 
scholars became Governors, a number Judges, 
about fifty were ministers of the gospel, and a 
large number physicians and lawyers. The 
number of pupils averaged fifty or sixty.) 

There were several English schools within 
the limits of what is now Guilford county, and 
the people generally understood the value of 
education. The Rev. Mr. Beuthahn (pronounced 
nearly as if written Bittaun) who, as I am 
informed, organized the German Reformed 
Churches, in Guilford and Orange, taught a 
German school for several years, about this time, 
in the southeast corner of the former county ; 
and the Lutherans had their preachers, who, 
being from Germany, were educated men. In a 
communication just received, from Bishop Van- 
vleck, of Salem, he mentions the Revs. Nussman 
and Arnt, who, having been sent out at an early 
period, "labored faithfully in poverty and priva- 
tions, until, on their urgent application, the 
Revs. Charles A. Storh, Roschau, and Bern- 
hard, were sent to to their assistance." 

The German Reformed Churches had several 
ministers, some of whom were devoted and use- 
full men ; and the Moravians were well supplied. 
There were several Baptist ministers in the 
Province, but of their character I know nothing. 
People in these circumstances could not be so 
grossly ignorant, as they have been represented, 
and the Quakers although they differ from most 
others in their views of the iniiiistry, have al- 
ways advocated and maintained a high degree 
of English education. * •'■ * * 



AFICCKLI'-NBURG COUNTY. 



257 



A writer in tlic Kalci^'h Ohscivcr, says of edu- 
cation in the colony of Carolina: " McMas- 
ter's History of the People of the United 
States, is a work which has met with a very 
favorable reception from the public. Rut it 
would be remarkable if a work of that nature 
should not have here and there some coloring 
to which just and reasonable exception might 
well be taken. And so we are not surprised to 
find that what McMaster says of education in 
the Southern colonies, has met with a warm 
"reply. Indeed it is not strange that Northern 
writers deal unfairly by the South, because 
Southern men have hardly dealt justly with her 
themselves. They have not put the facts on 
record. We ourselves have therefore been 
somewhat to blame. But yet that does not 
excuse a writer of history for taking it for 
granted that things do not exist merely because 
he has no information of them. McMaster is 
quoted as saying in his history : "In the South- 
ern States, education was almost wholly neg- 
lected, but nowhere to such an extent as in 
South Carolina. In that colony prior to 1730, 
no such thing as a grammar school existed. 
Between 1731 and 1776, there were five. Dur- 
ing the Revolution there were none. Indeed if 
the number of newspapers printed in any com- 
munity may be taken as a guage of the educa- 
tion of the people, the condition of the South- 
ern States as compared with the Eastern and 
Middle, was most deplorable. In 1775 there 
were in the entire country, thirty-seven papers 
in circulation. Fourteen of them were in New 
England, four in New York, and nine in Penn- 
sylvania ; in Virginia and North Carolina there 
were two each, in Georgia one, in South Caro- 
lina three. The same is true of to-day." 

Mr. McCrady, of Charleston, has replied 
vigorously on behalf of South Carolina, and we 
trust that some one will likewise compile the 
statistics of schools in the colony of North Caro- 
lina, and give them to the public. In the mean- 
time we will contribute our mite. It is true 



that there were but few towns in this colony — 
and that rendered impossible the village schools 
which existed in PLngland, and which came 
naturally enough in the thickly settled parts of 
Massachusetts. But education was not wholly 
neglected. Gentlemen living in the country 
had tutors for their children, and there doubt- 
less were schools in the more thickly settled 
neighborhoods, o( which no record now exists. 
There was higher education and that is an evi- 
dence of the existence of grammar schools. 
On the Cape Fear it seems to have been the 
custom from 1740 to the Revolutionary War to 
send the young men to Boston. We have 
heard that Mr. William Hill, the father of Hon. 
William Hill, came from Boston to the Cape 
Fear to attend the wedding of one of his class- 
mates. This was before 1750. He remained 
on the Cape Fear and married there. A will 
in our possession, dated 1735, directs the edu- 
cation of the testators's children, and says that 
they shall be taught F"rench — "perhaps some 
Frenchman on the Peedee might be engaged." 
We think it was the general practice in that 
section to patronize Boston rather than England, 
although we remember to have heard a tradi- 
tion, that a vessel carrying a considerable num- 
ber of young men to England to finish their 
education, was lost at sea. Foote says that in 
1760, Rev. James Tate opened at Wilmington, 
the first iiassua/ school ever taught there. At 
that time Wilmington could have had but a few 
hundred inhabitants. There were chartered 
academies at Edenton and at New Berne ; but 
this does not signify that grammar schools were 
lacking wherever the population was sufficient 
to justify them. That there were not more 
chartered academies was doubtless due to the 
fact that the Royal governors insisted on a 
clause in the charters requiring "the masters" 
to belong to the established church and giving 
the governor power to appoint them. That 
was the settled policy — to extend the influence 
of the established church, and as it was distasteful 



258 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



to the people, so chartered academies were 
not popular. 

It would seem that while the Cape Fear 
largely patronized Boston, the northeastern 
section sent her sons to England and the Pres- 
byterians of the interior sought higher educa- 
tion at Princeton. 

About 1767, says P'oote, Joseph Alexander, 
a fine scholar, in connection with Mr. Benedict, 
taught a classical school of high excellence and 
usefulness — this was at Sugar Creek, in the 
vicinity of Charlotte. 

In 1766, Dr. Caldwell opened his classical 
school in Guilford. This, says Foote, was the 
second permanent classical school in the upper 
part of Carolina — that at Sugar Creek being the 
first, and that of Mr. Pattilo, in Granville, the 
third. Five of his scholars became Governors, 
a number Judges, about fifty were Ministers of 
the Gospel, and a large number physicians and 
lawyers. The number of pupils averaged fifty 
or sixty and came from different parts of the 
State. About the same time, Dr. Pattilo taught 
in Granville; in 1761, Rev. William Richardson, 
the uncle of General Davie, located at the Wax- 
haws, and doubtless he also taught school. 

Large Scotch-Irish settlements in central 
Carolina, began probably in 1747, and continued 
up to the Revolutionary War. Says Foote : 
' ' almost invariably as soon as a neighborhood 
was settled, preparations were made for the 
preaching of the gospel by a regular stated 
pastor ; and wherever a pastor was located, in 
that congregation there was a classical school ; 
as in Sugar Creek, Poplar Tent, Centre, Bethany, 
Buffalo, Thyatira, Grove, Wilmington, and the 
churches occupied by Pattilo in Orange and 
Granville." And when we consider the very 
considerable number of well educated men who 
lived in this western section, and the number 
who patronized Princeton college, we are pre- 
pared to say that this part of Carolina must 
have had a good record in regard to education. 
About the same time the Moravians settled 



Salem, and they early established a boarding 
school for girls, which has continued in exist- 
ence to this day, and is still youthful in vigor. 

It is freely admitted that in the matter of 
schools a great difference is observable between 
the colonies of Massachusetts and of North 
Carolina. For that difference there were sev 
eral causes. Massachusetts was settled by colo- 
nies — North Carolina was occupied by individ- 
ual families. The people of Massachusetts 
were forced by circumstances to remain in com- 
munities ; those of North Carolina being under 
no such pressure, lived apart. In the former 
the establishment of towns was coeval with the 
settlement ; in North Carolina, there was no 
town until Bath was located in 1704 — probably 
fifty years after lands were first taken up in the 
province. Ihe people were scattered sparsely 
here and there along the shores of the sounds 
and on the banks of water-courses. Again, 
the people were not all of the same religious 
faith, while in Massachusetts the local preachers 
were the teachers. From letters printed in 
Hawks' history, we obtain a fair view of the 
condition of North Carolina in 1709. The sec- 
tion north of Albemarle Sound was, at that date, 
divided into four precincts — Currituck, Pasquo- 
tank, Perquimans and Chowan. Currituck had 
a population, children included, of 539, whereof 
97 were negroes. Pasquotank had 1,332, of 
whom 2 1 1 were negroes. It was ' ' closer seated 
than the other and better peopled in proportion 
to its bigness." 

Perquimans probably had about the same popu- 
lation. Chowan was the largest but "thinnest 
seated." There were " no inhabitants on the 
road, for they plant only on the river, and they 
are planted in length on these rivers, at least 
twenty miles." The Albemarle section proba- 
bly had at that time about 3,500 inhabitants. 
Immediately across the sound there seemed to 
have been no settlers — but there was "anew 
colony of Pamplico, to reach which there are 
about fifty miles desert to pass through without 



Ml-.CKI.KNHURG COUNTY. 



259 



any human creature inhabiting it." This was 
Bath. The settlement was on the Pamlico river 
and its branches. "They have begun to build 
a town called Bath. It consists of about twelve 
houses, being the only one in the whole province. " 
That settlement probably did not contain 500 
inhabitants. In 1709 a few Huguenots removed 
from the banks of the James river and settled 
between Pamlico and the Neuse. It was about 
that time that Beaufort was laid out as a town, 
and a little later the Swiss located at New 
Berne. 

Under these circumstances, with families far 
removed from each other — with religious dis- 
putes flagrant, and indeed all the politics of the 
colony turning on religious dissensions — it is 
easy to see why there was but little progress 
made in establishing schools. Yet we find that 
at Sarum, on the dividing line between Virginia 
and North Caroh'na, there was a flourishing 
school kept by a Mr. Mashburn ; that a Mr. 
Griffin had a school in Pasquotank ; " that the 
Quakers themselves sent their children to his 
school;" ''that Mr. Adams took Mr. Griffin's 
place in Pasquotank and he went to Chowan." 
These schools are mentioned only incidentally. 
There were doubtless schools at Bath and else- 
where. In the colony there resided men of 
learning, culture and refinement; men of means 
who contributed to found libraries, to erect 
churches, and to promote the welfare of the 
people. Mosely, Hyde, Swann, Porter, Lil- 
lington, Harvey, Saunderson, Pollock, Lowe, 
the son in-law of Governor Archdale, and others 
too numerous to mention, were men who were 
not indifferent to education. If the facts could 
be unearthed, it would probably appear that 
there were many good schools in the province. 

Men of education and intelligence, who were 
influenced by the possession or prospect of 
office, were with the Regulators in principle and 
spirit, but not in measures, or not in their ultra 
measures, just because they believed that the 
people were not prepared for a conflict with the 



established government. See Life of Caldwell, 
pp. 140-41. Jones mentions Maurice Moore, 
Thomas Person, and Alexander Martin, as of 
this sentiment. 

In the uprising of the Regulators, it is be- 
lieved that Mecklenburg took a decided part. 
We extract from the "Life of Caldwell," (p. 136) 
by Caruthers, the following statement: 

" As it had been found very difficult to pun- 
ish any of the Regulators in their own county, 
the Attorney General was authorized to prose- 
cute them in any Superior Court, or Court of 
Oyer and Terminer, in the Province; and on an 
indictment being found, the Judges were directed 
to issue a proclamation against the defendant, 
commanding him to surrender himself and stand 
his trial ; and on his failing to do so, he was held 
to be guilty and outlawed, and his lands and 
chattels forfeited. The Governor was empow- 
ered to make drafts from the uiilitia to enforce 
the execution of the laws ; and any persons 
who were found embodied and in arms, with in- 
tention of opposing the military force, if they 
refused on command of a Justice or Sheriff to 
lay down their arms and surrender themselves, 
were to be treated as traitors. To diminish the 
strength of the Regulators by division, four new 
counties were established : one by taking a part 
from each of the counties of Orange, Cumber- 
land, and Johnston, which, in compliment to 
Miss Esther Wake, a sister of Tryon's lady, 
was called Wake ; another was formed from the 
counties of Orange and Rowan, which was called 
Guilford ; a third was formed out of the south- 
ern part of Orange, to which the name of Chat- 
ham was given ; and the northern part of Row- 
an was erected into a county called Surry." 

"Mecklenburg seems to have had no confidence 
in the leaders o{ the Regulators, and a righteous 
disgust for many of their excesses. As Rev. 
Francis Cummins, the neighbor of Captain 
James Jack, has expressed it, " they wanted 
strength, eoiis/sfei/ey, a Congress, and a Wash- 
ington at their head." Immediately after the 



26o 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Battle of Alamance (which wasin May i6, 1771), 
Governor Tryon took steps to cure this more 
methodical madness by swearing her " whole 
militia companies together." So well did his 
prescription work upon the consciences of a Bible- 
reading community that when a convention of 
delegates from these same militia companies 
assembled in Charlotte on Alay 19, 1775, with 
the common sentiment that ' the cause of Bos- 
ton is the cause of all,' ' to take such measures 
as might be thought best to be pursued,' and 
indcpoidcncc was boldly proposed as the only 
remedy, quite a scene was produced by the dele- 
gate, who replied, "I should be glad to know 
how gentlemen can clear their consciences after 
taking that oath." The same argument that 
satisfied him, and made the vote unanimous, 
was effectually used by Dr. Caldwell in his con- 
gregations in Guilford, and was a triumph of 
sound reason and righteousness over the mach- 
inations of tyrants.-'' 

The same author, who, from the mouth of 
eye witnesses, has given elsewhere, many un- 
published incidents connected with the battle of 
Guilford Court House, March 15, 1780, and the 
affair on the Alamance, May 16, 1771, in speak- 
ing of the six prisoners hung by Tryon at Hills- 
boro, says: "Nor will the fjte of Captain Merrill 
excite much less regret. He was from the Jer- 
sey settlement, according to McPlierson ; or as 
others say, from ^fcckliiiburi^- county. He was 
regarded as a pious man ; was much esteemed 
wherever he was known. He was within an easy 
da)''s march of the place of meeting, with three 
hundred men under his command, when he 
heard of the defeat, and if he had got there in 
time, the result would have been very different. 
His men immediately dispersed ; but he was 
taken prisoner, and his life was the forfeit." 



*Kev. K. W. Caiuthti's " Life of Rev. Ur. Daviil Cald- 
well," p. 136. 

Dr.Caldwellwasa most influential character, and, althougli 
not so mentioned Ijy the historians of the adjacent States, 
figured conspicuously in connection with the battles, lioth 
of Alamance, and of Guilford Court House. 



To get pflsitivf information on this head, as 
well as of a prior rebellion in Mecklenburg, 
which arose out of British land titles, would 
now be about as difficult as obtaining access 
to the archives of an " invisible empire." 

Under the head of Wake County, we will 
publish documents to refute the siiwphi^ assump- 
tion made by a critic in the A\>rth Amciicaii 
Rcvic-a', of April 1S74, that "in the year 1819, 
the Raleigh Register surprised its readers, etc., 
with the announcement of a Mecklenburg 
Declaration of Independence, dated May 20, 

I775-" 

The Polk Family. 

Robert Polk was born in Ireland. The name 
is a corruption of Pollock. He came to America 
in 1735. Had eight children — six sons and two 
daughters ; and settled in Somerset county, 
Mar\land. Three sons of Robert — Thomas, 
Ezekiel, and Charles — in 1750, came to Meck- 
lenburg count)', then Anson county (Mecklen- 
burg was formed in 1762 from Anson). John, 
son of Robert, was the father of William. 

William Polk, grandson of Robert had (i) 
Charles, (2) Susan (married Alexander), (3) John 
(4) Ezekiel, (5) Thomas, (6) Margaret (married 
McRee). 

Ezekiel Polk, son of William, married, first, 
Miss Wilson ; second Mrs. Lennard, and was 
the father of Samuel Polk, who married Jane 
Knox, and so became the father of James Knox 
Polk, (born November 2, 1795— died June 15, 
1S49) who was the eldest of his children. He 
was born eleven miles south of Charlotte, near 
little Sugar Creek church. When he was about 
eleven years old, his father moved to Tennessee. 
He was educated at the University, where he 
graduated in 1818, in the same class with Rob- 
ert Donaldson, Thomas J. Green, William M. 
Green, now Bishop of Mississippi, Hamilton C. 
Jones, Edward J. Mallett, Rev. Robert H. 
Morrison, William D. Mosely (since Governor 
of Florida) and Hugh Waddell. He took the first 
honors of his class. He never missed a single 



MICCKLENBURG COUNTY. 



261 



recitation during his whole course. lie read 
law with Felix Grundy, and was admitted tj 
the bar in 1820. He was elected a Member of 
Congress in 1825 — in 1835 was Speak'T — which 
he held for five sessions. After fourteen years' 
service he declined a re-election. During this 
long service he never was absent a day from the 
House. 

In 1839, he was elected Governor of Tennes- 
see. In 1844 he was elected President of the 
United States, by a majority of sixtyfive votes, 
over Henry Clay. His cabinet was one of trans- 
cendant ability. Mr. Buchanan in the State 
Department, Robert J. Walker in the Treasury, 
William L. Marcy in the War Department, 
John Y. Mason, Clifford, and Toucey as Attor- 
ney Generals, Cave Johnson as Postmaster 
General, and George Bancroft as Secretary of 
the Navy. 

The events of his administration are recorded 
in history. The war with Mexico enlarged the 
limits of our Republic, and general prosperity 
smiled on our country. His administration was 
prosperous and glorious. In his letter accept- 
ing the nomination, he declared that he would 
serve only one term, and in a letter to Dr. J. G. 
M. Ramsey of Tennessee, he reiterated this 
determination, when many thought his name 
was the only available means of success. He 
died at Nashville on June 15, 1849. On his 
tomb is inscribed this sentence : 

"By his public policy he defended, estab- 
lished, and extended the boundaries of his 
country. He planted the laws of the American 
Union on the shores of the Pacific. His influ- 
ence and his councils tended to organize the 
National Treasury on the principles of the Con- 
stitution, and to apply the rule of Freedom to 
navigation, trade, and industry."* 

Thomas Polk, son of William Polk and Pris- 
cilla Roberts, was the grand-uncle of President 
Polk.t 

■See " Lrfe of James K. Polk," by John S. Jenkins, Au- 
burn, James M Alden, 1S50. 

tLossing's Field Hook of the Revolution, 11, 617, 624. 



He was, originally, a survej or in the early 
days of the colony, uniformly popular and re- 
spected. He was the Colonel of the'county, 
and represented Mecklenburg in thc^Colonial 
Legislature. 

He was with Abram Alexander a Member of 
Assembly, in 1771 and 1775, from Mecklenburg 
and appointed by the Provincial Congress in 
1775, Colonel of the 2d Battalion of Minute 
Men, with Adam Alexander as Lieutenant 
Colonel, and Charles McLean as Major. 

He succeeded General Davidson after the fall 
of that officer at Cowan's Ford. 

The first opportunity for showing his zeal, in 
defense of his country, was in South Carolina, 
in 1775. The Tories had embodied themselves 
under Fletchal, Cunningham, and others, by 
the inducement of Sir William Campbell, the 
last of the Royal Governors in South Carolina. 
They attacked the Whigs under General Wil- 
liamson, at Cambridge, and at "Ninety Six" and 
forced him to capitulate. The Council of Safety 
ordered out General Richard Richardson's bri- 
gade, supported by Colonel William Thompson's 
Regiment of Rangers, and called upon the 
Whigs of North Carolina, to aid in crushing the 
Royalists. They promptly responded, and 
marched with nine hundred men, under Colonels 
Polk, Rutherford, Martin, and Graham. In a 
severe battle they vanquished the Royalists. 

The clouds of the Revolutionary War had 
now begun to lower, and the brave spirits of 
Mecklenburg were preparing for the fearful 
storm to burst upon them. They were : 

" Men who understood their rights, 
And knowing, dared maintain " 

Colonel Thomas Polk issued orders to each 
captain of his Regiment, to send delegates to a 
meeting at Charlotte, to be held on May 19, 
177s ; which met, and on the 20th issued a 
Declaration of Independence, avowing them- 
selves " a free and independent people, under 
the control of no power other than that of God 
and the General Government of the Congress, 



262 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



to the maintenance of which they solemnly 
pledged to each other their mutual coopera- 
tion, their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred 
honor." 

This is the proudest page in the history of 
North Carolina, and is full of patriotism, moral 
grandeur and sublimity. That some who 
have never risen to the height of this 
great argument, should endeavor to throw some 
doubts on this sublime act, is not to be won- 
dered at, as the doubting Thomas would not be- 
lieve in his Savior's resurrection unless he had 
tangible and visible proof; yet to all fair 
minds its verity safely rests on the dispatch of 
the Royal Governor Martin, dated Fort John- 
son, North Carolina, 30th June, 1775, to the 
Earl of Dartmouth, in which he says: 

"The resolves of the Committee of Meck- 
lenberg, which your Lordship will find in the 
enclosed newspaper, surpasses all the horrid 
and treasonable publications that the inflamma- 
ble spirits on this continent have yet produced, 
and your Lordship may depend its authors and 
abettors will not escape my due notice, when- 
ever my hands are sufficiently strengthened to 
attempt the recovery of the lost authority of 
this government. A copy of these resolutions, 
I am informed, was sent off immediately by 
express to the Congress at Philadelphia." 

I have copied the whole dispa'ich, the original of 
which is extant, in the Rolls Office in London. 
The dispatch is in the handwriting of Gov. 
Martin. Endorsed upon it are these words : 
" Enclosures. 
" I. Minutes of the Council. 
" II. Resolves of the Committee of Mccklen- 
berg County. 

" III. Printed Proclamation. " 
These Resolutions were sent ofi (as Governor 
Martin states he was informed) to the Congress 
at Philadelphia, by Captain Jack, and "referred 
to a committee, who reported on the first of 
September, that the present Association ought 
to be further relied on for bringing about a rec- 



onciliation with the parent State." No fur- 
ther notice was taken, and this brilliant spark 
was lost in the blaze of the Federal Declaration 
of Independence, published the following year.* 

There were Resolves of Mecklenberg passed 
on May 31, 1775, which were equally patriotic. 
Their authenticity has never been questioned. 
Therefore, it was very essential to obtain the 
enclosure of Governor Martin. This paper was 
missing from the files of the British rolls office. 
To produce this would settle the doubts of all. 
Mr.Jefferson, in a hasty letter to Mr. Adams, dated 
July 9, 1 8 19, had pronounced the whole affair a 
myth, f Mr. Bancroft, when Envoy to England, 
has searched in vain for this newspaper en- 
closed in Governor Martin's dispatch, and 
offered a reward for its recovery. 

The following note was then addressed to 
the Deputy Master of the Rolls, who has charge 
of these papers : 

" Xi). 28 liuRY St., St, James', London, 1 
" 28 Jan., 1864. / 

" To Hon. Sir Thomas Hardy Duffiis,Dep. Master 
of the Rolls House, Chaiieer}' Lane, London : 
"Sir: Under instructions of the Duke of 
New Castle, you have allowed me full and free 
access to all the papers in your office relative 
to the Colonial History of North Carolina. 

" In Vol. 222, the official dispatch of Josiah 
Martin, (No. 34) then the Royal Governor of the 
Province of North Carolina, dated 30th June, 
1775, enclosed several papers. 

"One of these, 'The Cape Fear Mercury, ' 
stated by Governor Martin to contain the Meck- 
lenburg Resolves of the Independent Com- 
mittee has been removed, and in the place 
thereof is this endorsement in pencil : 

" 'A paper taken Old by Mr. Turner for Mr. Ste- 
venson, 13 Aug., 1837. 't 



Lo5sing ii., 621. 

tMr. Stevenson, of Virginia, was at the time Envoy fioni 
the United States at London. 

tAs it is now settled that Mr. Jefferson at the time was 
opposed to independence, the North Carolina delegates may 
not have apprised him of the Mecklenburg dispatch, and in 
such a frame \he piitlitation which he must have seen made 
no lasting impression on his mind. 



MI'.CKLKNHURG COUNTY. 



263 



" I wish very much to examine the newspa- 
per in question, and will be obliged if you will 
take such steps as you may conceive necessary 
to have it restored to the Volume from whence 
it has been removed, or ascertain its where- 
abouts. 

" I have the honor, &c., 

JNO. H. WHKICLKR." 
The following answer was received by me: 

" Public Rolls Oi-fice, London, 1 
2- Feb., 1864. / 

"Sir: With reference to your letter of the 
28th January, I am directed by the Master of the 
Rolls to inform you, that he has communicated 
with the Colonial Office on the subject, and has 
this day received an explanation to the follow- 
ing effect : That, in the opinion of the Libra- 
rian of the Foreign Office, whatever papers 
were removed by Mr. Turner in 1837, were 
subsequently replaced in the Volume, and that 
the omission to rub out the pencil memoranda 
of their being taken out by Mr. Turner, has 
led to the supjiosition that they have not been 
restored. 

" I have the honor to be, sir, 

" Your obedient servant, 
"T. DUFFUS HARDY. 
"Col. John H. Wheeler, St. James, London." 

This, if not satisfactory, showed that this 
important paper was not in place — if not lost. 
Hon. John W. Stevenson, late United States 
Senator from Kentucky, who is executor of 
Mr. Stevenson, his father, has promised to look 
among his father's papers for this newspaper. 
Hut this paper is not indispensable to establish 
the verity of the Mecklenburg Declaration. 

The sivom statanent of General Joseph Gra- 
ham, who was present at the place and time, 
(see page 228), uncontradicted and uncoiitra- 
dictable, states all the facts in a lucid, and im- 
pregnable manner. The masterly and unan- 
swerable argument of Governor Wil'iam A. 
Graham, at Charlotte, Feb. 4, 1875, exhausts 
the question, to say nothing of the researches 



of Rev, Francis L. Hawks (see page 141) and 
others. 

Of this meeting Thomas Polk was a promi- 
nent member. Associated with him in this 
band of patriots was Abram Alexander, who 
was the Chairman of the Convention, born 
1718. He had been the Chairman of the Inferior 
Court before and after the Revolution, and a 
Member of the Colonial Legislature 1774-75. 
He died April 23, 1786, and is buried in the 
cemetery of Sugar Creek Church He was grand- 
father of Dr. Cyrus Alexander, now of Cabar- 
rus county. His eldest son, Dr. Isaac Alex- 
ander, was at the Convention, but not a mem- 
ber ; he graduated at Princeton, N. J., in the 
class with James Madison and Aaron Burr, and 
was the first President of the Queen's Museum 
at Charlotte, N. C. 

Adam Alexander was also a member of 
the Convention; he was born in 1720; 
was Lieutenant Colonel of a battalion of 
Minute Men, appointed thereto by the Provincial 
Congress at Johnston Court House, in 1775, 
with Thomas Polk, as Colonel, and Charles 
McLean as Major. He was appointed Colonel 
of Mecklenburg county, with John Phifer as 
Lieutenant Colonel, and John Davidson and 
George A. Alexander as Majors, by the Pro- 
vincial Congress at Halifax, on the 4th of April, 
1776. He was the father of Hon. Evan Alex- 
ander, who was educated at Princeton, and 
member of 9th Congress from the Salisbury 
district (i8o5-'09), elected vice Nathaniel Al- 
exander, elected Governor. He was the grand- 
father of Adam Alexander Springs, the common 
ancestor of all the Springs family of the two 
Carolinas. 

Adam R. Alexander, who was a member of 
Congress from the Memphis district, Tennessee, 
was another grandson. Ezra Alexander, was 
also a member of this body. He was a Cap- 
tain in the Revolutionary War, and in 1780 
fought the Tories in Lincoln county, '•' when 

-See declaration of James Knox, on file in Pension Office. 



364 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



they were suppressed at the battle of Ramsour's 
Mil'. 

He died in 179O, aged 70, and is buried in 
Sharon Graveyard. 

Hezekiah Alexander was also a member. 
He was more of a statesman than a soldier. 
He was born in 1728, in Pennsylvania. By the 
Provincial Congress at Hillsboro, (21st of Au- 
gust, 1775) he was appointed with Griffith 
Rutherford, John Brevard, Benjamin Patton, 
and others, a Committee of Safety for the Salis- 
bury District. In April, 1776, with William 
Sharp he was appointed on the Council of 
Safety. In April, 1776, he was appointed Pay- 
master of the Fourth Regiment North Carolina 
Continentals, of which Regiment Thomas Polk 
was Colonel, James Thackston Lieutenant Col- 
onel, and William Davidson Cajor. In Nov- 
ember, 1776, he was elected a member of the 
Provincial Congress from Mecklenburg county, 
with Waighstill Avery, Robert Irwin, John 
Phifer and Zaccheus Wilson as colleagues, which 
Assembly formed the first Constitution of the 
State. He died and was buried in Sugar 
Creek Churchyard.* The head-stone placed 
over his grave has the following : 

"in memory 

of 

HEZEKIAH ALEXANDER, 

Who departed this life July i8th, 1801." 

John McKnitt Alexander was one of the 
members in this celebrated Convention. He was 
born in Pennsylvania in 1733, and when twen- 
ty-one years of age came to North Carolina. 
He was elected to Provincial Assembly in 1772; 
also as a Delegate to Hillsboro on the 21st of 
August, 1775 ; at Halifax in April, 1776. As 
we have stated, he was an active participator in 
the Convention of May 19th and 20th, 1775, and 
preserved for 25 years the record of this proud 
event, and sent copies thereof to General Wil- 

*Called from a creek 011 which it is built, named liy the 
Indians Siiga, or rather, Sooya Creek. 



liam R. Davie, Dr. Hugh Williamson and oth- 
ers. The original was consumed by fire in 1800, 
when Mr. Alexander's house was burned. He 
was the first Senator elected under the Consti- 
tution from Mecklenburg county. Waighstill 
Avery and Martin Phifer were his colleagues 
in the Commons. 

Robert D. Graham, Esq., a member of the 
Charlotte Bar, whose researches have shed much 
light upon the details of the organization, and 
the several manuscripts of the Independent 
Committee of Mecklenburg, writes of John 
McKnitt Alexander as follows : 

"He was a man of great versatility of talent ; 
thorough end successful in whatever he under- 
took. Put to the trade of a tailor when a boy, 
he soon became widely known among his 
cotemporaries as a surveyor, and long after 
the war, was often a witness in land suits in the 
western counties. He was an elder in his 
church, and also Treasurer of the synod of the 
two Carolinas, a member of the Royal, and 
after the 20th, of the Independent County 
Court, and several times a delegate in the Pro- 
vincial Congress. His paper of the 19th of 
May marks him as a statesman of the first order. 
His advanced sentiments of patriotism were 
acknowledged by making him a secretary of the 
convention of delegates of "the citizens of 
Mecklenburg county" — two from each militia 
company — which met on May 19, 1775, re- 
solved upon independence, and on the next day, 
made "a more formal declaration" from the 
old court house steps, together with "a long 
string of grievances," "a military order for 
purchasing ordnance stores" and "bylaws." 

At the same time they also formed a County 
Committee — which does not appear to have 
been previously done, in propria foniia ; 
although the leading spirits were on the alert, 
and had had frequent meetings at Oncc/i's 
jMusnmi — whose duty defined in the last para- 
graph of the Declaration, was as ' 'Justices of the 
Peace in the character of committee-men, to 



AI laKLlCNHURG COUNTY. 



265 



issue process, hear and determine all matters of 
controversy, according to said adopted laws ; 
and to preserve peace, union, and harmony in 
said county ; and to use every exertion to spread 
the love of country and fire of freedom through- 
out America, until a more general and organized 
government be established in this province." 

No publication of these (5) bold resolves was or- 
dered, and the committee went into office, not 
to glorify themselves, or their county, as the 
tirst in the race, but to discharge a specified 
duty. How well they did that, may be .=een in 
the Resolves which they proceeded, it seems, to 
prepare for publication " to spread the love of 
country and fire of freedom." They bear date in 
print May 31, but has the newspaper publication 
correctly copied the ti^'o fgiircs from the manu- 
script? They begin with this significant clause : 
" This day t/tr Coiniiiittir of tliis Coiody met and 
passed the following resolves, etc. " A county 
committee was a body duly acknowledged, au- 
thorized, and provided for, by the last Congress, 
which had met in the Province, the Fall preceding. 
The manner of forming such committees was not 
prescribed, nor the number of constituent mem- 
bers. Once formed, it was a lawful body, and 
might communicate with other lawful bodies 
throughout the country. It was natural, there- 
fore, that its resolves should be published by 
the newspapers in preference to the original 
Declaration of the convention of delegates which 
formed it, and the evidence of participants is 
that Captain Jack bore a copy of all the proceedings 
with him to Philadelphia — probably as digested 
by Brevard. 

The Convention's Resolves had declared the 
county independent, )wt of Congress, but of 
Great Britain. The committee's resolves — 
evidently recommendatory — went much far- 
ther, and declared all the colonies indepen- 
dent— "all commissions, civil and military, 
heretofore granted by the Crown to be exercised 
in the colonies, are null and void." The con- 
vention had expressed themselves to the people 



in a paper of five resolves adopted just after the 
heated debate of the night before. To these 
the " more formal declaration " added a sixth, 
authorizing a dispatch to Congress. The com- 
tec set forth in a duly attested paper of ' "XX" Re- 
solves all that had been done on the 19th and 
20th by way of Declarations, "a long string of 
grievances," the military order on ordnance 
supplies, and even the principal argument that 
had then secured unanimity of action. Resolve 
XVIII, showed "a decent respect for the opin- 
ions" of those, elsewhere, who still ''abhorred 
the idea of independence," (as did the prudent 
Washington, until the month of May, 1776, 
and preferred "dependence on Great Britain, 
properly limited, than on any nation on earth, 
or than on no nation," as the sage of Monticello 
expressed himself to John Randolph, August 
-5. '775) By its authors it was well understood 
to be at once a defiance of the Crown, and a 
justification before the world. 

After the utter rout of the cavillers, who 
questioned the fact of any declaration of inde- 
pendence at all emanating from this county, a 
recent spirit of criticism has arisen which tells 
us that this committee certainly deserved well 
of their country, but that their consolidated 
resolves of May 31st, are "glory enough for 
Mecklenburg." The doubting Thomases, who 
could not be convinced, until they had found 
the proceedings of a meeting, several days after 
the feast, which, therefore, made so little im- 
pression, that it was soon entirely forgotten, are 
hardly fair judges. 

On July 5, 1824, Dr. M. W. Alexander in a 
public address at Hopewell church, in which he 
gave a detailed statement from the secretary of 
the proceedings, on May 19 and 20, 1775, used 
this language: "These are transactions with 
which you, together with the citizens of this 
and the adjoining counties, have long been fa- 
miliar — these have been the frequent topics of 
conversation amongst us for nearly fifty years — 
these were the proceedings, of our relatives, of 



266 



WHEPXER'S REMINISCENCES. 



our fellow-citizens, every individual of whom 
has descended to the silent tomb; — but these 
arc their living deeds of patriotism, which mis- 
fortune cannot now tarnish, and which the ma- 
lignant breath of envy dare not now assail to 
blast." 

And now at the end of nearly three score 
years more, there are still some living who have 
conversed with the participants, and eye wit- 
nesses of the proceedings of this county con- 
vention, who smile at the suggestion that the 
old patriots, in recounting the adoption of the 
original county declaration of five resolves, 
might, possibly, have imagined it, and formu- 
lated in their old age in the sincere belief that 
it was a rcpivductioii of a paper containing XX 
Resolves, with no allusion to the Battle of Lex- 
ington, but covering much more ground, and 
not signed by the delegates, but by the clerk, 
by order of the committee. 

The attention of the reader is called to the 
following language in this oration of Dr. Moses 
Winslow Alexander at Hopewell, July 5, 1824. 
One paragraph we quote : 

"A full copy of the whole proceedings was 
then made out and attested, and Captain James 
Jack, of Charlotte, was deputied as express to 
Congress, then sitting in Philadelphia, accom- 
panying said proceedings with a letter addressed 
to Richard Caswell, Wm. Hooper, and Joseph 
Hewes, then our representatives from this Prov- 
ince — enjoining it on our said representatives to 
use all possible means to have said proceedings 
sanctioned and approved by the general Con- 
gress. 

On the return of Captain Jack, the delegation 
learned by a joint letter from said three repre- 
sentatives, that their proceedings were individu- 
ally approved by the members of Congress, but 
that it was deemed premature to have them be- 
fore the House ; recommending perseverence, 
order, energy, etc. 

The Committee of Safety (mark you, not the 
Delegation) of which Abraham Alexander was 



chairman, held their regular and stated meetings 
alternately at Charlotte, at James Harris' and 
John Phifer's. This was a civil court founded 
on military process. Before this Judicature all 
suspicious persons were made to appear, who 
were formally tried, banished, or bound to good 
behavior. Its jurisdiction was unlimited as to 
Toryism, and its decrees as final as the confi- 
dence and patriotism of the country. Several 
were arrested and brought before them from 
Tryon, (now Lincoln,) Rowan, and the adjacent 
counties. " 

The point that I make is this : the above is 
the conclusion of that part of the Doctor's 
speech which was in quotation marks, as pub 
lished. He prefaced it with these words: 
" You will now permit me to read the proceed- 
ings of that meeting, as drawn up and certified by 
their clerk, and deposited in the safe keeping of 
General W. R. Davie, for the benefit of some 
future historian." Here then we have the 
"foregoing statement " (covering the transac- 
tions of the Delegation on two days, 19th and 
20th) as to which the old secretary had certified 
that though fundamentally correct, // might not 
literally correspond with the record, but contain- 
ing nevertheless the original Declaration, which, 
but shortly thereafter he assured Judge Cam- 
eron, he knew to be correct. Here, too, with- 
a microscope, I think we may find the iiieiitio?i 
of the tliree declarations, which have appeared to 
vex the historiographers. After detailing the 
transactions of May 19th, the .y/^^/^'wr;// proceeds 
thus: 

" May 20th, Delegation met. The select 
committee reported a formal Declaration of In- 
dependence (believed to be drawn by Dr. Eph- 
raim, chairman of said committee) which was 
unanimously approved and signed ; and which 
together with the foregoing resolves, was pub- 
licly read and proclaimed from the Court House 
door, by Colonel Thomas Polk, to a large and 
approving concourse of citizens, who had con- 



Jill'XKLKNHUKG COUNTY. 



267 



vened to sanction the proceedings of their dele- 
gates. " 

So that independence was resolved upon by 
t\\Q delegation on the 19th of May; reiterated 
by "a more formal Declaration on the 20th, 
which was read by Colonel Polk, to the people, 
and t/ien, (why not on the 31st?) a full copy of 
the whole proceedings (plural) was made out and 
attested" for Congress. The Delegation had 
met on Thursday, the "more formal Declara- 
tion " was made and a county committee ap- 
pointed on Friday, and time was still left for the 
"full copy of the whole proceedings" to be 
made out, the attestation being placed thereto 
upon Saturday, in these words: 

"Signed by order of the Committee, 
Eph. Bkevaku, 
Clerk of the Committee," 

This Saturday was the 21st of May, and I 
believe that a sleepy (?) devil mistook the 2 for 
a 3. and thus has enabled Ephraim so long to 
vex Manasseh with the "31st May." 

The resolutions thus quietly drawn off and 
attested " the day after the feast," were pub- 
lished in full, on June 13, 1775, in Timothy's 
Carolina Gazette, and in Tlie South Carolina Ga- 
zette, diwd Conntry Jonrnal oi ]\\ne, 1775, No. 
498, printed at Charlestovvn by Charles Crouch, 
on the Bay, corner of Elliott street," and also 
in " .Vc-^c York Jonrnal diwd General Adveitiser" 
of June 29, 1775. They appeared, partially, 
in the Massachusetts Spy of the next month. 
Besides these, publication was made in the Cape 
Fear Merenry of June 30, 1 775, either of this 
full copy of the "zohole proceedings," or else 
the simple Declaration itself. 

Here the presumption of a negative is very 
strong, viz: that each Gazette was w/ furnished 
with a manuscript from the committee. In its 
absence they accepted as correct the 13th of 
June edition of the "attested" copy. As un- 
derstood by the delegation, and by the commit- 
tee, there is not a word of compromise in either 
paper. The committee's document was a sub- 



stantial copy of all tiiat concerned the colonics, 
generally to be found in the several papers, 
passed upon and adopted in the two preceding 
da}-s by the convention. Governor Martin, if 
it was the latter which he saw, evidently under- 
stood it as " DKCLARiNG the entire dissolntion of 
the laws, government, and constitution of this 
country." He properly appreciated the i8th 
Resolution, as at once a modestly expressed 
justification, and a defiance. " 

Nothing could have more disgusted the subject 
of this sketch than the suggestion that he had 
given a certificate to the effect that the Davie 
copy of the Declaration itself might not be 
correct. 

General William R. Davie was about the most 
prominent man in the State at that day, and 
was still residing at Halifax. With the Declara- 
tion, Alexander sent him a statement of the 
transactions attending its adoption, which may 
be found in the speech at Hopewell, alluded to 
above. Of this statement, he conscientiously 
wrote : "It may be worthy of notice here to 
observe that the foregoing statement, though 
fundamentally correct, yet may not literally cor- 
respond with the original record of the trans- 
actions (plural) of said delegation and court of • 
inquiry, as all those records and papers were 
burned, with the house, in April 6th, 1800. 
But previous to that time (1800) a full copy of 
said records, at the request of Dr. Hugh Wil- 
liamson, then of New York, but formerly a 
representative in Congress from this State, was 
forwarded to him by Colonel William Polk, in 
order that those early transactions might 'fill 
their proper place in a history of this State, 
then being written by .said Doctor Williamso 1 
of New York." 

But on this certificate he has placed his con- 
struction beyond cavil. He gave it September 
3, iSoo. Within a year, he met Judge Duncan 
Cameron at the .Salisbury Court and told him 
that he had sent to General Davie a copy of the 
Declaration " which he hne-w to be correct, and 



268 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



therefore the docimiciit is safe. " Judge Cameron 
met him there at a subsequent term, when he 
says his language was that the Davie copy is 
perfectly correct. 

The Martin copj' may be that of the day pre- 
ceding, or the alteration may have been other- 
wise made in inadvertance in transcribing, etc. 
In this connection we will state that the Cen- 
tennial celebration brought out the fact that 
there is still in existence, a copy of the Declara- 
tion, drawn off by Adam Brevard, the attorney, 
and younger brother of Ephraim. See Soutli- 
cni Home, July 5, 1875. 

Yours truly, 

R. D Graham. 

Dr. J. G. M. Ramsay, the eminent historian 
of Tennessee, writes that the Declaration of In- 
dependence mentioned by Governor Graham in 
his address on page twenty-five, as shown by 
General Andrew Jackson at thg Hermitage in 
the year 1828, to the Hon. Theodore W. Bre- 
vard, Comptroller General, and Colonel Isaac 
W. Hayne, the Attorney General of the State 
of South Carolina, the declaration being printed 
on satin and in a gilt frame, with the signatures 
of the signers attached thereto, was undoubt- 
edly a copy of the resolutions of May 20, 1775. 
General Jackson unquestionably treated the in- 
cident as a well known fact in the history of 
that region of the State, the memory of which 
he thus perpetuated. And as Governor Gra- 
ham says .• Let it be noted that at the time of 
the conversation, the Legislature of North Car- 
olina had never noticed the matter of the Dec- 
laration (it remained for subsequent cavillers to 
doubt its authenticity) and no publication had 
been made touching it, except the original com- 
munication by John McKnitt Alexander, in 
1819, the evidence collected by Colonel Polk, 
in 1820, and two or three letters collected by 
Mr. Macon ; neither had Martin's History yet 
appeared, for its publication was in 1829. 
Alexander Genealogy. 

John McKnitt Alexander is buried at Hope- 



well church, ten miles north of Charlotte — not 
far from the grave of General William Davidson. 
His tomb bears this inscription : 

"Sacred to the memory of John McKnitt 
Alexander, who departed this life, July 10, 
1817 ; aged 84." 

By his side is his wife, Jane Baine, who died 
March 16, 1798, aged 30. (The name is spelled 
Bean on the tombstone ) 

He left two sons, (a) Joseph McKnitt Alex- 
ander, M.D., and (b) William Baine Alexander. 

The first married Dovey Winslow, who died 
September 6, 1801, aged 25, leaving one son, 
Moses Winslow Alexander, M. D. See the 
Graham genealogy. 

(a) Dr.Joseph McKnitt Alexander was born in 
I774,and died October 18, 1841. His son, Moses 
W., was born May 3, 1798, and died February 
27,1845. Both were well known throughout 
the country for integrity and skill in their com- 
mon profession, and in death, as is seen above, 
were only divided by the space of four years. 
To distinguish them, the elder was oftener men- 
tioned as Dr. McKnitt, than as Dr. Alexander, 
and thus came to attest his written communica- 
tions by the well known abbreviated signature 
of/ McKnitl. 

The Greek name of Alexander had long been 
the most common patronymic in Mecklenburg, 
and was borne by no less than seven of the 
delegates to the convention, or committee,* that 
assembled on May 19, 1775. 

On the other hand, the ancestral name of 
McKnitt was held by no family in the county, 
and he accepted the soubriquet from the mouth 
of those who held him in the highest esteem 
both in Church and State. 

A record of fourteen children, thirteen of 
whom married and left issue, reminds us of the 
early days of Israel. Such a people were not 
dependent on " the historians of the adjacent 

"The lerm coiiiiiiittee in those e.nr'y days was sometime.^ 
applied even to ihe Conlinental Congress (see Ji nes' De- 
fence ; and ihe veteran John .Sinieson, speaker of tl)e au- 
thorized County Committees or Congresses.) 



M EC K L]-: N B U RG CO U NT Y. 



269 



States," or the memory of Mr. Adams (wlio 
certainly forgot the issue of the Massac/tiisctts 
Spy, of July 12, 1775) for the preservation of 
their traditions. 

(b) William Baine married Violet Davidson — 
issue, fourteen children. 

(1) Joseph married Nancy Cathey. 

(2) William married Clarissa Alexander. 

(3) Robert D. married Abigail Caldwell — is- 
sue, (a) Rev. S. C. C. Alexander married Mary 
Brown, (b) J. B. Alexander, M. D., married 
Annie Lowrie, (c) William Davidson Alexander 
married Susan Ramsay, (d) Agnes married to 
Dr. W. Fewell. 

(4) Benjamin married Violet McKoy. 

(5) James McKnitt married Mary Wilson. 

(6) George Washington married, first, Gilles- 
pie ; second, Jelton. 

(7) John married Harriet Henderson. 

(8) Jane married John Sharpe. 

(9) Margaret D. married David R. Henderson. 

(10) Rebecca married Marshall McKoy. 

(11) Sally D. 

(12) Abigail married flenderson Robinson. 

(13) Betsy married Dr. Isaac Wilson. 

(14) Isabella married Dr. Calvin Grier. 

John McKnitt Alexander in 1801 gave to 
General William R. Davie, to preserve for 
historical use a copy of the Mecklenburg 
Declaration of Independence of May 20, 
1775, which in the same year (iSoi) he 
assured Judge Duncan Cameron he knew to 
be correct. Of the statement accompanying it, 
as to list of delegates, sequence, etc., he gave 
the following certificate : "It may be worthy 
of notice here to observe that the foregoing 
statement though fundamentally correct, yet 
may not literally correspond with the original 
record of the transactions of said delegation 
and court of inquiry, as all those records and 
papers were burned with the house on April 6, 
1800; but previous to that time (1800) a full 
copy of said records, at the request of Dr. 
Hugh Williamson, then of New York, but 



formerly a representative in congress from this 
State, was forwarded to him by Colonel William 
Polk, in order that those early transactions 
might fill their proper place in a history of this 
State, by said Dr. Williamson in New York."' 

Certified to the best of my recollection and 
belief this 3d day of September, 1800, by J. 
McK. Alexander, Mecklenburg county, N. C. 

Dr. Samuel Henderson states that the copy 
of the declaration in John McKnitt Alexander's 
handwriting, was found in the possession of 
General William Richardson Davie, after the 
General's death. 

General Davie was the foremost man of his 
day, in North Carolina. The idea is perfectly 
absurd that such a man could be imposed upon, 
or that any one wouid dare impose upon him, 
b} the fabrication of the declaration only 
twenty- five years after its date, when his facul- 
ties were so well preserved that several years 
subsequently, his friends considered him their 
most available candidate in the Halifax district, 
to ovjercome their opponents then in the ma- 
jority. Just after this, in 1 805, he removed to 
South Carolina and the anonymous article, 
which Dr. Welling {North Avurican Kcviru\ 
April, 1874) attributes to Prof. Phillips, erro- 
neously locates him in South Carolina, when 
McKnitt Alexander sent him a copy, which he 
repeatedly declared was correct. 

The fate of the original of this document, 
should that be of any historical importance, is 
not without its parallel in history, for in an arti- 
cle by W. L. Stone in the July number of Har- 
per s Magazine (1883) we find the following 
recited on the subject of the signing of the Dlx- 
laration of Independence, of July 4, 1776: 

" In thinking of that instrument, one is apt 

'It is worthy of notice that Williamson's History of 
North Carolina, terminated with ihe events of the year 
1771 ; in his preface he says that he intended to continue 
his history to 1790, but it was not done, and Mr Jefferson 
may well say Williamson's History affords no record of" the 
Declaration of 1775. (kivernor Stokes unqualifiedly asserts 
that he saw this copy in the possession of Dr. Williamson, 
ill 1793. «ntl 'li-it it wrs in ihe handwriting of John Mc- 
Kniit Alexander. (Graham's Centennial Address, p. 80) 



270 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



to call up before liim an august assemblage 
gravely seated around a table, with the Decla- 
ration spread out upon it, and each member of 
the Continental Congress in turn taking a pen 
and with great dignity affixing to it his name. 
Nothing, however, can be further from that 
which actually took place, very few of the dele- 
gates, if indeed any, signed the original docu- 
ment on the 4th, and none signed the present 
one now in Independence Hall, for the very 
good reason that it was not then in existence. 

"On July 19th, Congress voted that the Decla- 
ration be engrossed on parchment. Jefferson, 
however, says that New York signed on July 
15th. Consequently, New York must have 
signed the original Declaration before it had 
gone into the hands of the engrosser. On what 
day the work was done by the copyist, is not 
known. All that is certainly known, is that on 
August 2d, Congress had the document as en- 
grossed. This is the document in existence 
now in Independence Hall. It is on parchment 
or something that the trade calls parchment. 
On that day(August 2d) it was signed by all the 
members present. 

' ' The original Declaration is lost, or rather was 
probably purposely destroyed by Congress. 
All the signatures were made anew. When the 
business of signing was ended, is not known. 
One, Matthew Thornton, from New Hampshire, 
signed it in November, when he became a mem- 
ber for the first time ; and Thomas McKean, 
from Delaware, as he says himself, did not sign 
till January, 1777. Indeed, this signing was, 
in effect, what at the present day would be 
called a " test oath." The principles of many 
of the new delegates coming into Congress 
from the different States, were not known with 
certainty — some of them might be Tories in 
disguise — and thus each one was required, on 
first entering Congress to sign the Declaration. 
In January, 1777, an authenticated copy, with 
the names of all the signers, was sent to each 
State for signatures — a fact which may have put 



a stop to the business of signing. It shows, 
however, the little importance that was attached 
to this ceremony, that Robert R. Livingston 
was one of the committee of five that reported 
the Declaration, and yet did not sign it, unless 
his signature is lost with the original docu- 
ment- * * * 

"The truth is the Declaration of Independence 
was considered at that time, of much less im- 
portance than now, nor did the signers dream 
of its becoming a shrine almost of worship at 
the present day. It was like the Scottish Cove- 
nants of the previous century, which so strongly 
tinctured the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 
20, T775." 

Another distinguished member of this Com- 
mittee or Congress was Waighstill Avery. We 
have already recorded his biography. (See p. "jG. ) 

Rev. Hezekiah James Balch was also a mem- 
ber of this body. He was a native of Deer 
Creek, Harford county, Maryland, born 1748. 
He was the uncle of Rev. Stephen B. Balch, ' 
late of Georgetown, D. C. He graduated at 
Princeton, in 1766, in the same class with 
Waighstill Avery, Oliver Ellsworth, Luther 
Martin, and others. He studied for the minis- 
try and was appointed by the synods of New 
York and Philadelphia, a missionary to North 
Carolina. He was the first pastor of Rocky 
River and Poplar Tent churches, and so con- 
tinued until his death. He was as an exem- 
plary Christian as he was a devoted patriot. 
He combined great enthusiasm with unques- 
tioned firmness. He died in 1776, and lies 
buried in the churchyard of Poplar Tent. The 
following inscription is over his remains : 

"Beneath this marble are the mortal remains 
of the Rev. Hezekiah J. Balch: the first pastor 
of Poplar Tent Congregation, and one of the 
original members of the Orange Presbytery. 
He was licensed a preacher of the Everlasting 
Gospel by the Presbytery of Donegal in 1766, 
and rested from his labors in 1776, having been 
pastor of Poplar Tent and Rocky River about 



M I<:CKLEN BU RG COUNTY. 



^^\ 



seven years. lie was distinguished as one of 
the committee of three, who prepared the Dec- 
laration of Independence, and his eloquence, 
the more effectual from his acknowledged wis- 
dom, purity of motive, and dignity of character, 
contributed much to the unanimous adoption of 
that instrument on May 20, 1775." 

John Davidson, another member of this body, 
was born December 15, 1735. in Chester county, 
Pennsylvania. He was the son of Robert Da- 
vidson of Chestnut Levels, in that State. He 
was much esteemed and popular. He was a 
member of the Colonial Assembly in 1771. 
He was appointed by the Provincial Congress 
in April 1776, a Major in the Army, with Adam 
Alexander as Colonel ; John Phifer, Lieutenant 
Colonel, and George A. Alexander, Second 
Major, and as such served in the campaign of 
1776, under General Rutherford, against the 
Cherokee Indians. 

He was with Sumter in August, 1780, at the 
battles of Hanging Rock and Rocky Mount. 
He vvas enterprising and successful in business. 
With Joseph Graham and Alexander Brevard, 
he established Vesuvius Furnace, Terza Forge, 
and other Iron Works in Lincoln county. 

Prior to the Revolution he came to Meck- 
lenburg, in North Carolina, and settled on 
the Catawba in Hopewell congregation. He 
was a delegate to the county convention 
on May 19, 1775, signed the Declaration 
of Independence, which was proclaimed in the 
name of "the citizens of Mecklenburg count}', 
on the next day," and afterward told his grand- 
son, A. B. Davidson, Esq., of Charlotte, North 
Carolina, (now living), that in coming to the 
next meeting, that he was apprehensive that 
some Tory might attempt to way-lay him on 
the big road, which he ordinaril}' travelled, and 
therefore, beingalone, came to Charlotte by the 
bridle-paths. 

He was well informed as to the merits of the ■- 
question in dispute between Great Britain and 
the American Colonies, and uncompromisingly 



advocated independence as the only solution of 
the controversy. He was appointed by the 
Provincial Congress, a Major in the Mecklen- 
burg Regiment, under Thomas Polkas Colonel, 
and vvas re commissioned on the reorganization, 
but then accpted a transfer of service to the staff. 
He had, prior to the Revolution, entered the 
military service against the Indians, and won his 
way from the ranks as a private to the commis- 
sion of Major. He declined to accept the same 
rank under an officer who had never seen ser- 
vice ; but nevertheless, he was one of the most 
active "Hornets." Besides his service with 
General Sumter, he was in the battles of Hang- 
ing Rock and Ramsour's Mill. He furnished the 
transportation to General William Davidson for 
the Cowan's Ford expedition, February i, 1781. 

He was of a very prepossessing appearance, 
and preserved his mental faculties to the last. A 
generous host, he often found an interested 
audience among the rising generation, as he 
related to them many transactions of "the 
olden time," of which 'the historians of the 
adjacent States ' had not yet taken the pains to 
inform themselves. 

He died, January 10, 1832 in the ninety- 
seventh year of his age, at the house of his son- 
in-law, Wm. Lee Davidson. His wife was Vio- 
let Wilson, a sister of Samuel Wilson, and half- 
sister of Captain James Jack. She died Decem- 
ber 3, 1 8 18, in the seventy-seventh year of 
her age. Issue : 

I. Robert, born April 7, 1769, — died June 
14, 1853; married Mrs. Margaret McQuirtcr, 
daughter of Colonel Adlai Osborne of Rowan. 
She was born April 7, 1776 and died January 9, 
1864, without issue. 

II. Wilson married Betsy Latta — issue, (a) 
Robert F. married Eliza McCombs, (b) John 
R. married Eugenia Conneghay, (c) James mar- 
ried Sarah Springs, (d) William Lee married 

— Pagan, S. C, (c) Joseph married Mary 

Caldwell, (f) Benjamin (killed in C. S. A.) mar- 
ried Kate Landon of Connecticut. 



2/2 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



III. John married Sally Brevard (daughter of 
Adam Brevard, the attorney and one of " the 
seven rebels "), died in 1S70 in the ninety-first 
year of his age — issue, (a) Matthew, (b) Adam 
Brevard, (c) Robert, (d) William Speight Mc- 
Lean, (e) Augustus, (f) Eugene Constantine, 
(g) Isabella married J. W. Moore, (h) Violet, 
(i) Mary. 

Of these children, the following were issue : 
(a) Matthew married Mary J. Sylvester — issue, 
Robert H. M. Davidson, Member of Congress, 
1882-83, from Florida, and had eight children, 

to wit : (i) Joseph (M. D.) married, first, 

Blake; second, Laura Springs; (2) Edward ; (3) 
William, (4) Egbert, (5) Juliamarried Stockton, 
(6) Sally married Milligan, (7) Mary mar- 
ried Drisdale, (8) Alice married 

Stark. 

(b) Adam BrevarJ married, first, Mary 
Springs;* second, Cornelia, daughter of Hon. 
Franklin H. Elmore, United States Senator from 
South Carolina. Of the first marriage, issue is 
as follows: (i) John Springs married Minnie Cald- 
well, (2) William, (3) Robert, (4) Richard Aus- 
tin, (5) Adam Brevard, jr., (6) LeRoy, (7) Bax- 
ter ; daughters, (8) Laura married Rev. A. Sin- 
clair, (9) Sally, (10) Jenny married Dr. J. M. 
Miller, (i i) Isabella married C. G. Montgomery, 
(12) Amanda married A. J. Beall, (13) Julia 

"*"The Springs Family. — The father of Hon. Joliii Springs, 
came from Germany and settled on an island in the Dela- 
ware Bay, a few miles below Philadelphia. He removed to 
South Carolina, and married Jane Baxter, daughter of the 
distinguished Judge of that name. By purchase from the 
Catawbas, he became a large land-owner, to which his son, 
John Springs, added largely by purchase from the same 
tribe of Indians. The son, in this way, became a man of 
prominence in the State of South Carolina, whilst his high 
character, enlightened and liberal spirit, added to attractive 
manners, commanded universal esteem. An elder in the 
Presbyterian church, he was a liberal contributor to all in- 
stitutions of learning; never emulous of political preferment, 
he nevertheless, at the solicitation of neighbors, frequently 
served in the Legislature. 

On January 9, 1806, he was married to his first cousin, — 
issue as follows : (a) Richard Austin Springs, born January 
19, 1807, died 1874; (b) LeRoy Springs, born November 
24, iSii, died 1863; (c) Mary Laura, born Novemder 3, 
1813, died October, 1872, wife of Hon. Adam Brevard Da- 
vidson ; (d) Andrew Baxter Springs, born October 21 1S19; 
(e) Sophia Convert, born Decemlier 30, 1821, wife of Hon. 
W. R. Myers, a distinguished politician and banker in 
North Carolina. 



married Rev. T. J. Strohecker, (14) Blandina, 

(15) Fanny, (16) . 

(c) William Speight McLean, M. D., married 
first, Jane Torrence — issue, James T. ; second, 
Rebecca Reid, no issue; third, Mary Johnston. 

(e) Augustus, died while a cadet at West 
Point, monument erected by his classmates. 

(f) Engene Constantine, Lieutenant United 
States Army, in Mexican War, married Jane 
Henderson — issue, (i) Egbert, (2) Sinclair, (3) 
John, (4) Mary, (5) Sarah. 

'-(g) Isabella married J. \V. Moore — issue, (1) 
Robert, killed in C. S. A., (2) John married 
Sally Erwin, (3) Harvey B. married Lucile Hall, 
(4) Sally married Rev. Pharr, (5) Augusta, (6) 
Catherine married R. A. Bost, (7) Laura mar- 
ried Dr. F. H. Glover. 

(h) Violet married Joseph H. Sylvester of 
Florida. 

(i)Mary married George Doby of South Caro- 
lina. 

IV. Polly married William McLean, M. D., 
an Assistant Surgeon in the Revolutionary 
Army, at the battle of Stono and King's Moun- 
tain. He was the orator of the day on the 
occasion of the semi-centennial of the battle of 
King's Mountain. Mrs. Polly McLean sur- 
vived until 185-, the ninety-sixth year of her 
age. 

Issue: (a) Richard Dobbs Spaight married 
Jane Adams. To them were born : Joseph A. 
of Yorkville, South Carolina, married, first, 
Crenshaw ; second, Clara Dargon. 

(b) Eliza married William Campbell — issue, 
(t) George married, first, Sarah Sandifer ; sec- 
ond Ellen Guthrie, (2) Eliza married William 
Pitts, (3) William, 

(c-d)John and Augustus Alexander (twins ) 
John married, first, Jane, daughter of Ephraim 
Davidson ; second, Martha Bigger ; to John 
(c) and Jane were born, John married An 
nie Erwin; Augustus ; Wm. Spaight; Martha 
Jane married Dr. R. S. Adams ; and Robert 
Alexander. 



m1':cklI':nhurg county. 



273 



(d) Augustus Alexander married Catherine 
Schenck — issue, Mary married Dr. John Mc- 
Lean (son of Thomas); Violet married to Ur. 
George Hoke. 

(e) William Baine married, first, Amanda 
Hill ; sec )nd, Mrs. Stringfellow ncc Hope ; third, 
Mrs. John D. Graham nee Johnston ; by first 
marriage he had William Lee ; Mary married 
Rev. Parks, M. D. ; Jane ; and Harvey ; by 
the second marriage he had Robert, M. D., 
and Amxnda married Henry Pitts of Alabama; 
Violet married, first, Samuel Lindsay, and had 
one daughter who married Rufus Adams ; and 
second, to John Hart. 

(g) Rebecca married Dr. Wilson — no 

issue. 

(h) Thomas Brevard married Harriet Pegram 
and had John, M. D. , who married, first, Mary, 
daughter of Augustus A. McLean ; second El- 
mira Salmon, and had Alice, Lizzie, Annie and 
Charles. 

(i) Mary married Randolph Ervvin, M. D. — 
issue, Sarah; Violet; Margaret; and Randolph. 

(k) Robert Graham married, first, Emma Mc- 
Neal — no issue ; second, Catherine Sandifer — 
issue, Lucius Spaight ; James Graham married 
Sabina Holland ; Sally ; Charles ; William 
Thomas ; Robert Brevard ; and John Augustus. 

V. Elizabeth married Wm. Lee Davidson, 
son of General Wm. Davidson, who was killed 
at Battle of Cowan's Ford, February i, 1781. 

VL Isabella married General Joseph Gra- 
ham. (See page 231.) 

Vn. Violet man led Wm. Baine Alexander 
and had Moses Winslow Alexander, who mar- 
ried Violet Graham. (See Graham genealogy.) 

VHL Sally married Rev. Alexander Cald- 
well, son of Rev. David Caldwell, of Guilford — 
issue, (a) John, father of Mary Caldwell, who 
married Joseph Davidson, M. D., (b) David 
Alexander married Mrs. Martha Caldwell ncc 
Bishop — issue, (i)Sally married Dr. Edward 
White, Surgeon C. S. A., and (2) Edward. M. 
D., (3) Patsy married Davidson of Alabama. 



IX. Rebecca married Alexander Brevard, one 
of "the eight rebel sons " of John Brevard, for 
whose zeal Cornwallis's troops burned his house 
on the march from Cowan's Ford — issue, (a) 
Robert who had (i) P^phraim, (2) Alexander; 
(b) Theodore married Caroline Mays of Florida 
— issue, (i) Theodore, Jr. , married a daughter of 
Gov. Call, of Florida, Brigadier General C. S. 
A.; (2) Ephraim, M. D , a Surgeon C.S.A., and 
(3) Robert, M. D., married Mary Stoney. 

X. Peggy married James Harris — issue, Vio- 
let who married Hayes. 

William Graham was another signer of this 
Declaration. He was Irish by birth, but no 
way connected with the distinguished family of 
the same name mentioned in Lincoln county 
sketches. In the spring of 1776, he raised a 
regiment in Lincoln county, then Tryon, and 
marched to Fort McFadden, in that portion 
now, Rutherford county, against the *Schoffold- 
ite Tories, and again he marched to Charles- 
ton. His command was at the battle of King's 
Mountain under Colonel Di.xon. He died 
within the bounds of the Hopewell Congrega- 
tion, a wealthy member of that church (see letter 
of Wm. S. Harris). Another authority, Dr. C. 
L. Hunter, states he died in Rutherford county, 
very wealthy, and at a good old age. One of 
his sons lived in Augusta, Georgia, where he 
was a merchant of great wealth. 

Henry Downs was from the Providence settle- 
ment, and John Ford from the Clear Creek 
county. 

John Flenniken was also a member of this 
body. He was, by birth, an Irishman, and 
came first to Pennsylvania and finally settled in 
North Carolina on the Catawba river, below 
Beattie's Ford, where some of the name still 
reside. 

Robert and James Harris were both born at 
Harrisburg, Pa. 



'"Schoft'oUl or SchopIiot,a Tory Colonel of militia.a man 
of bome influence, but a stupid, ignorant blockhead." 
Moultrie's Revolution in North and South Carolin;i. 



274 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Robert owned much land near the Harrisburg 
Depot, in Cabarrus county, and is buried at the 
Spear graveyard, near Rocky River Church. 

James Hved in the Clear Creek country. He was 
the great-grandfather of Dr. Jno B. Harris and 
William A. Harris. Others came to the State 
in 1 74 1. Some of the descendants of Robert 
are still living. The late William Shakespeare 
Harris of Davidson College, was the grandson 
or the youngest brother of this family. 

Robert Irwin was a prominent politician and 
an active member of this meeting of May 20, 
1775. He was with Sumter in August, 1780, at 
the battle of Hanging Rock, and his military 
reputation was high. He was a General in the 
State militia. He was popular with all classes, 
and was a Member of the Provincial Congress, 
from Mecklenburg, at Halifax, October, 1776, 
with Waighstill Avery, Hezekiah Alexander 
and Zacheus Wilson, as colleagues, which body 
■formed the first State Constitution. He was a 
delegate to both conventions (the first at Hills- 
boro, and the second at Fayetteville,) which 
considered the Federal Constitution (the first 
rejecting, the latter approving) with General 
Joseph Graham as a colleague. He was long a 
Senator in the Legislature from Mecklenburg, 
(from 1778 to 1783,-1797 to 1800.) He was an 
exemplary elder of the Presbyterian Church. 

He died, leaving seven children, and lies bur- 
ied in Steel Creek churchyard. One of his 
daughters married Washington Morrison ; an- 
other daughter married McDowell — the father 
of Robert Irwin McDowell, Esq., who now re- 
sides in Charlotte. General Irwin married a 
second time, Miss Barry of Hopewell. 

William Kennon, whose name appears among 
the Mecklenburg men as one of the Convention 
of May 20, 1775, was active, intelligent and 
zealous. He was Chairman of the Committee 
of Safety of Rowan county, in 1774, whose 
records have been preserved and published. 
He resided in Salisbury, was a practicing law- 
yer, and with his brother-in-law, Mr. Willis, 



Adlai Osborne, and Samuel Spencer, seized 
John Dunn, also a lawyer, " as a person dan- 
gerous to liberty," and sent him to South Caro- 
lina. He was a Member of the First Provincial 
Congress that met in direct opposition to the 
Royal Government at New Berne in August, 
1774, and was appointed Commissary to the First 
Regiment in 1776. 

V Matthew McClure was also one of this band 
of heroes. He was born in Ireland, came to 
Mecklenburg quite young, settled six miles be- 
low Davidson College; died in 1808. The 
Kerns are his wife's relatives. 

Neil Morrison was a member of this Conven- 
tion. He has three grandchildren now living, 
James H. Morrison and Mrs. Margaret Wilson, 
now residing in Mecklenburg county and Mrs. 
Margaret Osborne of Corinth, Mississippi. 

Benjamin Patton, another signer, was a man 
of iron firmness and indomitable courage. De- 
scended from the stern C6venanters, he had 
their inflexibility of purpose, and their purity 
of principle. He was elected to the Provincial 
Congress in 1774, a stirring epoch in the history 
of the State, for it was already in open contempt 
of the royal power in North Carolina. 

The Governor fulminated a furious proclama- 
tion declaring the meeting as against legal au- 
thority and in open defiance of the Royal Gov- 
ernment. The Council was summoned on this 
occasion ; the Governor laid before them the 
alarming condition of affairs. But this Council, 
either alarmed at the threatening aspect of 
affairs, or tinctured themselves with the inde- 
pendent spirit of the times, declared that the 
powers of the E.Kecutive were exhausted ; and 
"that nothing could be done." 

Tradition states that such was the zeal of Mr. 
Patton, that when he could not get a horse, or 
any conveyance, that he walked from Charlotte 
to New Berne, rather than not join these patriots, 
determined on liberty or death. He lived in 
that part of Mecklenburg which is now Cabarrus. 
John Paul Barringer, Martin Phifer, and Iknja- 



mecklI':nbukg county. 



27s 



mill Patton formed the Committee of Safety for 
this section, with very full powers. They held 
their meetings at the Red Hill, on the Salisbury 
road, and were truly "a terror unto evildoers, " 
and "a defense to those who did well." He 
died near Concord, on the banks of the Irish 
Buffalo. 

John Query was also one of this Convention, 
a native of Scotland, came this country and set- 
tled on Clear Creek, in this county. He was a 
man of good estate and of literary tastes. He 
left one son, Cyrus, who died in this county 
some few years ago. 

Of John Phifer, one of this immortal band 
of worthies — a sketch has already been pre- 
sented. (See page 96.) 

David Reese, another signer, was of Scotch- 
Irish descent, a native of Pennsylvania, who 
settled near Poplar Tent. He was an extensive 
landowner on Coddle Creek. He had three 
sons and three daughters. One of his sons was 
educated at Princeton — studied for the ministry, 
and died at Pendleton, South Carolina. One of his 
daughters married Hon. William Sharpe, whose 
biography we have given. She was the grand- 
mother of Judge David F. and Hon. Joseph P. 
Caldwell. 

George Reese, one of his grandsons, lived at 
West Point, Troop County, Georgia. 

Zaccheus Wilson was one of this band of pa- 
triots. He was much esteemed for his worth 
and patriotism. He was a member of the con- 
vention that met at Hillsboro in 1788, to delib- 
erate on the Federal Constitution. 

We have now in a rapid manner attempted to 
gather up the fleeting traditions that patriotism 
and affection, have preserved of these immortal 
men — who declared the independence of the 
Colony of North Carolina, on May 20, 1775, 
more than a year in advance of the Declaration 
of Congress at Philadelphia. 

Both papers are equally true and authentic. 
The one is the unanimous declaration of thirteen 
States, pledged to mutual support and co-opera- 



tion ; the other without any prompting or hope 
of support made equally as bold and daring a 
declaration. The one challenges our admira- 
tion, the other our veneration. Botli are intiiwr- 
till. If the one was destined to become the 
Savior of the Country, the other was its fore- 
runner, for it was truly as " the voice of one 
crying in the wilderness, preparing the way, and 
making the paths straight." 

To the memory of Rev. Alexander Craighead, 
whose influence in this behalf was greater, 
possibly, than that of any other one man, the 
following is written : 

" This eminent divine belonged to a race dis- 
tinguished for their love of liberty. He was 
the son of Rev. Thomas Craighead, who came 
to New England in 1715, and the grandson of 
Rev. Robert Craighead of Dublin, Ireland, one 
of the thirteen ministers who constituted the 
Presbytery of Lagan ; he became one of the 
subjects of a most unrelenting persecution ; was 
compelled to preach in barns and administer the 
holy sacrament at night. The death of Charles 
I. only dissuaded them from emigration to Amer- 
ica as far back as 1649, but the ascendency of 
James I. renewed the former persecutions of all 
Protestants, with increased vigor. The memory 
of the horrid scenes of 1641, is familiar to all, 
and the bare mention of the " seige of Derry " 
is sufficient to make the cheek blanche and the 
heart's blood turn cold. 

But, although the arbitrary counsels of James 
I. were defeated and the Crown secured to Wil- 
liam of Orange, yet the warfare waged upon 
them in Ulster, suppressed Protestant worship 
and the ministers were compelled to flee for the 
time. On their return to their former parishes 
they took every occasion to express their loyalty 
and devotion to the Crown, nevertheless they 
became the objects of unfriendliness on the part 
of the Established Church, and in their desire 
to seek freedom in religious matters, such a vast 
emigration to Pennsylvania took place as to be- 
come a subject of investigation on th'^ part ol 



2/6 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



the Crown officers; it was 1780 before a repeal 
of the Test Act was obtained, however, and not 
until 1782, were marriages solemnized by Dis- 
senters pronounced valid, and consequently, 
between 1713 and 1782, the tide of emigration 
to America was constant and full. The records 
of the English Rolls Office mention tliis as re- 
sembling " a contagious distemper," and the 
President of the Proprietary Council of Penn- 
sylvania, James Logan, in 1729 voiced "the 
common fear that if the Scotch-Irish continued 
to come, they will make tiiemselves proprietors 
of the province." It is estimated that from 
1729 to 1750 about twelve thousand annually 
came from Ulster to America — a few went to 
New England. 

"The tide of emigration into South Carolina, 
settled on the fertile lands of North and South 
Carolina, and meeting the influx from Pennsyl- 
vania, flowed in a health giving body, over be- 
yond the mountains into what is now known as 
Kentucky and Tennessee. They have left their 
name and mark in almost every State of this Un- 
ion. Chambers, in his 'Trish and Scotch Set- 
tlers in Pennsylvanii, "rightfully claims for these 
people a tendency to reform and elevate public 
sentiment and morals, being men of intelligence, 
resolution, energy, and of a religious and highly 
moral character, devoted to religious and civil 
freedom. They brought with them the West- 
minster Confession of Faith, with its catechisms 
and its Directory of Worship, endeared to them 
by years of fierce trial and persecution. Tiiey 
certainly were not the cut throats and villians 
supposed to have emigrated from England by 
legal compulsion, nor yet was their heroism and 
attachment to liberty, of the ' ' Bob Acres" stamp, 
as charged by a writer in the Xorth Aimrican 
Reviciv, of April, 1874. 

It is to these same men that we are indebted 
' ' for the germs of our civil liberties, "for, as Ban- 
croft says ; " The first public voice in America 
for dissolving all connection with Great Britain, 
cam e not from the Puritans of New England 



the Dutch of New York, nor the Planters of 
Virginia, but from Scotch-Irish Presbyterians." 

The subject of this sketch, Alexander Craig- 
head, was certainly educated in all the elements 
considered necessary for the discipline of a 
Presbyterian Clergyman, to which sacred calling 
he was licensed in 1734. He was an earnest, 
and fervid preacher, a zealous promoter of re- 
vivals, a great admirer and friend of George 
Whitefield, whom he accompanied in some of 
his tours. 

As early as 1743 he evinced his ardent love of 
personal liberty and freedom of opinion by pub- 
lishing a pamphlet that was denounced as calcu- 
lated to " foment or encourage sedition or dis- 
satisfaction with the civil government that we 
are now under, or rebellion, treason, or any- 
thing that is disloyal," and history records the 
fact that upon complaint made to the Synod of 
Philadelphia, in the name of the Governor, 
against this pamphlet, they declared their ab- 
horrence of the paper, and inasmuch as it was 
published anonymously, the Synod denied any 
knowledge of Mr. Alexander Craighead being 
the author thereof. It was evidently premature 
in its denunciation of George II. as an unchristian 
king. 

On November 11, 1743, at a meeting at Mid- 
dle Octorara in Pennsylvania, after various relig- 
ious services, Mr. Craighead and his congregation 
renewed "the covenants, the national and sol- 
emn league," and after formally denouncing 
George II. as an unfit king, then and there swore, 
holding their swords in their uplifted hands 
according to the custom of their ancestors and 
of soldiers ready to conquer or die, to keep their 
bodies, property, and consciences, against all 
attacks, to defend Christ's Gospel and the na- 
tional liberty, from foes within or without. This 
movement greatly troubled the political as well 
as the religious waters, for in 1745 we find that 
Governor Morris, in his message to the Assem- 
bly, denounced certain people for their aspira- 
tions and machinations to obtain "Independ- 
ency." 



Mi;CKLKN15URG COUNTY. 



277 



I\Ir. Craighead found in this attack upon him, 
one of the causes for leaving the confines of 
Pennsylvania, and in 1749 we find him* in Vir- 
ginia, on Covvpasture river, joined to a settle- 
ment of farmers who came from Pennsylvania, 
a few years before, This was then on the fron- 
tier of the colony. The failure of Braddock's 
Expedition (i/SS) had laid the whole country 
open to the devastation of the Indians and 
French. 

During the six years of his residence in Vir- 
ginia, Mr. Craighead found little sympathy in 
his yearnings for civil and religious liberty; he 
became excctdingly restive under the tithings 
and other exactions of the Established Church, 
and in the autumn of 1755, we find him and 
most of his congregation seeking peace and lib- 
erty in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

Henceforth, we can plainly see the influence 
of this "man of God," for the good of man. 
He received a call from the ' ' Sugar Creek 
Church," three miles northeast of Charlotte on 
the road to Salisburj-, and became its first pastor. 
He was installed in September, 1758, by Rev. 
Mr. Richardson, (hisson-inlaw, and the patron 
of that noble hero, General VVm. Richardson 
Davie,) in charge of this, which was the oldest 
church in the upper countrj-. It was organized 
in 1756, and to a great measure became the/rtr- 
ent of the seven churches so largely represented 
in the Convention of 1775 at Charlotte. f 

Over twenty of the members of the Conven- 
tion at Charlotte, who on May 20, 1775, pro- 
nounced the Mecklenburg Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, were connected with the seven Pres- 
byterian churches of the county ; two of which 
were Rocky River and Sugar Creek. From 
these two the other five took "life and being." 
Such were the men, who, wheti informed of the 

*Foote's Sketches of North Cai'olin.i, p. 189. 

tFoote. — In this charge he was succeeded liy tlie Kev. 
John Alexander, afterwards by Rev. Thomas Ciaighead, but 
the latter only temporarily ; next by his grandson, Rev. 
Samuel Craighead Caldwell who was ihe beloved past' r 
of Hopewell and Sugar Creek Churches for Ihirlvlive 
years; then by Rev. Ur. Robert Hall Morrison. 



troubles " to the eastward," rallied to the cry: 
"The cause of Boston is the cause of all!" 
With Craighead they held that the rights of the 
people were as divine as the rights of Kings, 
for their fathers, and they themselves, had often 
listened in rapt attention to his thrilling elo- 
quence, and felt as if himself were he on whose 
sole arm hung victory. 

Abram Alexander, a ruling Elder of Sugar 
Creek Church, was chairman of this conven- 
tion. It was addressed by Rev. Hezekiah James 
Balch, pastor of Rocky River and Poplar Tent, 
who was also one of the committee of three to 
draft the "more formal declaration," and nine 
other ruling elders, of these seven churches, 
were active participants in the proceedings. 
Although Mr. Craighead died before the con\'en- 
tion of May 20, 1775, at Charlotte, )-et the whole 
American Nation should re\-ere his memory as 
the fearless champion of those principles of civil 
and religious freedom, which they now enjoy 
and which first found expression from his old 
CDnn-ades in the immortal Declaration, the true 
date of which, in the language of another, " has 
been as clearly established as the given name of 
any citizen then living in the count)'." 

A w riter in the A'cic York Rcviezv, reviewing 
the "Life of Jefferson," by Tucker, clearly shows 
that the preamble to the Bill of Rights, the 
Mecklenburg Declaration and the Virginia Bill of 
Rights contain nearly everything of importance 
in the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 
1776, upon which rests so much of Mr. Jeffer- 
son's fame. Of this latter instrument and the 
Mecklenburg Declaration, Judge Tucker .says: 
(Vol. 2, p. 627) " Every one must be per- 
suaded, at least all who ha\e been minute ob- 
serxers of style, that one of these papers had 
borrowed from the other. " 

(See also" the observations in the writings of 
Thomas Jefferson, by H. Lee, Philadelphia, 

■839-) 
The spirit which moved Craighead to the use 

i)f expressions frequent in documents prepared 



278 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



and used on similar occasions in Scottish history, 
evidently influenced the mind of Jefferson, when 
he indited the Declaration of Jul)- 4, 1776. He 
tells us in his autobiography that when engaged 
in preparing that National Declaration, he and 
his colleagues searched everywhere for formulas, 
among the writings of the Puritans, as well as else- 
where. The greatest interest had attached to the 
" proceedings at Middle Octorara," so that a re- 
print of those proceedings was demanded and 
appeared in Philadelphia ; and we must see that 
most naturally a similarity of expression would 
occur in these documents where they most 
probably had a common origin, whose aid 
was inx'oked to gi\-c \ehemence to their denun- 
ciation of an "unchristian king," and to give 
pledges of mutual faith and declarations of sacred 
duty, and thus similar phrases are found in these 
two great American Declarations to give firm 
and presence to kindred thoughts. 

The Rev. Dr. A, W. Miller in a sermon, de- 
livered at Charlotte on May 14, 1876, most truth- 
fully used the following language : 

"If to the people of Mecklenburg count)-, 
Providence assigned the foremost position in the 
ranks of jxitriots, a century ago, let them never 
cease to hallow the memory of that illustrious 
hero, the Rev. Ale.xander Craighead, who pre- 
pared them for it, at so great toil and pains, and 
for years and years diligently sowed the seed that 
produced the glorious har\-est. No ordinary 
work was given him to do, and no ordinar\' train- 
ing and discipline fitted him for it. 

" Deeph- imbibing the spirit of the Scottish 
Covenant, contending earnestl}' for the descend- 
ing obligations of those covenants upon all whose 
ancestors were parties to the same, and insisting 
uppn making the adoption of the Solemn League 
and Covenant a term of communion for members 
of the church in the colonial as well as the mother 
countr)-, testifying continually to the Head.ship 
of Christ over the State, and the responsibility 
of all kings and rulers to Him, a failure of whose 
alletriance to Him would forfeit the allegiance of 



the people to them ; proclaiming everywhere 
these good old doctrines, with a fidelity, and a 
courage, and a zeal, and a constancy, that ought 
to have secured sympathy and commanded admi- 
ration. Instead of this, he experienced the 
usual fate of those who are in advance of the 
age. He was opposed, resisted, denounced as an 
extremist and ultra reformer, calumniated as an 
agitator, and even censured by the General Synod 
of the Presbyterian Church! It was not until he 
came to North Carolina, that he found a conge- 
nial element which he could mould and train 
successfully in devotion to principles bearing fruit 
in splendid achievements, which now, at this an- 
niversary season, in another city, are command- 
ing the homage of the representatives of the 
world — so siicicssfiil/v tiaincd, that Charlotte oc- 
cupied the front rank more than a year in advance 
of Philadelphia — the latter on May 20, 1775, 
counselling submission, the former declaring in- 
dependence, and so Mecklenburg became the 
leader of the land." 

Space forbids the recital of further facts which 
would but serve to justify the grandeur of this 
pen portrait, nor can we incorporate herein all 
the distinguished members of this Craighead 
family, but must content ourselves with a bare 
reference to several of them. 

Nancy, a daughter of Rev. Alexander Craig- 
head, was married to Rev. William Richardson, 
pastor of Waxhaw Church, South Carolina, 
almost on the Mecklenburg line. They had no 
children born to them, but brought up as their 
own, his nephew, William Richardson Davie, 
and under this training he became a ' ' great 
man in the age of great men," — a patriot, a .sol- 
dier, a jurist, a statesman and a diplomatist. 

The second daughter, Rachael, in 1766, was 
married to Rev. Dr. Caldwell of Guilford, the 
educator of a large number of the most eminent 
men of the South, — divines, statesmen, lawyers, 
and physicians. His log cabin served for many 
years to North Carolina as an academy, a college, 
and a Theological Seminar}." Wheeler i,p. 1 17. 



MKCKLlCNliURG COUNTY 



279 



The Uiird il;uiL;litcf, Jane, niaiTicd Patrick 
Calhoun wlio by a second wife, a Miss Caldwell 
of Abbeviiie, became the father of tlie renowned 
J dim Caldwell Calhoun. 

The sister of Rev. Alexantler Crait^head, 
named Jane or Janet, married the Kc\'. Adam 
]^o)-d, October 23, 1725, and their son, l\c\-. 
Adam Boj-d (born November 25, 173S, died in 
Natchez, Mississippi, 1800) was the true friend of 
the liberties of our colony ; he became editor of 
the Cape Fear Mercury, and one of the Commit 
tee of Safety in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 
1775. Could the copy of the Cape Feai Merciiiy, 
loaned from the Rolls Office in London, to Mr. 
Stevenson, the United States Minister, as men- 
tioned by the author, be found, it would cither 
give us the original text of the Da\ie Williamson 
cop)-, or show thaf the royal governor consid- 
ered the copy of the whole proceeding as good 
as the original declaration, or in his own language, 
as "declaring an entire dissolution of the laws." 

A nephew, Colonel George Craighead, born 
.Ma\- 10, 1733, lived near Wilmington, Delawaie. 
He was a man of great wealth, and in the Indian 
War, prior to the Revolution, cquii)pcd his own 
regiment for that service. 

He was the intimate friend of George Wash- 
ington, " dining at the same table, and calling 
each other by the familiar name of George." 

The oldest son of Rev. Alexander Craighead, 
the Re\'. Thomas B. Craighead, was born in 
Mecklenburg county, in 1750. He was a gradu- 
ate of Princeton, 1775, and admitted to the I'res- 
byterian ministry in 1 780. Subsequentlj' he 
removed to Hay.sborough, Tennessee, six miles 
east of Nashville, and there established the first 
Presbyterian church, in the middle division of 
the State. He married Miss Elizabeth Brow n 
of Frankfort, Kentucky, and so became allied to 
a family distinguished for high social standing, 
intellect, and national reputation. The descend- 
ants of this marriage are still numerous in Ten- 
nessee, and in several other States of the South 
and Southwest. In 1785 he became the first 



President of the Board of Trustees of Davidson 
Academy. Among the board were Senator 
Smith, General Robertson, and General Andrew 
lackson. This academy became merged into the 
Cumberland College in 1806. In the latter part 
of his life he had some difficulties that hindered 
for a time, his usefulness, but which served to 
draw forth the friendly influence and uncjuali- 
tied approbation of (ieneral Jackson.* This 
friendship is accounted for, by Dr. Ramsey, as 
iuHuenced b\- a sense of gratitude as well as af- 
fection toward all who bore the name ; for when 
he was talccn jji-isoner at Waxhaw, after Buford's 
defeat b)' Tarleton, and carried to the prison- 
ship in Charleston harbor, his mother found a 
refuge, and home, and kind friends, in Mr. Craig- 
head's father's congregation, at Sugar Creek, 
North Carolina, and when Mrs. Jackson visited 
Charleston to see her son, she was accompanied 
b)- Mrs. Nancy Dunlap, who had married again 
after the death of her first husband. Rev. Wm. 
Richardson. She was the oldest daughter of 
Re\-. .Alexander Craighead. The General's 
nidther died of fever at the Quarter House, six 
miles from Charlest(.)n, and was cared for to the 
List by Mrs. Dunlap. The kindness showii his 
mother b)- the famil)-, in this trying period, was 
never forgotten by General Jackson, and was the 
motive assigned to the writer b)- President James 
K. Polk, for the strong personal regard and at- 
tachment which existed, and for the fact that 
when Mr. Craighead was arraigned b)- the Synod 
of Kentuck)-, Jackson appeared as his Judge 
Advocate. 

P'urther, the General was descended from the 
same Scotch-Irish stock, born in the southern 
part of Mecklenburg, as the line is now estab- 
lished, spent his bo\-hood in this count)-, a. id 
began the practice of law at Salisbui'}-. His 
mother was a member of Waxhaw church, and 
had her son baptised there, with the hope that 
he might some day become a minister. The 
impressions received at home, and in his earlier 

*Parton's Jackson, II p. (155. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



years, never were wholly lost. "The faniil)' 
Bible, covered with check cloth, as hi.s mother's 
was, lay on the stand at the Hermitage, where he 
ended his days; and he died at last the death of 
a Christian, in the communion of the church of 
his mother, a member in full of the Presb)-terian 
Church."* Howe's Churches of South Caro- 
lina, 539. 

Samuel Craighead Caldwell, son of Rev. Ur. 
David Caldwell, died, June 3, 1825 ; and Rachel, 
(second daughter of Rev. Alexander Craighead, 
who was married 1766); married, first, Abigail 
Baine Alexander — issue, (a) David Thomas and(b) 
Jane, (a) David Thomas married Harriet David- 
son, and to them were born : Samuel Craighead, 
William Da\-idson, 1 homas, Sarah Jane, Robert 
Baxter, Minnie and Alice ; married second, Ad- 
eline Hutchin-son, and had one child, Addie. 
(b) Jane married Rev. Dr. Walter Smiley Pharr, 
who first married Miss Springs; (2) Samuel Craig- 
head Caldwell married Elizabeth Lindsay and had 
(a) Robert Lindsay, graduate of Universit}' of 
Georgia, and of Union Theological Seminary of 
Virginia, pastor at Statesville, North Carolina, 
married Martha Bishop, and died aged twent)-- 
seven, leaving one son, John Rice ; (b) Abigail 
B., married to Robert D. Alexander and had 
issue, Agnes, Brevard, Davidson, Lottie, and 
Samuel Craighead Caldwell. The last, born 
February 24, 1830, graduate of Davidson Col- 
lege, 1848, Columbia Theological Seminary, 
1853; pastor of Th)atira and Black Creek 
churches, married Mar)- Holmes Brown, Ma\' 21, 
1857, and had Samuel, Bettie Brown, Robert 
C^wen, Mary Abigail ; lived at Wadesboro, North 
Carolina; (c) Samuel Craighead born 18 10, 
merchant at Grenada, Mississippi, lost on the 



The .lullinr acknowleilyes his obligations to a goiunlrg- 
ical memoir of the Craighead family (1658-1876) printed 
for the descendants in Pl.iladelpliia, 1S76, by Tlioma & Co. 
— an exceedingly inlereslirg compilation containi-g one 
hundr(d and seventy-three pagep, which shows in the con- 
cise and beautiful language of the distinguished au.lior, 
Kev. Dr. Jpmes Clfddcs Craigh«ad, who, f.rfour ten years 
edited the "New York Evang'elist," the great inlluence and 
ability of this distinguished fondly, new sowidcly scattered 
over the whole United Slates. 



"Pathfinder," on the Mississippi Ri\er, unmar- 
ried; (d) John McKnitt Madison, born 1812, 
graduate of University of Georgia and of Union 
Theological Seminary of Virginia, licensed 1835, 
ordained 1836, pastor of Sugar Creek church 
1837; at Rome, Georgia, in 1845; pro]3rietor oi 
Rome Female College in i860. He married 
Caroline li. Livy and had eight sons : Thomas 
Parsons born November, 1851, died April, 1852, 
Edwin Harper, born 1853, died 1872; Samuel 
Craighead, born 1846, graduated (1S6S) at Prince- 
ton ; Professor of Natural Science, Rome, Geor- 
gia ; married Kate Pearson (1870) and had two 
sons; Alfred Shorter born 184S, married Lizzie 
Htitchinsnii, 1874, and had one daughter; John 
Liv)', born 1850, graduate of Princeton, 1870, 
and at Princeton Seminar}' 1874; pastor at Pleas- 
ant Hill, Mo.; I<"ranklin Hawkins, bcrn 1857, ^ 
merchant in R(_iine, Ga. ; and two who died in 
infimcy ; 

(g) Andrew Harper, born 1S14, graduate of 
Centre College, Ohio, and of Union Theological 
Seminary of Virginia, married Sarah Ann Wil- 
liamson, and had issue as follows: John, Samuel 
Craighead, Sarah Elizabeth, Willie Dobie, Wal- 
ter Lindsay, and Anna; (f) Seled, born 1816, a 
Baptist preacher, lived in Texas, has three chil- 
dren ; (g) Septemus, born 18 18, an eminent law- 
yer of Grenada, Mississippi, killed by accident ; 
(h) Cyrus Kingsbury, born 1821, graduate (184 1) 
at Davidson College and Union Theological Semi 
nary, Virginia, 1846, ordained 1847, married 
I'aimie A. McKinley, 1S50, and had issue as 
follows: Ida Lindsay, Anna Hope, P'annie Ma- 
ria, Bessie Morrison ; was pastor of Buffalo and 
Bethel churches at Pittsboro and Denmark, Ten- 
nessee, where he died, March 1876; (i) Walter 
■ Pharr, born 1822, a lawyer at Greensboro, North 
Carolina, married Nannie Weatherly, and had 
issue, P^arnest, Maggie, Mamie, Carrie, Nannie, 
Daisy, Abby Wood. 

The editor of these reminiscences in acknowl- 
edging the invaluable aid contributed by Captain 
Robert D. Graham, a member of the Bar of 



MECKLKNHURG COUNTY 



281 



Ciiarlotte, in execution of his woik, tlccnis it a 
dut\- til notice the articles prepared bj- that f^en- 
tleniaii on tlie sul)ject of tiic Meckienburt:;- 
•Afanuscripts. 

Tlicsc articles have attracted \'er\' Ljeneral atten- 
tion, as they present this subject in a new and \er\- 
strong lij^ht. Some of his salient points are, in 
effect, as follows : 

The "20th of May" is fount! to ha\'e been 
" confirmed by an oath." That should be the 
end of controversy as to that date, when consiil- 
cred with the additional fact that no participant 
or eye-witness of that impressive occasion, c\xr 
named a different day for "the throwing up of 
hats." No one doubts that every witness who 
certified to it on honor, was prepared unhesitat- 
ingly to swear to it. On the other hantl, the 
Charleston printer's date of the " Mecklenburg 
Resolves" as subsequent!}' found in their digest- 
ed form, has never'iiad a single witness to testify 
in its favor. It is a iiiilUiisfiliits, brought to the 
attention of the people of Mecklenburg for the 
first time in 1837 — "'^" Ishmacl with whom Isaac 
can make no division of the inheritance." He 
calls for the 21st May, "a day after the feast," 
when the committee, for this special work, from 
tlie |)receding manuscripts, and without the 
further attendence of the ])opular assemblage' 
"digested the system which formed in effect a 
declaration of independence, as well as a com- 
plete system of government." Accepting the 
abridged statement of Mr. Bancroft as a Delphic 
oracle, Mr. Graham cjuotes his emphatic oj)inion 
in confirmation of this conclusion. Hist. U. .S. 

VII. .370-374- 

T!ie printed Mecklenburg Resolves, as intended 
b\- tlie parties who had enacted and witnessed 
the ])romulgation of the sev.eral papers from 
which they are digested, as construed by the two 
cotemporary royal governors, and as accepted by 
the great historian, contain the true sentiment 
and suiistancc of the Davie copy of the first 
paper unanimous!}- adopted and signed b}- the 
delegate:;, after an e.\hau.sti\e ilebate to .satisfy 



every conscientious scru[)!e, at 2 a in. — the 
morning of the 20th Ma}-. 

The 2 1st Ma}' would have been Sunda}- by 
our calendar, but Mr. Graham has presented an 
array of incontestable facts showing thnt it was 
not Sunda}- with the ancient Mccklenburgers, 
but that the 31st, instead, tlid fall on Sunday by 
their calendar. 

Ai.sf),Tn.vr -niicKi-; wkketiikee MSS. in Mi-:ck- 
I r.NBi'Kn i.\ M.w, 1775 (.\Li. rn-:ci..\Ri\(; indkphnd- 

KNCE,SPECL\L OR GE.NER.M., OF GkK.\T HkIT.AIN, BUT 
.\'0T OF CON'GKESS, -rH.\T NEITHER ALLUDED, IN SO 
M.\NY WORDS, TO A PRECEDING PAPER OF THE SAME 
KIND,ANDNErriIEROF THEM WAS DATED MaY 3I.ST. 

While the several papers of the 20th of May, 
were the only documents in this connection ever 
talk'ed of at home among tlie people, that which 
was least heart! of there, was for reasons gi\-cn — 
('.i- imo ouiiies disccs — the onl}- one whicli the offi- 
cers sent out for publication. The issue is 
squarely stated tliat either the date of the actors, 
(the 20th), or else that of the printer {the 31st) 
is an error ; and such facts, as he remarks, have 
hitherto been overlooked, by both sides, in the 
heat of debate. His work as to the dates and 
number of papers will fill the onlygap that seems 
to ha\-e been left open by the many able advocates 
of the original declaration. Several of the arti- 
cles have appeared in the Charlotte Home and 
Pcinocrat, and in the I'aniiei and Meehanic of 
Raleigh. The latter pertinently obser\-es : 

Others had suggested that the difference be- 
tween the O. S. and N. S. might disprove the 
exidence of the e}-e-witnesses, or demonstrate 
the fallacy of their memories as to ///(-document 
and the day, but lie is tlie first to establish the 
facts, and tlieycorroljorate 'the signers' in e\-ery 
particular. He shows that Mr. Bancroft has 
been as much misunderstood on the (|uestion of 
dates, as on that of the absolute character of the 
Declaration of Independence. 

General Thomas Polk, witli whose biography 
this article on tlie Declaration of 20th May, 
1775, was commenced, read the resolves, from 



28; 



wheelp:r's reminiscences. 



the steps of the Court House to the people. ■'■ 
We propose to conthnie his biography from 
that time. 

By the Provincial Congress, which met at 
Halifax, April 4, 1776, the State was placed on 
a war footing ; Thomas Polk was elected Colonel 
of the 4th Regiment in the Continental service, 
with James Thackston as Lieutenant Colonel, 
and William Davidson as Major. Tradition as 
well as history is silent as to the military ser- 
vices of Colonel Polk, during the excitingscenes 
of Gates' advance and defeat, through this part 
of the State ; when Lord Cornwallis advanced, 
flushed with the victory at the battle of Camden, 
fought August 16, 1780, over Gates, to Charlotte, 
hundreds who were true patriots accepted protec- 
tion for they saw no alternative but that, or the 
ruin of their families and destruction of their 
substance. 

Among (jates' papers in the New York His- 
torical Society is the following : 

" From a number of suspicious circumstances 
respecting the conduct and behavior of Colonel 
Thomas Polk, Commissary of Provisions for the 
Continental Troops, it is our opinion that the 
said Colonel Polk should be ordered to Salisbury, 
to answer for his conduct, and that the persons 
of Duncan Ochiltree, and William McAferty, 
be likewise brought under guard to Salisbury. 
Given unanimously as our opinion this Novem- 
ber 12, 1780. 

HoR.vno Gates, 
Isaac Huger, 
Allen Jones, 
John Butler."! 

This was doubtless produced by the panic 
which followed the defeat of Gates (in the Au- 
gust previous) while Gates was flying with speed 
before the British forces. That whatever " sus- 
picious circumstances respecting the conduct of 
and behavior of Colonel Thomas Polk " may 

■■Jolinson's " Trc\i-lilions anil Keininisceiices of tlie .\mer- 
ican Revolution, 77. 
tLossing II, 624. 



have excited in the distempered mind of Gen- 
eral Gates and others, history shows no record 
of any investigation or coiidoiiitatioii of his con- 
duct, or any condemnation of his course, public 
or private, and that any distrust of the loyalty 
of Colonel Polk, was not the opinion of General 
Gates, and made no impression on his mind, is 
shown by the following letter, written soon after 
he took command at Charlotte, North Caro- 
lina : 

" Camp Charlotte, Dec. 15, 1780. 
To Colonel Polk : 

Sir — I find it will be impossible to leave camp 
as early as I intended, as Colonel Kosciusko has 
made no report yet, respecting a position on 
the Pedee. 

" I must therefore beg you to continue the 
daily supplies of the 7\rmy and keep in readi- 
ness three days provisions beforehand. I have 
just received some intelligence from General 
Nash and from Congress, which makes me wish 
to see you. I am &c. , 

Nathaniel Greene." 

This letter proves the confidence which the 
commanding General had in the energy and pa- 
triotism of Colonel Polk, who owned extensive 
mills near Charlotte and stores in the town. 

He had been appointed Commissary of Pro- 
visions for the Continental Troops in this region, 
that had been stripped to destitution by an in- 
vading army, and this was a position at once 
perplexing, arduous and ungracious. In a let- 
ter, the original I have in my possession, he 
resigned the irksome office. 

"Charlotte, 13th Dec, 1780, 

On my Informing General Greene of my 
resignation, he maid menshun of Col. WilhiL 
Davie, which I think will do exceeding well, 
will be always in Camp; I think him clever in 
business. If it should meet your approl:),uion I 
should be happy in releasment. 

I am, Sir, with great respect, 

To the Hon. \ Your humble serv't, 

B'd of \\'ar j Thos. Polk." 



MECKLENRURG COUNTY. 



283 



That his resignation was not produced by any 
abatement of his zeal for the cause of his coun- 
try, is shown by the following, the original of 
which is in my possession: 

"Camp Yadkin Rivi:k, 

Oct. nth, 1780. 

(iENTLEMKN : 

I have the pleasure to inform you that on Sat- 
urday last, the noted Colonel Ferguson with 
150 men fell on King's Mountain, Soo taken 
prisoner, and 1,500 stand of arms. 

"Cleaveland and Campbell comniaiulcJ. A 
glorious affair. In a few days we will be in 
Charlotte, and I will take possession of my house 
and his Lordship take the woods. 
I am Gentlemen, 
with respect your humble scr\'ant, 

Thomas Polk." 

He was appointed in 17.S1, Brigadier General 
to succeed the lamented General Davidson, who 
fell at Cowan's Ford, in battle. 

He died in Charlotte in 1793, and lies buried 
in the churchward of the Presbyterian Church. 

He married Susan .Spratt and left several chil- 
dren. 

I. Ezekiel. 

H. Charles married Miss Alexander, whose 
son Thomas Independence Polk, so named b\- his 
father because born on the 20th of May, (prinr 
to 1790^) married Sarah Moore, and was the 
father of Horace M. Polk and Charles Polk. 

III. William Polk, whose biography we have 
given (see page — ) was another son, killed at 
Futaw or Cane Creek. 

IV. James. 

General Polk, after the Revolution, purchased 
of the disbanded soldiers the land warrants issued 
by the State for military services, and died pos- 
sessed of princely estates, which his sons inher- 
ited, but did not improve. They loved fun and 
frolic better than stud)- or work. Two of them 
settled in Sumter District, South Carolina; mar- 
ried and died there, leaving no family. 

His son, Ezekiel Polk, who was also a member 



of the Convention of May 20, 1775 (see certifi- 
cate of Captain Jack, who was present, and 
bore the proceedings of the Convention to Phil- 
adelphia American Archives, 4th series, jd vol- 
ume, 858), and although partaking of the wild 
and frolicsome spirit of the age in which he 
lived, was brave and patriotic. 1 le commanded 
a company in 1775, in the 3rd Regiment, South 
Carolina State Troops, Colonel William Thomp- 
son, and marched to subdue the Tories at "96," 
and was in a severe engagement on December 
2jd, 1775, at Cane Creek. His nephew, Wil- 
liam, was an official in this company, and was 
severely wounded (see declaration of Colonel 
Polk). Here his brother was killed. 

He was elected a Member of the Legislature 
from Mecklenburg, in 17^2-93-94 with General 
Joseph Graham, and William Graham, as col- 
leagues. Ezekiel was reckless as well as frolic- 
some. 

"I heard," says Dr. Joseph Johnson, in his 
■Traditions and Reminiscences of the Ameri- 
can Revolution in the South' (page 85) of one 
instance told by himself: ' I was driving my 
wagon with another young man, a friend. We 
had just finished our dinner and had each taken 
a good stiff drink, when a gentleman rode up in 
a sulky. We concluded to havesomefuii. We 
asked him to alight and take a drink. He did 
so. We then told him that it was ' a wa>' we 
had ' to make strangers dance for us. Then we 
commenced cracking our whips about his legs, 
for music to cheer him up. As he seemed to 
take it gently and when we stopped the music, 
he stopped the dance. He then said after such 
a jig, we must have another drink with him, 
this time and while he was opening his sulky- 
box we dropped our whips, preparing to join 
him, instead of producing a bottle, he drew a 
pair of loaded pistols, and cocking them, pre- 
sented them at us, with a look of earnestness 
that showed he meant />//s///iSS. He said that 
we must dance for him, or pay the piper. At 
it we went ; while he whistled a rapid time, a 



284 



WHEELER'S REIMINISCENCES. 



Virginia reel, that kept lis active. I ne\'er had 
such a sweat in all my life, and was glad when 
he stopped. He told us that it would not al- 
ways do ' to play tricks upon travellers.' He 
then offered us, politely, a drink of brandy, 
which we took, shook hands, and parted friends. 
We had the lead, he followed suit, beat us with 
our own cards, and won the odd trick. l^ut all 
was fair." 

"In the fall of 178J," saj-s Dr. John.soii, al- 
ready just quoted, " I remained two or thr< e 
months at Charlotte, and saw much of ("icncral 
Polk and his sons. The GenenJ wa.s plain and 
unassuming in his deportment ; more like an old 
f.ir.ner or miller than a soldier or General." 

His sons, Ezekiel, William. James and " Ptvil 
Charity" Polk, were wild and frolicsome, 
and in their fun, did not even spare their father. 
On one occasion the General, speaking of "high- 
way robberies committed bj' one nian, as im- 
possible and ridiculous, that no one ma;! c^uild 
rob him — that he never was robbed, n r wouli 
any one man dare attempt it." 

Charley who by his mad cap freal;s had won 
the sobri<iuet, throughout the wliole countr)', of 
" Pivi/ CV/iir/ii'," heard all this and lie resolved 
to try the pluck of the (jeneral. Hearing that 
his father was going on some by road to rec i\e 
a sum of monc}', he way-laid him and demanded 
instant delivery of all he liatl. The Gen<iral 
grasped at his pistols, but Cliarles was too qiiick 
for him, and the General seeing a pistijl aimed 
at his breast, surrendered the mone)-. He went 
home, fretted and mortified at the result 'i'he 
young men condoled with their father, and in 
quired the cause of his depression. He, then 
narrated his mishap : " that he had been ri>bbed 
of a large sum of money on the public road." 
They all expressed surprise that he had not 
gonearmedon theoccasion. He acknowledged 
he was armed and had pistols, but bail no time 
to use them. They then with much increaseu 
surprise as they stated concluded that there 
must have been several men who attacked him ; 



but the General acknowledgi d tlat there was 
only one ; but he adiled lie w as taken by surprise 
and was off his guard. Cliarle)' then returning 
the mone)' acknowledged that he had taken it 
from him. 

"What!" said the (.ieneial, "and did }ou 
endanger and threaten \ our old f .llu r's life ;" 

" No sir !" said Charles 

" Did }'ou not present a [ii>l(_)l a', my breast?'' 

" No, sir," said Charles. 

"How can you say that?" said the fatiier. 

"I assure you sir, it was only mother's brass 
candlestick tliat I took off from ) our own mantle- 
piece," said Charles produ;cing them. 

Of his son William, we have alread)- written. 

Leonidas Polk, son of William Polk and Sa- 
rah Hawkins, was a Christian, a soldier and a 
scholar. 

He was educated at the United States Mili- 
tary Academy, at West Point, and graduated 
18:7; one year before Jefferson Davis, and two 
years before Generals Lee and Johnson. After 
a few years service, he exchanged the sword for 
the gown, and became such a shining light in 
the church, that he attained the position of 
liishop in the Episcopal church for his piety, 
zeal antl abilit)',"'' 

The Civil War aroused liis military instincts 
implanted by a long line of ancestry, and by his 
own predilectionsand education. He tendered his 
su-.iccs in defence of his home; he was 
couunissioned a RLajor (jeneral in the Confed- 
erate Army, ordered to command at Memphis. 
He achieved a decided victory at Belmont (No- 
vember 27, i86[) over General Grant. 

At the battle of Murfreesboro, December 31, 
1862, between Pragg and Rosencrans, General 
Pollc, commanded the le't wing; General Bragg 
in his ofiicial report coinmcnded him for his skill 
and abilit}' in that sanguinary engagement. In 



Tliis St.Uc lias riirai-,he'l lilitiallv. her pi.ition of rJiility 
tollic i.lui).;li 

Ilisliop I'.cckwith to (teoiyia; Uisliop Uavis to South 
Caruli a; liisliop Ch- en to Missouri; Bishop Cicero II iwks 
to .Mi.s.si>.sippi ; Bis-liop Polk to I.ousiana. 



AII'.CKLl'NBURG COUNTY. 



285 



VII. 
VIH. 



m my oilier battles General I'olk did good ser- 
vice. In liigh position which exempted him 
from military duty, with ample fortune and ever}- 
comfort of life, he left all, to serve the cause he 
deemed just, and laid down his life in its defense. 
He was killed on the 14th day of June, 1864. 

He married Frances Davcreu.x, of Raleigh, 
by whom he had eight children : 
I. Hamilton married Miss Buck. 
U. Catherine married \V. Gale. 

HI. Frances married P. Skipwith. 

IV. Sally married Blake of South Carolina. 
\\ Su.san married Pr. Joseph Jones. 

\'I. Lilly married Wm. Huger. 
William married Miss Lyon. 
Lucia liiarried Ed. Chapman. 

William Polk, son of John, who was the 
son of Robert, had among others the following 
children, Ezekiel, Thomas, and Margaret who 
way married to McRee. P'rom these have sprung 
all the Polks in our State. 

Ezekiel, son of William Polk and Priscilla 
Roberts, married, first. Miss Wilson ; secontl. 
Miss Leonard, had eleven children, as follows: 

L William m irried Elizabeth Dodd — issue, 
(1) Clarissa, married to Taylor, had (a) Isaac, 
(b) Caroline, (c) Claris.-^a, (d) Thomas, and (e) 
Laura ; (2) Olivia married to D. D. Berry — is- 
sue, (a) Elizabeth, (b) Clari.ssa, (c) Mary E.,(d) 
John T., (e) David D., (f) William, (g) Olivia, 
(h) Louisa and (i) Laura; (3) Thomas; (4) Jo- 
seph ; (5) Caroline married to John Wirt and had 
(a) Catherine, (b) Caroline; (6) Jackson — issue, 

(a) Ann, (b) Oscar, (c) Virginia, (d) William; 
(7) Mary married to Howard — issue, (a) Sarah, 

(b) William; (8) Laura married, first, to Manlj' ; 
second, to Taylor — issue, (a) Clarissa Manly, 
(b) Elizabeth, (c) \Villiam. 

II. Louisa married, first, to Niely ; second, 
to D. C. Collier — issue, (1) Rufus P. married 
Miss Lea, had (a) Harriet, (b) Kate, (c) Charles, 
(d) Mary, (e) James, (I) Prudence, (g) Loui-sa, 
(h) William; (2) Thomas Collier — issue, Wil- 
liam; (3) Fanny; (4) Jackson Niely; (5) Adela 



Bell ; (6) Mary Atwood— issue, (a) Adda, (b) 
Josephine. 

HI. Mary married to Hardeman — issue, (i) 
Monroe, (2) Mary Fentress — issue, Thomas ; 
(3) Leonidas, (4) Owen married S. M. Berry ; 

(5) William. 

IV. Charles P.— i.ssue. (i) Charles E., (_') 
Eugenia, (3) IVrr)-, (4) Ann C, (5) James K. 

V'. Bcnigna marriid Wood — issue, (i) Be- 
nigna, who had Marj- and Bcnigna. 

VL l^ugenia married Nelson — issue, (1) Sa- 
rah, (2) Ada, (3) Sophia, (4) Charles, (5) Wil- 
liam (6) Hugh. 

VII. Clarissa married to Thomas McNeal — 
issue (a) Jane married to Brown, had (i) Mary, 
(2) Clara, (3) Co/'elia, (4) Lycurgus, ($) Albert, 

[6) James ; (b) Clara married to Fulton, (c) Mary 
married to Mark R. Roberts — issue, (i) Jane 
Jewett, (2) Prudence McRay, (3) Evelina, (4) 
Mary, (5) Ann, (6) Samuel, (7) Mark, (8) Albert, 
(9) Eliza, (10) Napoleon, (11) Thaddeus, (12) 
Mary Baker, (13) Thomas P" ; F^velinaL. married 
Peters — i.ssue, (i) Arthur, (2) Clara, (3) George 
W (4) Thomas ;(e) Prudence married John H. Bells 
had (i) Leonidas, (2) ^\'ilson, (3) P>clina, (4) 
Clara, (5) Mary Wood — issue, P'anny. 

Among the notable celebrities of Mecklenburg 
county, was Susan Smart wcvBarnett, remarkable 
for her great age, and her accurate and vivid 
recollections of the events of the Revolution. 

Her father was John Harnett, who emigrated 
from Ireland, and who married Ann, thedaugh- 
tcr of Thomas Spratt, one of the earliest settlers 
of this county. Thomas Spratt was the first 
who crossed the Yadkin River with a wagon ; 
and the first court ever held in Mecklenburg 
county, was convened at his house. 

Her brother, William Barnett was but ayouth 
in the Snow Campaign of 1776, and did good 
service. Her grandfather on the mother's side, 
Thomas Spratt, had two sons, Thomas and Wil- 
liam, and six daughters. Thomas served in the 
Revolutionary War under Davie. Jane, one of 
these daughters married Colonel Thomas Neil. 



286 



WHEELER'S R1-:MINISCENCES. 



One of lier sons fell most gallantly at the battle 
of the Rocky Mount, commanding a regiment, 
and another at Wright's Bluff; another daugh- 
ter, Susan married Colonel Thomas Polk, on 
wliom we have written. 

Susan Barnett, the subject of this sketch, was 
born in 1761 ; and her sister Mary was the first 
white child born between the two rivers, the 
Catawba and the Yadkin. She married Captain 
James Jack, of whom, and whose genealogy, a 
full and accurate account is given in the sketches 
of North Carolina by Dr. C. L. Hunter (1877). 

Captain Jack was the bearer of the Meck- 
lenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775, to 
the Continental Congress at Philadelphia. 

Mrs. Smart was present at Charlotte on this 
glorious occasion ; and man)- now alive have 
listened with great pleasure to her glowing and 
graphic accounts of the enthusiasm which 
pervaded the whole communit}'. It was truly 
a day of "the throwing up of hats," many of 
which she stated, fell on the roof of the Court 
House. 

Many interesting incidents of the horrors of 
war, were narrated by her. 

After the surrender of Ceneral Lincoln to 
Sir Henry Clinton at Charleston (May 12,1780), 
Tarleton was sent by Lord Cornwallis to repel 
troops approaching Charleston, under Colonel 
]5uford. These were surprised at Wa.xhaw and 
mercilessly sabred. In this bloody affair Cap- 
tain John Stokes was severely wounded, losing 
one of his arms. General Sumter narrowly es- 
caped capture at another point. He fled, how- 
ever, and came to her father's home. 

When asked how the defeat happened, Sum- 
ter said: "It was a complete surprise. The 
enemy crossed the creek and before we knew of 
their presence, was in the middle of our camp. 
I was in the marque asleep at the time, and was 
carried out in the rear of the tent, mounted a 
horse and escaped with the loss of my hat and 
plume." 

There we^e many others who fled to Char- 



lotte. Among them a lad, who appeared much 
jaded ; his face careworn and sunburnt. She 
asked him where he was from. He replied, 
" the Waxhaws. " 

" Do yo know Major Crawford?" 
"To be sure I do, he is m}* uncle. Who 
are you ?" 

"I am A iidiezv Jackson." 
" What is the news about the British ?" 
"They are on their way to Charlotte." 
"And what have )'0u been doing down 
there ?" 

"We air pop[>iug thciit ociasioiially." 
His long and slender face was then lit up with 
a smile, and with grace and ease, he bid her 
good-morning. 

When the British came, they plundered the 
house and then burned it. 

Shortly before they left Charlotte, an express 
was captured by the Whigs, from Lord Corn- 
wallis to Camden. His Lordship wrote that 
"he was going to leave Charlotte, for its inhab 
itants were so inimical that they killed his men 
from every bush, in cold blood, while engaged 
in collecting forage for his army." 

Miss Susan Barnett married in 1775, George 
W. Smart, who died in May, 1S09. The house 
she occupied for years was built by him. She 
had been always in the habit of entertaining 
travellers, as she lived on the public road. 
William H. Crawford always stopped at iier 
house on his way to and from Washington, and 
was highly esteemed by her. She used to saj- 
' T have rarely been from home, but I have known 
well, two of our Presidents, "Andrew Jackson 
and James K. Polk. Little Jimmy Polk used 
to pass along this road often to his school ; bare- 
footed, with his breeches rolled up to his knees. 
He was a mighty bashful little fellow." 

Many of the connections of Aunt Susan 
Smart still reside in this region. One of them, 
George W. Smart, represented the county in 
the Legislature in 1808.* 

■■Mucli in tliis is gathered from an article in the "C/u-skr 
Pjltiutlu Standard," October I, 1851, signed B. G. S. 



MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 



287 



Mrs. Susan J. Hancock is a native of New 
Berne — born 1819 — //(vBlaney. Herfatherwas 
a prosperous merchant, and bestowed on her 
the best possible education. 

She wasalways of a romantic turn ofmind, but 
never wrote a line until she was thirty-five years 
old, when she wrote articles for various South- 
ern periodicals, which were well received. Her 
poetry is impromptu and written to elicit much 
of joy as well as sorrow. 

New Berne at an early period fell into the 
hands of the Union troops, and Mr. Hancock 
was sent with many others over the lines without 
provisions or protection. Her son fell in battle 
near Richmond. He was a member of the 2d 
North Carolina Regiment, comnKiuded by Col- 
onel Tew. After the war was over she returned 
to New Berne, there remained until she moved 
to St. Paul, Minnesota. 

She says, "if anything could make me forget 
the unhappy past and my beautiful Southern 
land, beautiful even in her desolation, it would 
be the warm-hearted kindness with which I have 
been welcomed to my new Western home." 

Samuel Lowrie (born 1756, died 1818) lived 
and died in Charlotte. He was born in Wil- 
mington, State of Delaware, August 12, 1756, 
and came with his parents to Rowan county, 
N. C, when he was fifteen years old. He was 
educated in Iredell county at the Clio Academy, 
under charge of Rev. James Hall. When the 
Revolutionary War came on he entered the 
army, and was in the Battle of Kings Mountain 
(October 7, 1780), and at the surrender of 
Cornwallis at Yorktown (October 19, 178 1). 
After the war closed he studied law, and was 
admitted to the bar at Camden, South Carolina, 
where he lived until his marriage in 1788, to 
Margaret, daughter of Captain Robert Alexan- 
der, who had served in the war as a Commis- 
sary, and whose wife was the sister of Captain 
James Jack, who bore the proceedings of the 
Mecklenburg Declaration to Philadelphia. 

Mr. Lowrie, on his marriage, settled in Char- 
lotte in the practice of his profession. 



Li 1804 he was elected a member of the Leg- 
islature from Mecklenburg county, with Gene- 
ral George Graham, George W. Smart and 
Thomas Henderson as colleagues. He was re- 
elected in 1805-06. This last year he was 
elected one of the Judges of the Superior Courts 
for the State, which elevated position he held 
till his death (December, 1818). 

He was twice married. By his first wife he 
had— 

L Mary, married Dr. David Dunlap. 

n. liliza — died unmarried. 

HL Margaret — same. 

IV. Lillie, married Brawley Oats. 

V. Robert Jack Alexander. 
VL Samuel M. 

By his second wife, Mary, daughter of Mar- 
maduke Norfleet, of Bertie county, he had one 
daughter, who married Rev. Mr. Henderson, of 
lluntsviUe, Alabama. 

Andrew Jackson. 

We have alluded to the interview between 
Mrs. Smart and Andrew Jackson when he was 
quite a youth.* It seems to be settled in the 
public mind that he was born in South Carolina, 
but there is no certainty of the fact.f 

His early life was very obscure and he himself 
was uncertain of his birthplace. He remembered 
many incidents of the Revolution more especially 
these that transpired in North Carolina. Unques- 
tionably he was of Irish descent, and lead law 
wiht Judge McCoy in Salisbury, 'judge Alex- 
ander Porter, of Louisiana, was an Irishman, 
and from the same neighborhood where were 
born and raised the parents of Jackson. 

Judge Porter visited Europe a short time be- 
fore his death, and made dilligent search into 
this matter. He was satisfied that Andrew 



*The Memories of Fifty Years, liy William H. Sparks, 
Philadelphia. 1870. . "' 

tCiOveriior Swain one of the most accurate genealogists 
of the country, in his TucVer Hall address, states positively 
that General Jackson was born at the house of George Mc- 
Camie, in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, in the 
15th of March, 1767. The line was not asaerlained on that 
locality until long after Jackson had removed to Tennessee. 



WHEFXER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Jackson was born in Ireland, and brought to 
the United States when only two years old. 
This was also the opinion of Thomas Crutchfer, 
who came with General Jackson to Nashville, 
and it was the opinion of Dr. Boyd McNairy, 
and his elder brother, Judge McNairy, who 
came with him (Jackson) from North Carolina. ) 
His early education was very limited, and so 
defective that his orthography was almost ludi- 
crous, and his general reading amounted to 
nothing. So far as his legal knowledge was 
concerned, at no time was he a respectable 
county court lawyer, so far as mere legal train- 
ing was concerned. It is wonderful how the nat- 
ural vigor of his mind supplied the absence of 
learning. 

"The triumphs of mind, unaided by educa- 
tion, are no more astonishing in the case of 
General Jackson than others," says Mr. Sparks. 
The great Warwick of England, "the King 
Maker," never knew his letters. Marshal 
Soult, one of France's greatest Marshals, could 
not write a court sentence ; and Stevenson, the 
greatest engineer the world ever saw, the in- 
ventor of the locomotive, did not know his let- 
ters at twenty-one. The Duke of Marlborough 
could hardly write his own name. But Jackson 
was naturally great. He did not need, as says 
Johnson of Shakespeare, "the spectacles of 
books to read the great volume of human na- 
ture." As a Judge, his greatest aim was to get 
the facts of a case, and decide all points upon 
the broad principles of justice. He never 
seemed to reason, On the presentation of any 
subject to his mind, it seemed, with electrical 
velocity, to cut through to a conclusion, as if 
by intuition. He was more correct in his con- 
clusions than any man of his age. His opin- 
ions were formed at the first glance, arid rarely 
or never changed. He was eminently self-reli- 
ant. In all matters concerning himself he was 
his own counsellor ; he advised with no man ; 
cool and quick in thought, he seemed to leap 
at a conclusion, from which he took no back- 



ward step. His knowledge of men, from his 
intimate and extended intercourse with all 
classes of society, had so educated his faculties 
that in a few moment's intercourse he meas- 
ured the very inmost nature of a man. That 
he was sometimes deceived is but natural, and 
when the deception was ascertained he was 
fierce and furious in his resentments. He was 
quick and irascible in his temper, and when 
angry was exceedingly violent in manner and 
words ; his passion towered in proportion to 
the provocation, and at times he was almost 
savage. In the affair with Dickerson, after 
he had received his adversary's shot, which 
from his ski'l had been well nigh fatal, he stood 
immovable, deliberately fired, and Dickerson 
fell dead. He is said to have remarked, " had 
his shot killed me, I would have, in dying, 
killed him." But in private and social life, and 
in the company of ladies especially, his man- 
ners were as urbane and polished as any knight 
of chivalry. This was the emanation of his 
great soul which marked every movement in 
the presence of ladies, and which brooked no 
indignity from men. 

"To the froward he was as fierce as fire. 
But to the kind as gentle ns a lamb." 

In his attachments he was almost fanatical. 
To any one, however humble, who was his 
friend and had proven it, he went to any length 
to serve and protect him. His course toward 
Dr. Gwinn and thousands of others prove the 
devotion of his friendship. Rather than desert 
the good name of his Biographer and Secretary 
of War, Eaton, he dissolved his Cabinet — a 
step that no other President would ever have at- 
tempted. This devotion to his family, his friends, 
and to his conceived duty, was not assumed, 
or counterfeited, but bubbled up from his mag- 
nanimous heart as naturally as does pellucid 
water spring from the crystal fountain. His 
principles, his undaunted courage, his frank 
and outspoken temper, his sincerity in private 
as well as public life ; his unsullied patriotism. 



meckl1':nburg county. 



289 



made him the clierished idol of the nation, and 
captivated the hearts of admiring miUions. He 
was one of tliose rare creations of nature, which 
appear at long intervals to astonish and delight 
mankind. 

No attempt has been made in this sketch to 
give facts and dates as to General Jackson's 
career or services, for these are all recorded and 
here become part of the nation's history, but we 
opened this sketch to show the claim of our 
State to this offspring of patriotism and genius. 
It has been my fortune to see and read of the 
illustrious men of our own and other times, but 
no one that I have ever seen or read of, exceeded 
Andrew Jackson in all those qualities that can 
adorn or dignify our nature. 

Joseph Wilson (born , died Au- 
gust, 1829), who resided in Charlotte, was 
distinguished as an advocate and criminal law- 
yer. 

His ancestors on the paternal side were 
Scotch, and settled in 1730 near Edenton, and 
in Perquimans county. On the maternal side 
they were English, and settled on Nantucket 
Island. His father moved first to Guilford 
county, North Carolina, and then to Randolph, 
where he married Eunice Worth. His parents 
were of the Society of Friends. 

His early education was directed by Rev. 
David Caldwell, and he studied law with Reu- 
ben Wood, whose daughter he married. He 
was licensed to practice law in 1804; he came 
to the bar at the same time with Israel Pickens. 
He settled in Stokes county, and by force of 
his talents, application to his studies, and force 
of character he soon rose to the uppermost 
ra,nks of his profession. He was elected to the 
Legislature in i8io-'i i-'i2, and was distin- 
guished as a firm and constant advocate of the 
war. He was elected the latter year Solicitor 
of the mountain circuit, then embracing nearly 
the whole western portion of the State. The 
unsurpassed ability, fearless zeal, and unflinch- 
ing courage with which he discharged his du- 



ties as Prosecuting Attorney, are still remem- 
bered by the people of this section, which was 
infested by many lawless men, who defied the 
restraints of justice. He continued in the faith- 
ful discharge of these duties until his death. 
He left several children. One of them — Cath- 
arine — married William J. Alexander; Rox- 
anna married Dr. Pinkney Caldwell ; another 
married Marshal Polk. 

William Julius Alexander, who married a 
daughter of Mr. Wilson, was long a resident of 
Charlotte, born in Salisbury in March, 1797. 
His early education was conducted by Rev. Dr. 
Robinson, and he graduated at the University 
in 1 8 16, in same class with John Y. Mason, 
(afterwards Attorney General of the United 
States, Secretary of the Navy and Envoy to 
France), and others. He studied law with his 
relative, Archibald Henderson. He settled in 
Charlotte, and was distinguished as an advo- 
cate and politician. He was a member of 
House of Commons from Mecklenburg county 
in 1826, re-elected in 1827-28, at which session 
he was chosen Speaker, and in 1830 he was 
elected Solicitor of the mountain circuit, made 
vacant by the death of Mr. Wilson. In 1846 
he was appointed Superintendent of the Branch 
Mint at Charlotte. He died leaving a widow 
and several children, one of whom, Catherine, 
m.arried Colonel John F. Hoke, of Lincolnton. 

The United States Branch Mint was located 
at Charlotte, by act of Congress of 1835. It is 
now used only as an Assay Office and is in charge 
of Calvin J. Cowles, Esq. Its first superin- 
tendent was John H. Wheeler, who was suc- 
ceeded (in 1 841) by Burgess S.Gaither; Greene 
W. Caldwell, William J. Alexander, and James 
W. Osborne. 

Calvin J. Cowles is now in charge of this in- 
stitution as Assayer. 

Greene W. Caldwell lived and died in this 
county. He was born April 13, 1811, in Gas- 
ton county, near the Tuckasege Ford on the 
Catawba River. He studied medicine with a 



290 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Dr. Doherty near Beattie's Ford, but became 
dissatisfied with this profession and abandoned it 
for the law. But his element was political life, 
and he was eminently successful as a politician. 
In 1836, he was elected a member of the Legis- 
lature. He was re-elected to each Legislature 
until 1841, when he was elected a member of 
the 27th Congress (1841-43). In 1844 he 



Professor in the Virginia Military Institute, re- 
garded " as superior to any other work in the 
same branch of science." 

In i860 he delivered a lecture in several places 
in this State, complaining. of the gross injustice 
done to the South, by the Northern historians, and 
asserted that all the battles gained by the North 
were insignificant compared with those of "the 



was appointed Superintendent of the Mint at South which did all the open, real, and hard fight- 
Charlotte, and in 1846 he was nominated by the 
Democratic Convention as Governor, but de- 
clined. He resigned his place in the Mint and 
went to Mexico as a Captain of Dragoons. On 
his return (1849) he was elected Senator, with 
his two Lieutenants (E. C. Davidson and Harri- 
son) as colleagues in the Legislature. In 1861 
he was defeated for Congress by Hon. Alfred 
Dockey.. 

General D. H. Hill, long a resident of Char- 
lotte, is a native of South Carolina, but his ser- 
vices and fame are shared by North Carolina. 
He was educated at the United States Military 



ing. " This feeling with General Hill is intense and 
has characterized his whole life and has become 
as near a passion as his nature permits. He 
has quiet and determined manners — not genial, 
but reserved, it gives the impression to strangers 
of one who is content to mind his own business 
without concerning himself with the business of 
any one else. 

Having served with distinction in the Me.xican 
War rising to the grade of Major by brevet, 
he entered with great zeal into the cause of 
the Confederacy, and took a conspicuous part 
in our Civil War. To detail all the military 



Academy at West Point, at which he graduated movements and battles in which General Hill 

in 1842, in same class with Generals Newton, bore a conspicuous part, would be to write a 

Rosecrans, Rains, Whiting, Longstreet and history of this war ; which is not the aim of 

others, and was commissioned a Lieutenant of these sketches. The correspondence between 



Artillery. In 1S47 he was promoted for gallant 
and meritorious conduct in the battles of Con- 
treras and Churubusco, and the storming of Clia- 
pultepec, in the Mexican War. He resigned in 
1849 and accepted a Professorship of Mathe- 
matics in Washington College, Lexington, Vir- 
ginia. This he subsequently resigned and 
accepted a similar position in Davidson College, 
in this State, which he resigned to accept the 
Superintendency of the Military Institute at 
Charlotte, of which flourishing school he was 
the head, when the Civil War began. 

He is esteemed as an admirable and able pro- 
fessor, thoroughly versed in the studies of his 
department, and possessing the faculty of stim- 
ulating his students to their greatest efforts. 
He published in 1858 a text-book on Algebra, 
which Stonewall (T. J.) Jackson, then also a 



General Hill and Edward Stanley, Military Gov- 
ernor of North Carolina (March 1863) is one of 
the keenest specimens of invective since the 
days of Junius. 

After the war was over he edited a magazine 
called the Land ivc Love, and weekly paper at 
Charlotte called the Southern Home. In these 
periodicals the future historian will find rich 
materials for his task. He is eminently and 
sincerely religious in his temperament, an elder 
in the Presbyterian Church, exemplary, con- 
scientious, and zealous; and has written several 
essays on Theology. 

He removed to the Southwest, a few years 
since and is the head of the University of 
Arkansas, at Fayetteville in tnat State. 

He married Isabella, the eldest daughter of 
Rev. Dr. Robert Hall Morrison ; whose sister 



MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 



29I 



Anna is the widow of Tliomas J. 'Stonewall' 
Jackson. 

' The Osborne family is distinguished in the 
annals of North Carolina for integrity, patriot- 
ism and talents. 

Twenty years before the Mecklenburg Decla- 
ration of Independence, the Rev. Hugh 
McAden made a tour through the western 
part of North Carolina and found it a settled 
country, with churches located here and there. 
He kept a diary, and records that in September 
1755, he was entertained at the house of Cap- 
tain Alexander Osborne, and preached at a 
church near there. 

The Osbornes settled at an early day in New 
Jersey. Alexander Osborne was the founder of 
the family in North Carolina, he came to this 
province sometime previous to 1755, and settled 
in the county of Rowan. 

Captain Osborne was at that time, forty-six 
years of age. When Governor Tryon reviewed 
the troops in Salisbury in 1768, the Major Gen- 
erals were John Ashe and Thomas Lloyd. The 
Colonels were Alexander Osborne, Edmund 
Fanning, Robert Harris, James Sampson, Sam- 
uel Spencer, James Moore and Maurice Moore. 

In 1768 he marched to Hillsboro, with a reg- 
iment of Rowan troops, under orders of Gov- 
ernor Tryon, to aid in suppressing the regula- 
tors. 

Colonel Alexander Osborne married Agnes 
McWhorter, sister of Rev. Alexander Mc- 
VVhorter, President for a time of Queen's Col- 
lege in Charlotte. 

Colonel A. C)sborne's name is found on the 
Committee of Safety for Rowan count}', in 
1775. This was the last year of his life; he 
died in 1776. In the graveyard at Centre 
Church, his grave is seen marked by a slab, on 
which are two panels, one for his own epitaph 
and one for his wife, Agnes, who had died two 
days before Colonel Osborne. He was buried 
at Centre Church in the county of Iredell, only 
a short distance from his home. Previous to 



the erection of a church at Centre, the early 
settlers congregated at his house for worship, a 
fact mentioned in McAden's diary. 

Colonel A. Osborne's onlj son Adlai, gradu- 
ated at Princeton at the same time with his 
cousin, ICphraim Brevard, who was a nephew of 
Mrs. Alexander Osborne. 

Colonel Alexander Osborne left four daugh- 
ters : Rebecca, who married Mr. Nathaniel 
Ewing : their son. Rev. Finis Ewing, married 
a daughter of General William Davidson, who 
fell at Cowan's Ford. Their descendants are 
found in several of the northwestern States, as 
also in Kentucky, and Ohio. Mary married John 
Nesbit, — the family of that name in Georgia, 
are descendants, the late Chief Justice Euge- 
nius Nesbit, being one of the family. Jean 
married Moses Winslow ; and Margaret married 
Mr. John Robinson of Providence township, 
Mecklenburg county. 

Colonel Adlai Osborne was born June 4, 
1744; he graduated at Princeton in 1768; mar- 
ried in January 30, 1771, Margaret Lloyd, and 
settled in Salisbury. He studied law, was ap- 
pointed Clerk of the Court for Rowan under 
the Crown, and continued until 1809. He was 
a man of fine literary attainments, the firm 
friend of education, and one of the first Board 
of Trustees for the University. He died in 
181 5, leaving a large family. 

He participated in all the various meetings 
held in Rowan during the Revolution, as will 
be seen in reference to the journal of the com- • 
mittee, which has been preserved. 

Four of Colonel Adlai Osborne's sons gradu- 
ated at Chapel Hill. The two elder, Thomas 
Alexander and Edwin Jay, were in the first 
class ever graduated there, (in 1798.) Adlai 
Laurens, in 1802, and Spruce McCoy, in 1805. 

Edwin Jay Osborne married Harriet Walker, 
daughter of Captain John Walker of Wilming- 
ton, North Carolina; studied law and settled in 
Wilmington ; afterwards removed to Salisbury. 
He was a man of many gifts and varied acquire- 



292 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



J>. 



ments. He was distinguished as a fine conver- 
sationalist. 

His family consisted of three dau^jhters and 
one son. Harriet Osborne who married Alex- 
ander Duncan Moore of Wilmington, North 
Carolina; Julia who married Mr. Frank of New 
London, Connecticut ; Charlotte married Mr. 
Holman of Alabama and James Walker Os- 
borne. James W. Osborne, only son of Edwin 
Jay and Harriet Osborne, was born in Salisbury, 
North Carolina, on December 25, 181 1 , settled 
in Charlotte, North Carolina ; married Mrs. Mary 
A. Moore, daughter of John Irwin of Charlotte, 
on April 5, 1842. Mrs. Osborne was the widow 
of Thomas, J, Moore of South Carolina, by 
whom she had one son, his namesake. 

Thomas Jefferson Moore is a native of this 
county, born April 30, 1843. He is the son of 
the late ColonelThomas J. Moore of Madison 
County, Mississippi, a native of Spartanburg, 
South Carolina, who died at the early age of 
twenty-six, yet left behind him an enviable 
reputation as a lawyer and advocate. 

His grandfather was General Thomas Moore, 
of South Carolina, a soldier of the Revolution 
and served his State as a General of brigade in 
the war of 1812-15. He was a Member of 
Congress from South Carolina from 1800 to 18 12 
and again from 1 8 14 to 18 16, holding the posi- 
tion at the time of his death. His mother was 
Miss Mary Irwin, daughter of the late John 
Irwin of this county, who after the death of her 
first husband, married Judge Osborne, a sketch 
of whose life is given in this volume. 

Dr. Moore received his academic education at 
the University of Louisiana; served during the 
late war in the Confederate Army, going out as 
a private in the first North Carolina Infantry, 
(six months volunteers) (D. H. Hill's regiment) 
and at the disbandment of the regiment 
was appointed to a staff position, serving 
for some time as one of the aid-de camps 
of General D. H. Hill. After the war he stud- 
ied medicine at the University of New York, 



where he graduated with distinction in a class of 
seventy-two, delivering the valedictory of his 
class. He represented Mecklenburg in the State 
Senate during the session of 1876-77. 

Judge Osborne's family consisted of four sons 
and three daughters. Three sons survived their 
father, Robert D. Osborne, who served as a 
private soldier in the late Civil War, was noted 
for coolness and courage ; studied law, but died 
in the prime of life. Frank Irwin Osborne, a 
lawyer — practicing law in Charlotte — , Solicitor 
of6thN. C, Judicial District, and James W. 
Osborne, a graduate of Davidson College, also 
a lawyer, residing in New York City. 

These data of this able and estimable man 
might seem ample, yet we preserve a more ex- 
tended sketch from the pen of General D. H. 
Hill, at the conclusion of the sketch of this 
family. 

Colonel Adlai Osborne, born June 4, 1744. 

Margaret Lloyd Osborne, born June 23, 1754, 
married January 30, 1771. 

Colonel A. Osborne, died 18 15. 

Mary Lloyd Osborne, oldest child of Colonel 
Adlai and Margaret Lloyd Osborne was born 
September 6, 1774. 

Margaret McWhorter Osborne, born April 7, 
1776. 

Thomas Alexander Osborne, born February 

14. 1778. 

Edwin Jay Osborne, born March i, 1780. 

Adlai Laurens Osborne, born October 19, 
1782. 

Spruce McCoy Osborne, born December 14, 
1784. 

Ephraim Brevard Osborne, born February 21, 
1786. 

Nancy Cecilia Osborne, born April 21, 1788. 

Eliza Tabitha Osborne, born July 7, 1790. 

PantheaL. Houston, born December i, 1793. 

Franklin Washington Osborne, born January 

I. 1795- 

Mary Lloyd Osborne married, first, Mr. 
Sharpe, a lawyer who lived in Statesville. Af- 



MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 



293 



ter his death she married John Young of Iredell 
county, and General John Young of Charlotte, 
is their son. 
I Margaret McWhorter married Robert David- 

son ; died without children. 

Thomas Alexander graduated at Chapel Hill, 
in 1798; studied medicine; went to South 
America, and died lighting in one of their wars. 

Edwin Jay Osborne graduated at Chapel Hill 
in 1798; studied law; settled in Wilmington, 
North Carolina, married Harriet Walker ; by 
this marriage left three daughters and one son : 
Harriet (Mrs. Alexander Duncan Moore), Mrs. 
Julia Frank, Mrs. Charlotte Holman, James W. 
Osborne. 

Spruce McCoy Osborne graduated at Chapel 
Hill in 1805; studied medicine; entered the 
army as surgeon ; was killed at the massacre of 
Fort Mimms. 

Ephraim Brevard Osborne studied medicine ; 
married in Alabama ; settled in Texas ; left a 
large family ; one of whom, Colonel Edwin Os- 
borne, distinguished himself in our late war ; 
another is Ezekiel Knox Polk Osborne an at- 
torney at Charlotte, N. C. , and a third is Frank 
J. Osborne a civil engineer. 

Col. Osborne has taken orders and is now an 
Episcopal minister, settled in North Carolina ; 
he married Fanny Moore, his cousin, in the 
second degree, a daughter of Harriet and Alex- 
ander Duncan Moore, of Wilmington, North 
Carolina ; they have five children. 

Nancy Cecilia Osborne married Mr. Byers of 
Iredell county ; left a large family. 

Eliza Tabitha married Mr. Alexander Hogan ; 
left no children. 

Panthea L. Osborn married Colonel Houston ; 
lived in Alabama ; has one descendant, Thomas 
Houston, twenty one years of age; studying 
for the Methodist ministry at the Vanderbilt 
University, Tennessee. 

Franklin Washington Osborne studied medi- 
cine; died in Mobile, Alabama, a victim of yel- 
low fever, whilst devoted to his practice. 



We have met among the memoirs, published 
at the time of the death of Hon. Jame.s W. 
Osborne, one of the most distinguished members 
of this family, whose memory is still warmly 
cherished, an obituary notice so just and so 
full, that we here insert it. It is from the pen 
of General D. H. Hill. 

"The nations of the earth, the most distin- 
guished in history for prowess in the field, wis- 
dom in legislation, progress in science and art, 
purity of taste in polite literature, and refinement 
in the social circle, are precisely those which 
have most cherished the memory of their heroes 
statesmen, scholars and patriots. It has been 
well said that the land which erects no monu- 
ments to its illustrious dead, will soon cease to 
produce men worthy of a place in history. To 
neglect departed greatness is to degrade living 
eminence. 

"The Bible, with its wonderful adaptation to 
the wants of our race, sanctions cherishing ten- 
der recollections of the saints of the Lord. 
'The righteous shall be in everlasting remem- 
brance.' 'The memory of the just is blessed.' 
Here we have a prophecy and a command, both 
involving a high obligation and a glorious priv- 
ilege — to keep fresh and green in the minds of 
men the memory of those who died in the full 
hope of a blessed immortality. And thus the 
friends of the late Hon. J. W. Osborne, feel that 
in attempting a tribute to his exalted worth, 
they are discharging a sad but gracious duty. 
It is meet that we should revere the memory of 
a man of mighty intellect, of profound scholar- 
ship, and of matchless eloquence, who brought 
all his rare and varied gifts and accomplishments 
and laid them as an humble offering at the foot 
of the Cross. There remains nothing now of 
his manly person and noble mein, of his vast 
learning and attainments, but 

'The knell, the shroud, the coffin and the grave. 
The deep, damp vault ; the darkness and the worm.' 

"His simple faith in Christ was worth a thou- 
sand-fold more than all his talents and acquire- 



294 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



ments, and the lesson of his life comes home to "As an instance of the multifariousness of his 
every bosom, "With all your getting^;, get un- learning, it may be mentioned that long before 
derstanding." We can now think with grateful the Civil War, he had been a profound student 
satisfaction that those great powers of mind, of military history and science. During the 
which were our pride and astonishment on earth, siege of Yorktown, he gave a Division Corn- 
are ever expanding in knowledge, ever getting mander such masterly reasons for its evacuation 
new revelations of Divine love and ever attain- and so supported by authority and precedent, 
ing new degrees of holiness. that he went to General Johnston and repeated 
"Thesaddestsighton our afflicted earth is that them. Again, when the battle was in progress 
of a man of great gifts, culture and refinement, ^^ Mechanicsville on the first of the seven days' 
living out of Christ and deliberately choosing f^ ,^^ around Richmond, the same officer re- 



to spend his eternity with the coarse, the brutal 
and the depraved. With heartfelt gratitude we 
adore that distinguishing love which made our 
illustrious countryman choose that good part 
which shall not be taken away. 



ceived a letter from the Judge suggesting the 
very movement that our troops were making. 
Just after the battle of Chancellorsville, he 
wrote : 'Lee has crushed Hooker with one wing 
of his army. Let the other be thrown rapidly 



"Tudsje Osborne was born in Salisbury, North ,^ r , -i -i ,. la ^ • 

•' *= ' to Murfreesboro, annihilate Rosecranz and seize 

Carolina, on the 25th of December, 1811, and 



died in Charlotte on the i ith August, 1869, so 
that he had hardly passed the meridian of life, 
and until a short time before his death, ' his 
eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.' 
"He took his degree at Chapel Hill in June, 
1830. At the University he specially delighted 
in mathematics, and his success in that study 
was eminent. His logical mind peculiarly fitted 
him for the exact sciences. Hence, a distin- 
guished lawyer said of him, that he had the first 
legal mind in the State, though his varied and 
extensive reading kept him from being as famil- 
iar with the formula and technicalities of the 



the waters of the Mississippi above Grant at 
Vicksburg. ' There is every' reason to believe 
that many Confederate officers thought that this 
would be a wiser move than the advance into 
Pennsylvania. 

"Fluency of speech was a natural gift with 
Judge Osborne, and this, combined with his 
vast acquaintance with books, made his language 
the very choicest Anglo Saxon. His warm- 
hearted, genial, pleasant manner, and bright, 
kindly face added a charm to the whole, which 
was absolutely irresistible. He had no equal as 
a conversationalist, and his intimate friends can 
never forget the grace and fascination of his 
address. And so his ready command of the 
best words, his learning, his enthusiasm, his 
sonorous voice and graceful delivery, made him 
one of the very first orators in the land. We 
confess that we have been more impressed by 



law, as were some of the routine lawyers. But 
his keen perceptions and accurate judgment 
made him know 7i'/iai tlu- laiv miffht to be in any 
new case presented. 

" The extent and variety of his reading was 
truly marvelous. There was scarcely a subject 
which he had not looked into, if indeed he had him than by Mr. Clay.or even by Mr. McDuffie. 
not thoroughly mastered it. Few clergymen "The magic spell thrown around Judge Os- 

outside of our Theological Seminaries were so borne in the social circle and on the hustings 
well read in theology. He said to the writer of was his imperturbable good temper, and that 
this, that there was a charm about the study of proceeded from his large hearted humanity, his 
theology which no other reading possessed for sincere and unaffected love for his race. He 
him ; and he devoured huge volumes of theo- had a kind word and a pleasant smile for every- 
logic lore with the most eager relish. body, simply because he loved mankind. He 



MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 



295 



needed not a veil of charity to cover their crimes 
and frailties; in his own simple guilelessness he 
did not see their faults. Those who had known 
him for thirty and forty years, say that they 
never saw him angry. He had not an enemy 
among the people with whom he has lived since 
early manhood. We doubt whether he has one 
in the world, notwithstanding the many impor- 
tant trusts committed to him, the duties of which 
he discharged faithfully and fearlessly. We 
have seen liis antagonists quail beneath his bold, 
yet courteous, advocacy of the truth. Yet the 
most remarkable thing in the career of this great 
man, was the hold he had upon the hearts of 
men of every creed and party, although in his 
official capacity he had often been opposed to 
the interests and wishes of many. 

"A brief summary of the incidents in his life, 
and of the positions held by him, will show how 
universal must have been the confidence in his 
integrity, and how great must have been the 
fascination of his amiability and philanthropy, 
since he was enabled to discharge all his duties 
conscientiously without giving offense and with- 
out making an enemy. 

"He studied law at Hillsboro,with Hon. W'm. 
A. Graham, and was admitted to the bar at 
Charlotte, in 1833. He took a high stand in 
his profession at the very outset and maintained 
it always. This was not due merely to his gen- 
ius, his learning, and his eloquence, but in a 
large degree to his unselfish and sympathetic 
nature, which made him adopt his client's cause 
as his own and identif)- himself thoroughly with 
the interests, the views, and the feelings of the 
client. 

"He was twice Elector for the State at large, 
first in the Clay campaign, and then in the con- 
test between Seymour and Grant. He was ap- 
pointed by President Fillmore, Superintendent 
of the United States Mint at Charlotte, which 
office he held for four years. He was chosen 
by Governor Ellis to fill a vacant Judgeship in 
1859, and the General Assembly confirmed the 



selection November 26, i860. His decisions as 
a Judge, were eminently wise, and just, and no 
breath of suspicion ever soiled the spotlcssness 
of his ermine. At the time of his death he was 
a Senator in the General Assembly, as Meck- 
lenburg still honored her own eminent men and 
was not disposed, like some other counties, to 
trust her interests to ignorant and incompetent 
persons or greedy adventurers from abroad. 

' ' But it is as the Christian gentleman, we love 
to think of our illustrious statesman. He was 
sincerely and unaffectedly devout; a lover of 
God and man. The Bible was a lamp to his feet 
and a light to his path. For near twenty years 
he was a ruling elder in the church at Charlotte. 
In the last trying scenes of life his faith in Christ 
was firm and unshaken. He could then say 
with the Psalmist: "My flesh and my heart 
faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and 
my portion forever." 

"It has been a favorite theory with Christian 
poets and divines, that the characteristics of 
the saints on earth will be preserved in Heaven, 
ennobled, elevated and purified from all carnal 
taint. Jeremiah in glory will be distinguished 
for his pensive meditations, Isaiah for his re- 
searches into the mystery of redeeming love, 
John will carry his loving disposition with him, 
Paul will retain his zeal and his energy. The 
refined nations of antiquity held similar views, 
and hence the classic allusions to death as an 
eclipse, obscuring for a season, but afterward 
allowing the same luminary to delight and to 
dazzle. 

" Wc who were in the belt of the late total 
eclipse, observed a black spot projected on the 
lower liirb of the sun. Gradually, the dark 
shadow crept higher and higher. The great orb 
sent out sickly and more sickly rays. The cat- 
tle came lowing home. The bewildered fowls 
of the air sought their roosts. The black spot 
crept higher and yet higher, until darkness cov- 
ered the sky, with here and there a star sending 
forth a ghastly and unnatural light. Then the 



296 



WHEFXER'S REMINISCENCES. 



sun, like a mighty giant, threw off the black 
mantle and came forth in all his strength, beauty, 
and majesty, rejoicing our hearts with the saiiic 
glorious beams that had been hid for a time. 
' And thus, as our friend was a star of the first 



(1876) a member of the Legislature from Meck- 
lenburg county, by 821 majority. 

Robert Payne Waring is one of the worthiest 
citizens of Mecklenburg county. He was grad- 
uated at the University of Virginia, and became 



magnitude, we contemplate his death as a tern- a commonwealth's attorney from 1855 to 1859 



porary eclipse, and believe that when the 
shadows of earth have passed away, the brilliant 
intellect that dazzled us below, will shine out 
with renewed effulgence above. We cannot 
but think, too, that a man of his rare sweetness 
of temper and forgetfulness of self, will find con- 
genial companionship, amid the rejoicing and 
unselfish hosts of Heaven throughout the cease- 
less ages of eternity." 

Randolph A. Shotwell, represented Mecklen- 
burg county in 1876. He is a native of Vir- 
ginia — born in West Liberty, December 14, 
1844. He was at school in Pennsylvania when 
the war commenced; and determining to unite 
his fortunes with those of his native land, "ran 
the blockade" through Washington and the 
Federal lines, and joined the 8th Virginia Vol- 
unteers, in time for the battle of Leesburg, 
and was engaged in many battles and skirmishes 
including among them Gettysburg. 

In 1864 he was captured while scouting, and 
held as a spy, and suffered many privations and 
hardships. After the war was over he came, in 
1866 to North Carolina, and started the Joiinia! 
of Comiitoxc with Col. S. D. Pool. In 1868 
he started the Vindicator at Rutherford. In 
1870 he established the Citizen at Asheville. 
He was arrested and carried to Raleigh, where 
he was tried before Judge Bond for an alleged 
connection with the Invisible empire, and con- 
demned. He was sentenced to six years im- 
prisonment in the Albany Penitentiary and a 
fine of ^5,000. At the intercession of Colonel 
Moseby, Plato Durham, and others, a pardon 
was issued by President Grant. 

On his return (November 1872) he became 
associated with General D. H. Hill as editor, 
and acted as such until 1877. He was elected 



hen he was appointed United States Consul to 
St. Thomas Island in the Danish Indies. He 
filled this responsible and honorable position 
with signal ability, reflecting great credit upon 
our government. In June, 1861, he returned 
to the United States where he was arrested and 
held as a prisoner of state, in New York, until 
October following. After the most thorough 
investigation, no charge could be presented 
against him. He had only, with his usual ur- 
banity, lifted his cap in passing a vessel on the 
water which bore the emblem of the infant 
Confederacy. 

Upon his release, he returned to North Caro- 
lina, raised a company in June 1862, served as 
captain till April, 1865, when he was captured 
and kept at Camp Chase until July of the same 
year. He then returned to his home in Char- 
lotte, North Carolina, and became editor of the 
Daily liiiios. 

So fearless and outspoken was his condemna- 
tion of the polititico military administration, 
that he was arrested by the military command- 
ant, in time of peace, and tried before a court- 
martial where he was defended by Hon. B. F. 
Moore, and Ed. Graham Haywood. Conviction 
was a foregone conclusion, and he was offered 
the alternative of paying a fine of $300, in three 
days, or suffering six months imprisonment in 
Fort Macon. 

Such treatment gave him notoriety and his 
paper a wider circulation. It was by his able 
editorials he contributed largely to the change 
of administration at the ballot box. Mr. War- 
ing had been elector on the Buchanan ticket. 
In 1870 he was sent to the Legislature, where 
an important and novel question met him at the 
threshold : ' ' Should North Carolina place her- 



MI'.CKLICNBURG COUNTY. 



297 



self on record as the first American State to 
exercise the power of impeaching a Governor?" 
Troops had been raised by this Governor, osten- 
sibly to ferret out the perpetrators of two mys- 
terious murders, but without a resort first to the 
posse comitatiis — worst of all, this was done on 
the eve of a general election. The best citizens 
of the State, in two counties, had been arrested 
without the pretense of indictment, or informa- 
tion, and incarcerated as common felons to 
await trial by a contemptible militia court-mar- 
tial and this, too, in a time of profound peace. 
Should such conduct, at the suggestion of prob- 
able F'ederal interference be overlooked, or 
should an example be made for posterity ? 
Criminals who had robbed the state of millions 
had escaped, whereas the intended defendant 
was never suspected of sharing in their spoils. 
Mr. W'aring's position was not doubtful. Lib- 
erty is more valuable than money, and eternal 
vigilance is its price. His influence was ac- 
knowledged in appointing him on the committee 
which prepared the articles of impeachment, and 



which selected Messrs. Graham, Bragg, and 
Merrimon, prosecutors. Messrs. Smith, Boy- 
den, Conigland and McCorkle appeared for the 
defendant. (See sketch of \\ . W. Holden, in 
Wade county section.) He has since been re- 
turned by increased majorities, generally, to 
the State Senate, serving in that body on the 
Judiciary Committee, and chairman of that on 
Internal Improvements. 

He has borne himself worthy of his anteced- 
ents, and is ever alive to anything that touches 
the dignity of the State. He is a strict con- 
structionist of the Constitution as also of the 
obligations of a gentleman. He has been twice 
married — first to a daughter of Hon. Louis D. 
Henry, and second, to the daughter Rev. N. 
Aldrich, of whose charming society he has re- 
cently been bereft. Since the organization of 
the present Inferior Court of Mecklenburg 
county, he has been unanimously chosen as 
chairman at every election, — a terror to evil 
doers and a praise to those who do well. 



CHAPTER XLI. 



MOORE AND NEW HANOVER COUNTIES. 



Hon. Archibald McNeil resided in Moore 
county. The records show that he represented 
this county in the House in 1808-09, and in the 
Stale Senate in 181 i-i 5-20-21-22, and was 
elected a member 'of Congress (27th) — 1821- 
23, and re-elected (29th) — 1825-27. 

Hon. Archibald McBryde, also a resident of 
this county, was a member of Congress (Xlth), 
1809-11, and a member of the State Senate in 
1813-14- I ^ 

Governor Benj. WilliamsMooreo^ county was 
elected a member of Congress (3rd) — 1793-95, 
and Governor of the State, 1799 ; and re-elected 



in 1809. In 1807-09 elected a member of the 
State Senate. As General Davie had accepted 
the Mission to France, Benjamin Williams was 
chosen his successor as Governor. The new 
Governor was a plain man of small pretensions. 
He was simple, modest, and of irreproachable 
character. He died in Moore county at his 
residence, recently occupied by Dr. Charles 
Chalmers. 

He married Mary Eaton Jones, daughter of 
Robin Jones of Halifax, by whom he had two 
sons, Allen and Willie ; both of whom were edu- 
cated in Eton College, England. 



298 



WHEFXER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Dr. George Glasscock, during the early days 
of our State, resided in this county at Cross 
Hill. Dr. Glasscock was a native of Virginia. 
His mother was the sister of Mary Ball, the 
mother of Washington. Dr. Glasscock during 
the march of Cornwallis and the raids of Fan- 
ning, was with the Whigs as Surgeon. 

He married Martha Howard and raised a fam- 
ily of ten children, five sons and five daughters, 
and his descendants are among the most enter- 
prising and useful of our citizens. Dr. Glass- 
cock was murdered in 1787 at the instigation of 
Colonel Philip Alston 

A cluster of houses soon acquired the character 
of a town on the Cape Fear River, about 1730, 
on the site now occupied by the town of Wil- 
mington. Lots were surveyed and the village 
was known as New Liverpool. In 1735, John 
Watson obtained a grant for 640 acres of land 
including the embryo city, and changed its 
name of Newton. In 1 739, this name, by an act 
of the assembly, was changed to Wilmington, 
in honor of Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilming- 
ton, the patron of Governor Gabriel Johnston. 
Sir Spencer Compton, third son of Earl of 
Northampton, was created Baron of Wilming- 
ton, January 5, 1727; Viscount of Pevensy in 
1730; Member of Parliament and Speaker of 
the House of Commons. He was for some 
time President of the Privy Council, and upon 
the resignation of Sir Robert Walpole in Feb- 
ruary 1742, was appointed first Lord of the 
Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer. 
He died July 2, 1742. (Martin's History, 
294; Collins Peerage, III., 257; Uni. Mag., 
v., 242.) 

There is no portion of the State that was 
more devoted to the cause of liberty during the 
Revolution, than the Cape Fear section ; none 
that more readily contributed its men and means 
to its support. These glowing records exist, and 
the fearless acts and heroic devotion of her sons 
are written on the pages of history, and if gath- 
ered, would form an imperishable monument to 
their valor and patriotism. 



Will not some son of New Hanover from this 
"embarrassment of riches, " preserve, and pre- 
sent these memorials in gratitude to worth and 
valor? They would form a volume of thrilling 
interest and greatest value. 

The bold action of the New Hanover people 
during the Stamp Act trouble was unsurpassed 
by that of any other community. They seized 
the Stamp Master in the Governor's Mansion, 
and forced him to swear not to execute his office. 
In consequence of their action, particular re- 
strictions were laid on the Commerce of Wil- 
mington, and the people embodied under the 
leadership of John Ashe, marched to Ft. John- 
son, where the Governor was, and demanded 
redress, which was accorded. 

In 1774 when the bill shutting up the Port of 
Boston, was enacted by the British Parliament, 
the citizens of Wilmington declared by public 
resolutions : ''The cause of Boston to be the covi- 
uioii cause of Aiuei-ica;" and the next month sent 
by Parker Quince a ship-load of provisions to 
their suffering and beleaguered countrymen. 

The patriotic people of New Hanover 
formed a Committee of Safety, with which 
thepeople of Brunswick, Bladen, Duplin, and 
Onslow united ; and when the Royal Governor 
(Martin) summoned his Council to meet him in 
January, 1776, on board of a Sloop of War, in 
the Cape Fear River, this committee informed 
the members of the Council that "the safety of 
the country would not allow them to attend the 
Governor." 

The proceedings of this committee from No- 
vember, 1774 to October, 177S, have been 
printed from the original records, (Raleigh, 
Thos. Loring, 1844), and prove the fearless con- 
duct of the people. 

The first conflict of arms after the military 
organization of the State, occurred in this county 
at Moore's Creek bridge, February 27, 1776, 
when the colonists, under Caswell and Lilling- 
ton met the royal forces, under MacDonald 
and routed them with great loss. 



MfietefcWfBWRG COUNTY. 



299 



Among those devoted to the cause of the 
people and whose life was laid down in the 
struggle, was Cornelius Harnett, of whom a 
biographical sketch has been presented (page 
46). He is buried in Wilmington. 

The Ashe family, whose services and whose 
sacrifices in the cause of our country deserve 
to be held in the perpetual memory of pos- 
terity, is identified with this county. 

Jones in his "Defense of North Carolina," 
says: 

"The Ashe family contributed more to the 
success of the Revolution than any other in the 
State. General John Ashe and his sons. Cap- 
tain Samuel Ashe and his son William, Gov- 
ernor Samuel Ashe and his son Samuel, Colonel 
John Baptista, were all in constant service." 

Every member of the Ashe family able to 
bear a musket was in the army. 

Some of this family have been already alluded 
to, in sketches of Judge Thomas S. Ashe and 
John B. Ashe. 

We now present a genealogical table of this 
distinguished family, followed by sketches of 
such others as particularly deserve attention. 

The family is of English origin and long set- 
tled in Heightsbury, an ancient borough on the 
river Willy in Wiltshire, England. 

*John Baptista Ashe, the founder of the fam- 
ily in North Carolina, was the friend of Lord 
Craven, one of the Lord Proprietors of the 
Province, and on this account visited the shores 
of the new world. 

He was prominent, active, and decided in the 
affairs of the colony. 

In 17725 he appeared as Counsel for Governor 
Burrington who was then indicted for sedition 
and treasable practices. I copy from the Rolls 
Office, London, the following : 

J: "1730, Dec. 14. Instructions issued to 
Governor Burrington with his commission as 

•Memoir of General lohn Ashe by A. M. Hooper, Wilnig, 
1S54; Uiii Mag III, 366. 

|. Kecorils of Board of Trade, London Proprieties, N. C, 
No. 22, p. 37. 



Governor of North Carohna, under the great 
seal. William Smith, 'Nath.^Ricc, James Ten- 
our, Robert Hatton, Edmund Porter, John Bap- 
tista Ashe, Jas. Ilallard, Matthew ;^Rowan, 
Richard Eyans, Cornelius Harnett, and John 
Porter, Sen., named in the instructions as 
Council:" 

I copy from the same office, the following 
extract from a Dispatch to the Duke of New 
Castle, from Governor Burrington, dated Febru- 
ary 20, 1732. 

"Immediately before the Assembly met, Mr. 
Price, the Secretary, and Mr. Ashe, came to- 
gether from the Cape Fear to Edenton, the scat 
of Govcinmcnt. Mr. Ashe when qualified, began 
immediately to oppose me in the council. He 
gained Mr. Smith and Mr. Porter to join him. 

"Mr. Ashe is altogether bent on mischief I 
have been a great friend to him. My benefits 
he has returned with ingratitude. 

"He is a great villian, and is unworthy of 
sitting as Councillor in this Province. '' 

The Governor adds, in the same dispatch that 
"Cornelius Harnett, another of the council, 
was bred a merchant in Dublin, and settled at 
Cape Fear in this colony: "I am humbly of 
opinion that Harnett's sitting in the council is a 
disgrace toit, " (page 63). 

On November 10, 1732, on the complaint of 
George Burrington, Governor, to Wm. Owen, 
one of the Justices of the General Court, that 
John Baptista Ashe, did write and publish cer- 
tain scurrilous libels to defame said Governor, 
was committed to goal, until he gave bond and 
security to appear before the Justices of the 
General Court of the province." (See page 
78.) 

Mr. Ashe filed information, in return, which 
the General Court, (William Little, Chief Jus- 
tice ; William Owen, Macrora Scarborough, Jus- 
tices) held at Edenton, last Tuesday in October, 
1732, having duly heard and considered, decided 
as their unanimous opinion, that the said infor- 
mation being a prosecution against the said 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



George Burrington, Esq., now Governor, for a 
crime or offense alleged to be done by him 
whilst Governor; which by act of Parliament is 
ordained elsewhere to be heard, and for that 
the said court cannot compel the said Governor, 
here to appear or answer thereto ; they cannot 
hear or determine the same, and will not pro- 
ceed in judgment. William Little, Chief Jus- 
tice (page 79). 

Thereupon Mr. Ashe, Nath. Rice, Secretary, 
and John Montgomery, Attorney General, ad- 
dressed a memorial to the Lord Commissioners, 
at home, of great power, charging and impeach- 
ing Governor Burrington of public misdemean- 
ors and private wrongs, and praying protection 
against oppression and relief against wrongs. 

I copy further from the Rolls Office in Lon- 
don, the following letter of Governor Burring- 
ton, to Duke of New Castle. 

" North Carolina, 

June 5, 1734. 
" May it please your Grace : 

Having lived in this Province for some years 
without receiving any money from the King, or 
the country, I was constrained to sell not only 
my household goods, but even my linen, plate 
and lands and stocks. The many sicknesses 
that seized me and their long continuance have 
greatly impaired my constitution and substance. 
My affairs and health being in a bad condition, 
I humbly desire my Lord Duke, will be pleased 
to obtain His Majesty's leave for my return to 
England. 

I am with profound duty, My Lord Duke 
Your Grace's most humble and most devoted 
servant. George Burrington." 

He was allowed to return, and he died a mel- 
ancholy death ; rioting as was his custom all 
night, he was found dead in the streets of Lon- 
don, one morning in the Bird Cage Walk, St. 
James Park. 

Gabriel Johnston succeeded Burrington 1734. 
He died in 1735, leaving issue : I. John, H. 
Samuel, and III. Mary. 



Genealogy of the Ashe Family, -f- 
John Baptista Ashe, the progenitor of the 
family, was a lawyer practicing in the colony of 
North Carolina, early in the eighteenth century. 
He married Elizabeth Swann, the sister of Col- 
onel Samuel Swann, and eminent lawyer, com- 
piler of the Acts of the Assembly (1752) known 
as "Yellow Jacket, " and speaker of the Assem- 
bly, and along with Swann and others settled on 
the Cape Fear. He was a man of wealth and 
of culture. His literary abilities are attested by 
his correspondence with the Home Government 
arraigning Governor Burrington for his excesses 
in the administration of the affairs of the colony. 
He was the Speaker of the Assembly in 1727, 
and Member of the Council in 1730. 

He was fearless in his denunciation of Burring- 
ton, who procured his imprisonment by a sub- 
He lies buried at Gravely, four miles south of 
Wilmington, now in possession of Marsdcn 
Bellamy. 

I. General John Ashe was born in North 
Carolina, in 1 720; educated at Harvard College, a 
popular leader and an eloquent speaker. Was 
speaker of the Assembly from 1762 to 1765. 
He opposed the Stamp Act, and from that time 
until his death, in 1781, was the active and 
constant champion of the cause of the colo- 
nists. 

Married Rebecca (sister of General James 
Moore, and Judge Maurice Moore). To them 
were born (a) John, a Major in the North Caro- 
lina line ; (b) Samuel, commanded a troop of 
light horses at the North during the war of '76; 
(c) Harriet, married, first, to Davis — second to 
Laspiere; (d) Eliza, married to William H. Hill, 
Member of Assembly 1794, of Congress 1799; 
United States District Attorney and appointed 
to the Federal bench by President Adams. To 
them were born Joseph Alston Hill, an orator 
of great brilliancy, died, at an early age, in 1830, 
and among other descendants may be mentioned 
Wm. Henry Wright, United States Engineers ; 
Griffith J. McRee; Judge Samuel Hall, of the 



!tft^€tet.l'Nl}UR-€ COUNTY. 



301 



Supreme Court of Georgia ; (e) Mary, married 
to William Alston of Waccamaw, South Caro- 
lina, whose son, Joseph Alston, was Governor 
of South Carolina, 1812-1S14, and married 
Theodosia, daughter of Aaron Burr; (f) Wil- 
liam, lost at sea on a privateer, during the Rev- 
olution ; (g) A'Court ; (h) Anna. None of 
General Ashe's sons left issue. 

II. Governor Samuel Ashe, was born on the 
Cape Fear, 1725 ; educated at Harvard; studied 
law with his uncle, Samuel Swann; became an 
early, active and zealous adherent of the cause 
of the colonies ; appointed by the Provincial 
Congress, one of the Council of Thirteen to 
govern the State, before the adoption of the 
Constitution, and acted as its president ; Speaker 
of the Senate, 1777, and one of the three judges 
first chosen under the Constitution. He re- 
mained on the bench until 179S, when he was 
elected Governor, which office he filled three 
terms. He died in 18 13. He married, first, 
Mary, (daughter of John Porter who was one of 
the incorporators of the town of Wilmington, 
who when an infant in 171 1, was rescued by his 
mother, a daughter of Governor Lillington, 
from an Indian then in the act of dashing his 
brains out against the house), by whom he had 
(a) John Baptista, (b) Cincinnatus, and (c) 
Samuel. 

After the deatli of his first wife, he married 
Elizabeth Merrick, by whom he had several 
children, only one of whom, Thomas, arrived 
at maturity ; (a) Colonel John^ Baptista Ashe, 
just mentioned (also see page 204 ) served 
throughout the war of 1776, was Lieutenant 
Colonel of the North Carolina line; Speaker of 
the House 1785; Member of Continental Con- 
gress 1787 ; and of the United States Congress; 
elected Governor in 1802, he died however, be- 
fore qualifying. He married' Miss Montford, 
a sister of Mrs. Wilie Jones, whose famous 
repartee to Colonel Tarleton will long be re- 
membered. Their son Samuel Porter Ashe 
married Mary, a daughter of Colonel William 
Shepperd — issue, John B. and Stephen. 



(b) Cincinnatus was lost at sea in a privateer 
with his cousin William. 

(c) Samuel, born 1763, entered the army at 
the age of sixteen, captured at Charleston, with 
General Lincoln ; suffered terribly on prison- 
ship ; after exchange served with Lafayette and 
afterward with General Greene. He died in 
1835 ; he married Elizabeth, a daughter of Col- 
onel William Shepperd — issue, (a) Betsy, wife 
of Owen Holmes, (b) Mary Porter, wife of Dr. 
S. G. Moses of St. Louis, (c) John B., Member 
of Congress from Tennessee, who married Eliza 
Ha)- and moved to Texas, (d) William S. , born 
1813 — died 1862, Member of Congress, 1849-55 ; 
married Sarah Ann Green, and had Samuel 
A'Court (^Vrti'5 Ohscivcr, Raleigh), John Grange 
and others, (e) Thomas married Rosa Hill, (f ) Dr. 
Richard Porter of San Francisco, married Lina 
Loyall, (g) Susan, married to David Grove, 
(h) Sarah, married to Judge Samuel Hall of 
Georgia. 

Thomas (the son of Governor Samuel Ashe 
and his second wife, Elizabeth Merrick) married 
Sophia Davis and had issue : (i) Pascal Paoli, 
who married Elizabeth Strudwick, a daughter of 
Colonel W. F. Strudwick by Martha, the sister 
of Colonel William Shepperd, and had many 
descendants, among them Dr. William Cincin- 
natus Ashe of Alabama ; Hon. Thomas S. Ashe 
(see page 6) of the Supreme Court of the State, 
and Dr. Edmund F. Ashe of Wadesboro. (2) 
Richard, who married Anna Moore and left 
issue : Richard J. Ashe of California. (3) 
Thomas, who married Elizabeth, sister of Ad- 
miral Bell, United States Navy, who left issue 
resident in Alabama. 

HI. Mary, born 1723, married George Moore 
and left issue. 

General John Ashe (born 1720 — died i78i)son 
of John Baptista, and his wife, Fllizabeth Swann, 
was born at Gravely, Brunswick county, in 1720. 
His education was liberal and was, it is believed, 
finished at an ICnglish University.'-' 

■ .\ Memoir cf Clener.nl |ohn Ashe of the Revolution, by 
A. M. Hooper and GiifTithMcRec, Wilmg. 1S54. 



302 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



He entered public life in 1762, as a Member 
of the Colonial Assenably, and was chosen 
speaker of this body. 

His uncle, Samuel Swann, had filled this im- 
portant position for nearly twenty years, with 
great dignity. The speaker of the popular 
branch of the Assembly held a commanding po- 
sition, and was looked upon as the hereditary de- 
fender of the rights of the people. In this high 
place he in 1765 opposed the Stamp Act, and 
resisted its enforcement. He so informed Gov- 
ernor Tryon openly and fearlessly. As soon as 
Colonel Ashe was informed of the approach of 
the vessel containing the stamps, supported by 
the efforts of Colonel Waddell, he embodied a 
company of New Hanover militia, and prepared 
for an open conflict. 

When the Proclamation of the Governor, 
(issued January 6, 1765) announced the arrival 
of the stamps. Colonel Ashe demanded an in- 
terview with the Stamp Master (Houston) who 
was the guest of the Governor, which was re- 
fused. Ashe threatened to burn the house, and 
proceeded to execute the threat. The Governor 
yielded, and Houston was surrendered. He 
(Houston) was taken to the Market House and 
made to sign a written pledge "never to perform 
the duties of his office." 

In 1770-71 Colonel Ashe was again elected 
to the Lower House by the people. The trou- 
bles with the Regulators now commenced, and 
Colonel Ashe with Caswell, and others equally 
distinguished in after days in the cause of the 
people, felt it a duty to sustain the Government. 
These have been already alluded to. 

Colonel Ashe with his regiment was in the 
battle at Alamance, and demonstrated that he 
was not led by any factious opposition to the 
Governor, but stood prompt and willing to sus- 
tain the power of the Government. This may 
have been an error, but Colonel Ashe thought 
his course was in the line of duty. 

In 1773, he was elected to the Assembly, and 
was with John Harvey, Hcwes, Harnett, Howe, 



Johnston, and Vail, a committee of correspond- 
ence with the sister colonies, relative to the 
proceedings of the British Parliament, and in 
1774 he was with Caswell, Edwards, Harnett, 
Hewes, Howe, Allen Jones, and Samuel John- 
stone, a committee to reply to Governor Mar- 
tin's speech. 

This Assembly of March, 1774, was prorogued 
by the Governor to May 26, and dissolved on 
March 30, by Proclamation. Colonel Ashe and 
others entered an Association this year, by 
which they "bound themselves by every tie of 
religion, honor, and nature, to be ready to go 
forth and sacrifice their lives, and fortunes in 
resisting force by force, to secure the safety and 
freedom of their country. " 

When it was ascertained that the Governor 
(Martin) did not intend to call another assembly. 
Colonel Ashe with John Harvey, Wm. Hooper, 
Willie Jones, Samuel Johnston, and James Ire- 
dell, projected a Provincial Congress, causing 
delegates to be elected to meet at New Berne on 
August 25, 1774. 

The Governor issued a proclamation on Au- 
gust 15, 1774, "condemning all elections and 
assemblies of the people, and warning all offi- 
cers of the King to prevent such illegal meet- 
ings." 

The Provincial Congress did meet at the time 
and place designated. 

In 1775, Colonel Ashe was appointed on the 
Committee of Safety at Wilmington, and re- 
signed his commission as Colonel, which ht held 
under the Royal Government, and accepted the 
same rank by election by the people. This is 
the first instance of the acceptance of a military 
commission under the authority of the people. 

Apprehending that Martin meditated plans 
to extend the fortifications of Fort Johnson, on 
July 17, 1775, he attacked it with a force of 500 
men and reduced it to ashes. 

This overt act of violence was denounced by 
Governor Martin in a Proclamation of August 
8, 1775, " as a most treasonable outrage." In 



MOORl'. AND NI'IVV HANOVER COUNTIES. 



303 



the same proclamation, ho denounced the in- 
tended meeting of the Provincial Congress at 
Hillsboro, on August 20, 1775. 

The Provincial Congress held a second session 
at New Berne on April 4, 1775, in defiance of 
this proclamation, and proceeded to place the 
State under military organization. 

Colonel Ashe and his brother in-law, Colonel 
Moore, were rival candidates for the command 
of the 1st Regiment. To the command Colonel 
Moore was elected, with Francis Nash as Lieu- 
tenant Colonel and Thomas Clark as Major. 

Of the 2d Regiment, Robert Howe was elected 
Colonel, with Alexander Martin as Lieutenant 
Colonel, and John Patton as Major. 

With patriotism and unabated zeal. Colonel 
Ashe returned home and raised a regiment at 
his own expense, on a pledge of his estate. So 
enthusiastic was the feeling, that his recruits 
unhesitatingly received the promissory notes of 
Colonel Ashe in lieu of pay. 

This Congress (at Hillsboro, August 20, 1775) 
also substituted a form of civil rule (the Gov- 
ernor having fled) administered through 
L A Provincial Congress. 

n. District Committees of Safety. 

HL County and Town Committees. 

B\' the Provincial Congress that assembled at 
Halifax on April 4, 1776, Colonel Ashe was 
promoted to the rank of a Brigadier General, 
and took immediate command of the detach- 
ments ordered for General Moore. 

In 1779 he marched to the defense of Geor- 
gia, and took post at Briar Creek. Here, on 
March 3, 1779, he was surprised and defeated 
by a superior force of British Regulars. 

At the request of General Ashe, General 
Lincoln ordered a Court Martial to examine into 
this unhappy affair. 

The Court Martial decided that "General 
Ashe did not take all the necessary precautions 
which he ought to have d>ne, to secure his 
camp, and to obtain timely intelligence of the 
movements, and approach of the enemy. But 



they entirely acc^uit him of every imputation 
or a want of personal courage, and that he re- 
mained as long on the field, as prudence and 
duty required, "'■' 

In 1 78 1, General Ashe returned to his resi- 
dence at Rocky Point, broken down in body 
and mind, by misfortune and disease. Wilming- 
ton was at this time a British Post, commanded 
by Major Craig, (afterward Sir James Craig) and 
Ashe was obliged to conceal himself in the re- 
cesses of Burgaw Swamp,and only visit his family 
by stealth. 

He was betrayed to Major Craig by Manuel, 
his confidential servant. A party of Dragoons 
was sent to capture him. In his attempt to es- 
cape, he was shot in the leg, and captured. He 
was taken as a prisoner to Wilmington and finally 
paroled. He died October, 1781, at the house 
of Colonel John Sampson, in Sampson county, 
on his way to the back country where he was 
removing his family. 

General Ashe was five feet, ten inches in 
height, of olive complexion, brown hair, dark 
hazel eyes, aquiline nose; features clear and 
well defined, figure not large but rather slender, 
and graceful in his carriage. 

He married Rebecca, the daughter of General 
Maurice Moore, sister of General James and 
Judge Maurice Moore, by which union he had 
seven children, one of whom, Mary, married 
Mr. Alston of South Carolina, whose son Joseph 
was the Governor of South Carolina (18 12-14) 
and who married Theodosia, the only daughter 
of Aaron Burr. 

Another daughter of General Ashe, Elizabeth, 
married Hon. William H. Hill, who represented 
the Wilmington district in Congress, from 179910 
1803. He was the son of William Hill, the ancestor 
of the distinguished family of that name on the 
Cape Fear. William Hill, the father, was a 
native of Boston; a graduate of Harvard in 1756, 
came to North Carolina on account of his health 
and settled at Brunswick where he taught school. 

A full account of this Ceurt is to be found in Moultrie. 



304 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



He married Margaret, daughter of Nathaniel ble pen to preserve the memory of the services and 

Moore, and the grand-daughter of James Moore, talents of this distinguished man. 

Governor of the two Carolinas by the daughter His oldest son, Charles, was a genius in fun 

of Sir lohn Yeamans. His eldest son, John, and quite an amateur in the Drama. He gradu- 

was a Lieutenant at the battle of the Eutaw ated at the University in 1817, and studied law. 

Springs, and his son William the subject of this He possessed great vivacity, quick apprehension, 

sketch, was distinguished in public life. He fluent and eloquent. He was the President of 

studied law and was an eminent advocate. Wil- the Wilmington Branch Bank of the State, and 

liam had a fine voice, and was fluent, eloquent, was esteemed, useful and intelligent, of a genial 

and impressive. He was appointed by General temper and great hilarity. He bid fairto become an 

Washington, United States District Attorney able advocate and useful citizen, but his untimely 

for North Carohna; was in the Senate of the State death in 182 1, at the early age of 31, destroyed 

in 1794 and represented his district in Congress such hopes. His son, William Henry Wright, 

(6th and 7th) 1799 to 1S03. It was his for- of United States Army, whose early education 

tune to have served in Congress in troubled was conducted by Rev. Adam Empie (whose 

times. Party feeling ran high and bitter. The wife was Anne, the daughter of Judge Wright) 

election of President (in 1801) for the first time and by whom he was prepared for William and 

devolved on the House. William Hill voted Mary College, where he graduated with honor, 

with Dickson, Grove and Henderson for Burr, He studied law with his uncle, Joseph A. Hill. 



against Alston, Macon, Stanford, Stone, and 
Spaight for Jefferson. 

He was a decided Federalist. He married 
Elizabeth, daughter of General John Ashe. 
From this union sprung : 

1. William Henry Hill. 

2. Marry, who married Dr. James F. McRee, 
and had Griffith J. McRee and others. 

3. Julia, who married Dr. Ezekiel Hall, and 



He soon abandoned this study and was appointed 
a Cadet, at the United States Military Academy ; 
here he was diligent and studious, and after grad- 
uating was selected by Colonel Thayer as his 
assistant in the construction of F"ort Warren. 

In 1844, Lieutenant Wright published a 
' ' Treatise on Mortars. 

In November, 1S45 he obtained a furlough to 
visit Wilmington, where he was taken ill, and 



had Judge Samuel Hall, of Georgia, and others. died at the residence of his uncle Dr. J. F. 
4. Joseph Alston Hill, who died young, but McRee, on December 28, aged 31. 



not until he had developed talents of peculiar 
brilliancy. He was a member of the bar. In 
the Legislature 1826-27-30; born 1800 — died 
1830. 

5. Anna, one of the daughters of W. A. 
Hill, married Mr. Charles Wright, a son of 
Judge Joshua Granger Wright,* born 1768; in 



He married Eliza, daughter of J. R. London, 
Esq., by whom he had two children. 

William A. Wright, (born 1807— died Ma>', 
1878) third son of Judge Joshua G. Wright, 
was educated at the University, and graduated in 
1825 at the early age of 18. He studied law, to 
the faithful and laborious practice of which, he 



Legislature from 1792 to 1800: Speaker of devoted the energies of his life. Mr. Wright 

House 1800; elected Judge 1809; married Su- was the early and devoted advocate of Internal 

san Bradly ; died 18 1 1, leaving eight children. Improvements. He was one of the original 

It is to be regretted that more has not been corporators of the Wilmington and Raleigh, now 

recorded of Judge Wright, but the data given of the Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road — elected 

his public services will enable some more capa- g^ Director in 1836, and continued so until his 

*3ee Uni. Mag., May 1S53. II., 187. death. He married Ann Eliza, daughter of 



IMOORK AND NEW HANOVI-:!^ COUNTIES. 



305 



William Hill, who survi\-cs him, with two mar- 
ried daughters and a son. 

Governor Samuel Ashe, son of Joiin l^aptista 
A.shc, (born 1725 — died 1813) was educated at 
Harvard, and studied law. He, however, served 
throughout tiie Revolutionar}- War, in \arious 
ijiilitary and civil capacities. 

He was a Member of the Pro\incial Congress 
at H iilsboro, on August 21, 1775, and one of 
the council of thirteen to whom the government 
of common wealth was committed. He was also 
a member of the convention that met at Halifax, 
on April 4, 1776, and also of the same, in Novem- 
ber, 1776, which formed the State Constitution. 

In 1777 he was chosen one of the three Judges 
under the State Government, John Williams and 
Samuel Spencer, being the others, which he re- 
signed on being elected Governor of the State, 

1795- 

As a Judge he was firm, upright in character, 
clear-headed and progressive. In the case of Bay- 
ard and wife against Singleton, the idea was first 
enunciated by him that the courts had the power 
to pronounce a Statute of the Legislatiu'e uncon- 
stitutional. To those who had been trained to 
assertthe omnipotence of the British Parliament, 
this seemed little short of treason; but it is now 
settled law and considered as one of the bulwarks 
of liberty. 

He married first Mary Porter, and afterwards 
Mrs. Elizabeth Merrick, by whom he had 

Thomas, who married Davis — -whose son, 
Pascal Paoli was the father of Judge Thomas S. 
Ashe whose biography we have already gi\en. 

By his first wife he had 

I. John Baptista Ashe. 

II. Samuel, Hediedin 18 13, and was buried 
at the Neck Plantation, where many of the de- 
scendants of the name, now 

" Sleep the sleep that knows no waking.'' 

John Baptista Ashe (born 1748 — died 1795,) 
son of Governor Samuel Ashe, was distinguished 
as a soldier and a statesman. Early in the Revo- 
lution, he was appointed a captain in the 6th 



Regiment of Continental Troops (Colonel A. 
Lillington's). He had previously been under 
fire at Alamance in 1771, and was badly treated 
by the Regulators. I Ic was with General Greene 
at the hard fought battle of the Eutaws (Septem- 
ber 1 781). 

After the close of the war he was elected to 
that august body, the Continental Congress, in 
1787, and a member of the First Congress of the 
United States — 1789 to '91, and re-elected to the 
next Congress, 1791-93. 

During his career in the Continental and United 
States Congress he displayed the same imtiring 
opposition to sectional power, that had charac- 
terized the name of A.she. I'isher Ames of 
Massachusetts, was a Member of Congress with 
Ashe, and their views were antagonistic. One, 
intensely northern; the other, southern. On 
calling the roll, this became so noticeable that 
some one wrote — 

" Fisher Ames and others say Aye, 
John Baptista Ashe says Nay." 

In 1795, he was elected from Halifax to the 
Legislature, and b>- that bod\' elected Governor, 
but died before being inaugurated, leaving one 
son. 

Samuel Ashe, the son of Governor Samuel 
Ashe, (born 1763 — died 1835), was brave, mod- 
est, and unobtrusive. He early entered the 
army, and served to the close of the war. The 
following is copied from the records of the Pen- 
sion Bureau, which relates in a brief and modest 
manner his militar)' ser\-ice. 

Samuel Ashe, on June 10, 1828, filed an ap- 
plication under Act of 1822 and declared that he 
was an officer of the Continental Line of the 
Revolution as Lieutenant, and served as such 
to the end of the war, (sworn to before Thomas 
E. Da\is, Clerk of Coint of Pleas for New 
Hano\'er count)-, North Carolina.) 

A letter is on file with this application by Mr. 
Ashe, which states "he in the early part of 1779, 
being about seventeen )-ears of age, received a 
subaltern's commission in the 6th Regiment of 



3o6 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



North Carolina Line. He joined the North Caro- 
lina Line at Charleston, and by orders of Briga- 
dier General Hogan ; and he was appointed a 
Lieutenant in ist North Carolina Regiment, 
commanded by Colonel Thomas Clarke. At 
the surrender of Charleston on May 12, 1 780, 
he was taken prisoner at Haddull's Point, where 
he remained until Summer of I 78 I, when he was 
exchanged and sent under a flag to Jamestown, 
Virginia. There he joined the army under the 
Marquis De La Fayette. In August or Septem- 
ber, with certain North Carolina troops he joined 
the Army of the South under command of Gen- 
eral Greene, under whose command he continued 
until peace." 

He married Elizabeth Shepherd, by whom he 
had : 

I. John B. Ashe, who moved to Tennessee, 
and was a representative in Congress from that 
State in 1843-45. 

II. William Shepard Ashe, born 1S14; law}-er 
by profession, rice planter and farmer. 
Elected to State Senate in 1846-48, and elected 
Member of Congress (31st,) 1849, and re- 
elected to 32nd and 33rd, when he 
declined a re-election and in 1855 became Presi- 
dent of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, 
in which position he continued until his death. 
He was a man of indomitable energy, and perse- 
verance ; of irresistible personal popularity. As 
evidence of this he urged and procured the pas- 
sage of the North Carolina Railroad b)^ a Demo- 
cratic Legislature which was not favorable to 
such improvement. Another instance of his 
great influence over his associates and his mag- 
netic power in controlling men occurred in 1854, 
in procuring an appropriation of $150,000 for 
the Cape Fear River, from a Democratic Con- 
gress. Finding some of his Democratic friends 
decidedly against the work, he persuaded them 
to retire for awhile and they did so. Soon the 
House was without a qucirum, and it became 
necessary to go out to get a quorum, to take the 
vote, and they were called in. The bill passed. 



In the war (1861) he was of pronounced 
Southern feelings and was in charge of the trans- 
portation of the Confederacy with the rank of 
Major. 

He met a tragic death — returning from Wil- 
mington on a hand-car, on September 14, 1862, 
to his home, the mail triin near the bridge over 
the North I'^ast River, ran o\-er the hand-car, in- 
flicting such injuries on him that he died the next 
day. 

He married Sarah Green; and of a once large 
and happy family, only two now remain — Capt- 
tain Samuel A. Ashe of Raleigh, and Willie, his 
sifter. 

William Swann was the eldest son of Samuel 
Swann and his wife, Sarah, daughter of Governor 
William Drummond. This Samuel Swann was 
the first of the name in North Carolina. 

His grandfather, William, had been Collector 
of the Royal Customs in Virginia, and he held 
the same office at Edenton. 

Samuel was Speaker prior to 17 15. He had 
nine children by his first marriage two of these, 
William and Thomas, were Speakers of the 
Lower House. He was born May 11, 1653. 
He married a second time, Elizabeth, daughter 
of Major Alexander Lillington, and the widow of 
Colonel John-^ahdal. By this marriage he had 
Sarah, the wife of Frederrick Jones, 
Elizabeth, wife of John Baptista Ashe ; Samuel 
who was also Speaker, and the greatest man of 
the name, and Major John Swann. The second 
Samuel, born October 31, 1704, married and left 
three children. 

Edward Mosely married Anne Lillington, 
aunt of Samuel and John Swann, who was the 
widow of Henderson Walker. 

On July II, 1787 Samuel Swann fell in a duel 
with John Bradley. Moore's History Vol. I., 

William Hooper, who was one of the signers 
of the Declaration of Independence, (born 1 742 
— died 1790), was a resident of Wilmington. 
He was a native of Boston, the son of Rev. 



IMOORI'; AND Nl'.W IIANOVI-.R COUNTIKS. 



307 



William Hooper, a member of a Congregational 
church in Boston. He was liberally educated, 
and graduated at Cambridge 1760. He studied 
law, under James Otis, and settled about 1767 
in Wimington, to practice his profession. He 
soon became Jistinguished for eloquence, and 
learning. In the case of the heirs of Governor 
Dobbs, to recover a landed estate of Abner 
Nash who married the widow of Dobbs, he ex- 
hibited extraordinary power. In 177.3 he rep- 
resented the town, and in 1774 the county in 
the General Assembly. 

From 1773 to 1777, he was a Member of the 
Continental Congress, and during this period 
appended his name to the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence of July 4, 1776. 

On his return to private life, he resided at his 
seat at Masonboro Sound, about eight miles from 
Wilmington, but the occupation of that place 
by Major Craig, compelled him to seek safety in 
flight. 

-After the evacuation by the enem)- (in No 
vember 17^1) he returned and shortly afterward 
removed to Hillsboro. Hisdays were soured by 
political collisions, and the disgust he felt and 
expressed for some measures of legislation. He 
died at Hillsboro, October, 1790, leaving a widow 
{lice Clark, daughter of Thomas Clark of Boston) 
two sons and a daughter. One of his sons, 
William, was the father of the late Dr. William 
Hooper, Professor of Languages in the Univer- 
sity, the best prose writer of his day ; also of 
Thomas, a Lawyer, and of James, who was a 
merchant. 

An article in a Raleigh Journal, says that 
"there is a street called Blood worth, in that 
capital," and asks, "who was Blood worth ; for," 
it adds, "we never heard of this distinguished 
man." This proves the evanescence of all hu- 
man honors, and of popularity, and the impor- 
tance of preserving the names and fame of those 
who "have done the State some service." 

It is but little that we could gather, but that 
may be better than nothing. 



Ilewasa Member from New Hanover, in 1779, 
to 1794, with some intermissions. He was in 
the Continental Congress, 1786, and of the First 
Congress of the United States, 17S9 to '91, 
and a Senator in Congress from 1795 to 1801, 
and afterwards collector of customs at Wilming- 
ton. He died August 14, 18 14. 

When the question as to locating the seat of 
Government for the State, came up in the Gen- 
eral Assembly, and the contest was narrowed 
down to Fayetteville or Raleigh, it was by his 
vote the latter was selected ; by this act he sac- 
rificed his popularity. 

In gratitude to him, the Commissioners, who 
laid out the city of Raleigh, perpetuated his 
name by calling one of the streets after him. 

He was not higliK' educated, but like Judge 
Williams was a devoted patriot and of much 
usefulness in the State Councils. Few men of 
his day possessed broader views or a stronger 
will. He was intensely radical, almost a red 
Republican in his views and as intolerant of oppo- 
sition as was General Thomas Person. (Moore 
I. 246) 

Edward Jones (born 1763 — died 1842) was 
brother to William Todd Jones, the Irish patriot. 
Born near Belfast; a merchant; settled in Wil- 
mington, but failed as a merchant. He then 
studied law, and attained high distinction. His 
commanding talents, his genial manners, and 
benevolent temper rendered him a universal fa- 
vorite. He was elected a Member of the As- 
sembly from Wilmington, in 1788, and by re- 
peated elections to '91, when he was elected So- 
licitor General of the State. In this capacity 
Mr. Jones displayed great learning and talents. 
In prosecution of the great frauds in 1796, he 
completely eclipsed the pretentious Blake Baker, 
then the Attorney General. (Moore I. 13.) 

He died in Piltsboro, August 8, 1842. He 
was the friend and patron of Johnson Blakely, 
(born October 1781 — lost at sea 18 14) ; who was 
the son of an Irish emigrant; born at Seaford in the 
County Down, Ireland, in October, 1781. His 



W8 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



father came to Wilmington with his wife and 
two small children, and in a short time after his 
arrival, he died. Colonel Jones with the spon- 
taneous generosity of an Irishman, took charge 
of the boy, fed, clothed and educated him. He 
was sent to the University. He felt that this 
charge on his patron was not proper, and his 
friends procured for him, February 5, 1800, an 
appointment as Midshipman in the United States 
Navy. He sailed under Commodore Preble to 
the Mediterranean ; for his activity, assiduity, 
and exemplary conduct, he soon was promoted. 
In 18 14, he sailed from Portsmouth, New Hamp- 
shire, in command of "The Wasp," for the 
English coast; h^ encountered, on July 28, 
18 14, the sloop of war "Reindeer." An action 
ensued and the " Reindeer" was captured. Her 
Captain and First Lieutenant were killed, as also 
many of the crew. This won for Captain Blakely 
the applause of the nation and the thanks of the 
State. 

He fell in with the "Avon," in August fol- 
lowing, which ship, after a severe action, sur- 
rendered to Blakely. 

From the 1st to 15th August, Blakely took 
fifteen ships from the English. One of these, 
the "Atlanta," he placed under a Prize Master, 
and sent home with dispatches. This is the last 
authentic intelligence ever received from Cap- 
tain Blakely. 

His ship may have been sunk in a sea fight, 
or foundered. And so perished, at the early 
age of thirty three, this gallant officer. 

He married (December 1813) Jane, daughter 
of Mr. Hooper of New York ; left one daugh- 
ter, Udney. In December, 1816, the Legisla- 
ture adopted her as "the child of the State," 
and ordered that she be educated and maintained 
at the expense of North Carolina. 

The widow of Captain Blakely married a sec- 
ond time, Dr. Abbot of Santa Cruz, and 
removed to that place, taking the daughter with 
her. The daughter married in 1841, when 
about twenty-six yeais old and died in 1842, 



without issue. (Uni. Mag., February, 1850.) 
James Innes of Wilmington. Much interest is 
connected with this name, since from his will, duly 
proven in 1759 before Governor Dobbs, the 
"Innes Academy" had its origin. In April of 
that year, the Legislature passed an act incor- 
porating the Academy with Samuel Ashe, A. 
McLain, William Hill, and others as Trustees. 
Before the Academy building was completed a 
theatrical corps had been organized in Wilming- 
ton, and an arrangement was made between 
them and the trustees, that the lower part of 
the building should be fitted up and used ex- 
clusively as a Theatre. This arrangement was 
carried out, by a 'perpetual lease made to the 
"Thalian Association." 

The name of Colonel Innes is frequently met 
in the accounts of the State. He was born in 
Scotland, and lived at Point Pleasant, on the 
North East Branch of the Cape Fear River, 
about seven miles from Wilmington. He had 
been an officer of rank in the British Army, and 
was distinguished in the expedition against Car- 
thagena, in South America. He was consid- 
ered a man of mark and possessed of consider- 
able estate. 

When Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia, ap- 
plied to President Rowan, then acting Governor 
of North Carolina, for aid to check the French 
and Indians on the Ohio, Colonel Innes marched 
at the head of the North Carolina troops to 
Winchester, Virginia. This was in 1754. 
Washington Irving, in "Life of Washington," 
gives an account of this campaign, and states 
that "the North Carolina troops rendered no 
service." 

The Legislature ofNorth Carolina voted sixty 
thousand dollars for subsistence of the forces 
under Colonel Innes, but this was soon exhausted 
and such was the feeling at Williamsburg that 
not a dollar was voted to retain the force sent 
to defend them. The North Carolina troops had 
to return to prevent starvation. Col. Innes 
was appointed Commander in-Chiel of the entire 



MOORE AND NEW HANOVER COUNTIES. 



309 



forces by Gov. Uinwiddie, of Virginia, and re- 
tained this position until the arrival of Gov. 
Braddock in 1755. He died shortly afterwards 
at Winchester, Virginia. 

We further discover that after the death of 
Colonel Innes, his widow, Jean, married Fran- 
cis Corbyn, Lord Granville's agent, who lived 
below Edenton, and who was seized in 1759. by 
the people, taken to Enfield, compelled to give 
bond to produce his books, and disgorge his 
illegal fees. 

Further research of some patient investigator 
of history may discern more of the life and ser- 
vices of Colonel Innes, which, as he was one of 
the early settlers of the Cape Fear, would be of 
great interest. 
y Genealogy of the Davis Family. 

Four brothers, Jehu, John, William, and 
Roger Davis emigrated from South Carolina, to 
the Cape Fear about 1723. 

I. Jehu Davis, married Miss Assup, an Irish 
lady and had issue — four children : (i) Jehu ; (2) 
Thomas ; (3) Ann, and another daughter. 

(i) Jehu Davis (son of Jehu the elder) mar- 
ried Elizabeth Eagles and had issue two daugh- 
ters: (a) Jane, and (b) Elizabeth. 

(a) Jane married John Pugh Williams and had 
issue: (i) Rebecca, who married Alfred Moore 
(son of Judge Alfred Moore) and had issue : 
Susan, who married Hugh Waddell, and Eliza- 
beth who married Francis N. Waddell. 

(2) Elizabeth E. who married John Haywood 
(Treasurer of North Carolina) and had issue : 
Fabius J., Elizabeth Rebecca, Francis, and E. 
Burke. 

(3) Mrs. Hall, who had issue, Mildred who 
married Alfred Waddell. 

(b) Elizabeth married Maurice Jones, and had 
issue: (i) Margaret, who married Richard Ea- 
gles, and had issue: Richard W. Eagles; Nancy, 
who married Jacob Brewster ; and Margaret, who 
married John Brewster ; (2) Sarah Jones, who 
married Dr. Nath. Hill, (his second wife) and 
had issue: Nath. M. Hill. 



(2) Thomas Davis (son of Jehu the elder) 
married Mary Moore, daughter of George 
Moore (who was the son of " Old King Roger 
Moore," the "chief gentleman in all Cape 
Fear," and grandson of the first (iovernor James 
Moore of South Carolina) and had issue: (i) Jehu, 
(2) George, (3) Rebecca, (4) Sophia, (5) Jane, (6) 
Ann, and (7) Thomas F. Davis. 

(i) Jehu married Jane Quince and had issue : 
Thomas I. Davis (who married Mary Elizabeth 
Watters,and had William W. and Fred S. Davis, 
Mary Quince, Annie W. Miller, Rebecca, Jane, 
Sallie, Kate, and Julia Davis) and Mary Davis 
who married John Poisson and had issue : Jehu 
D. and Louis J. Poisson. 

(2) George, married Mildred Watters, no 
issue. 

(3) Rebecca married James Moore (son of 
General James Moore) and had issue : Junius A. 
who married Eliza Clitheral, and Sophia mar- 
ried Samuel Strudwick. 

(4) Sophia married Thomas Ashe (son of 
Governor Samuel Ashe) and had issue: Thomas 
Ashe, Richard Ashe, and Pascal Paoli Ashe 
(father of Hon. Thomas S. Ashe, Justice Su- 
preme Court of North Carolina ; Cincinnatus, 
Edmunds and others). 

(5) Jane married Dr. Nath. Hill (his first wife) 
and had issue (i) Mary, who married John A. 
Lillington, and had John A., Margaret H., 
Mary and Sarah Jane; (2) Jane, who married 
Parker Quince ; (3) Sarah, who married Lewis 
Toomer ; (4) Margaret married, first, Evan 
Jones; second, Dr. Jas. Henderson. 

(6) Ann Davis married Richard Quince and 
had issue : Nancy, died unmarried. 

(7) Thomas F. Davis married, first, Sarah 
Isabella Eagles, and had issue: (a) Thomas F. 
Davis (Bishop of South Carolina), (b) Junius 
Davis, (c) Eliza, (d) George and (e) Joseph; 
married, second, Anna Cutlar and had issue: 
Horatio Davis. 

(a) Thomas F. Davis (Bishop of South Caro- 
lina) married, first, Elizabeth Fleming and had 



3IO 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



issue: Thomas F., who married Mary McCaa ; 
married, second, Ann Moore and had issue: (i) 
Ann F.., (2) Sallie married John S. Porcher, (3) 
James M. married Miss De Saussure, (4) John, 
(5) Bruce married Miss Reynolds, (6) Junius 
married Sallie De Saussure. 

(b) Junius married Ann Swann and had issue : 
George, Josephine, Annie. 

(c) Eliza married Dr. Louis J. Poisson and 
had issue: (1) Frederick D. who married Luc\- 
Anna Cutlar, (2) Marianna married Du Brutz 
Cutlar. 

(d) George Davis (Senator and afterward At- 
.torney General C. S. A) married, first, Mary A. 
Polk (daughter of General Thomas G. Polk) 
and had'issue : Junius, Mary E., Emily P. mar- 
ried John E. Crow, Louis P., Isabel E. married 
S. P. Shotter, Meeta A. married, George 
Rountree ; second, Monimia Fairfa.x, and had 
issue : Mary F. and Monimia C. 

(3) Ann Davis (daughter of Jehu the elder) 
married Richard Quince. 

II. John Davis (brother of Jehu the elder) 
married a daughter of John Moore (son of James) 
and had issue: Jessie, who married, first. Gov- 
ernor Dobbs, and second. Governor Abner 
Nash. 

III. Roger Davis (brother of Jehu the elder) 
married a daughter of Nathaniel Moore (brother 
of "Old King Roger" Moorf) and had issue: 
John (who married Harriet Ashe), William and 
Roger. 

Bishop Thomas Frederick Davis (born 1804 — 
died 1871) was a native of Wilmington ; he was 
carefull) educated and graduated at the Uni- 
versity in 1822, in same class with Lucius Polk, 
Gov. A. Rencher and others. He studied law, 
and practiced for a time with success. But his 
tastes and feelings led him to advocate higher 
and more important interests than those of a 
worldly chaiacter; he relinquished the bar to 
take Holy orders. He was most acceptable as 
a teacher of religion, and his public utterances 
were marked with sincere piety and glowing 



eloquence. He was chosen Bishop of South 
Carolina and consecrated in 1853, in New York, 
and for nearly a quarter of a century adminis- 
tered to his loving congregations in holy things. 
Physical infirmity (the loss of eyesight) clouded 
the later days of hislife. He died in December 
1 87 1, leaving the church, his country and his 
family, to mourn his loss. 

His brother, Hon. George Davis, (born March, 
1820) now resides in Wilmington. His early 
education was conducted by W. H. Harden and 
completed at the University, where he gradu- 
ated in 1838; he studied law and was admitted 
to the bar, in 1841, of which he is at this time, 
" a well deserving pillar," and stands in the 
front ranks of the profession. His efforts as an 
Essayist and Lecturer, have been most success- 
ful. His address at the University in 1835* 
and recently " An Episode on Cape Fear His- 
tory," display his accuracy as a historian, and 
his style as a writer. 

He was a delegate to the Peace Congress at 
Washington in 1861, to devise some plan by 
which the evils of civil war might be averted. 
With such able coadjutors as Barringer, More- 
head, Reed and Ruffin, Mr. Davis might well 
have hoped for an honorable peace. But all 
was in vain and his counsel was unheeded. 

He was elected a Senator from North Caro- 
lina, in 1862, to the Confederate Congress; in 
1S64, was succeeded by Hon William A. Gra- 
ham. He was then appointed Attorney Gen- 
eral of the Confederate States, which he held 
until the war closed. Since that time, he has 
devoted himself to his profession, with an assi- 
duity that nothing can divert. 

?^Ir. Davis has been twice married; first, to 
Mary, the daughter of the late General Thomas 
G. Polk, and secondly to Miss Fairfa.x, daugh- 
ter of Dr. Orlando Fairf.i.K of Richmond, Vir- 
ginia. 

Hugh Waddell (born 1799— died 1878; re- 

Soutli .\llanlic. — Mis. Ciccio W. Hauls, January 1879 
—245. 



MOORI-: AND NKVV HANOVER COUNTIKS. 



3" 



sided at the time of liis deatii in Wilmington; 
he was born at Newfield, his father's plantation 
in Bladen county, on March 21, 1799. He was 
the grandson of General Hugh Waddell, of the 
Regulation War, as also of General PVancis 
Nash, who fell in battle, at Germantown, Octo- 
ber 4, 1777. 

Our annals do not present any name of a 
more illustrious ancestry. His father, John 
Waddell who married ]\Iiss Nash, spared no 
pains to prepare his promising son for the great 
battle of life. He graduated at the University, 
(18 1 8) in the same class with James K. Polk, 
Bishop Greene of Mississippi, Dr. R. H. Mor- 
rison, General Thomas J. Green, Hamilton C. 
Jones, and others. He, forawhile, studied medi- 
cine but abandoned it for the law, of which pro- 
fession he became a distinguished member. 

He settled in Hillsboro, and there spent a 
long and laborious life. He went, after the war, 
to Wilmington and there remained with his son, 
Hon. A. M. Waddell, until his death. 

He was fond of public life and was a favorite 
with the people. He represented Orange county 
in 1828 in the Commons, and in 1844, and '46 
in the Senate, of which he was, in 1836-37 the 
Speaker. He was a gifted debater, a warm par- 
tisan (for he lived in party times) ; and very 
decided in his views. In private life he was 
genial, generous and gentle. 

He died at W'ilmington on Saturday, Novem- 
ber 2, 1878. He was the third of five brothers 
of whom three survived him : Maurice O. Wad- 
dell of Chatham county; Francis N. Waddell of 
Orange, and Alfred M. Waddell of Louisiana. 

His sons are Dr. Douglas Waddell of Chat- 
ham ; Hon. Alfred M. Waddell; Hugh Waddell 
now of Washington, and Cameron Waddell of 
Marion, South Carolina. 

Alfred M. Waddell, son of Hugh W^addell, of 
whom we have just given a brief sketch, was 
born in Hillsboro, September 16, 1834. His 
education was conducted at Bingham's school, 
the Caldwell Institute at Hillsboro, and at the 



Universit}', where he graduated in ICS53. He 
studied Law ; was Clerk of the Court of Equity 
for New Hanover county; delegate in i860 to 
the National Convention which nominated John 
Bell for President, and Edward Everett for Vice 
President of the United States ; Editor of the 
W'ilmington "Daily Ihia/ii" for one year, 
1S60 ; served in the Confederate Army as Lieu- 
tenant Colonel of Cavalry; elected to Congress, 
(42nd, '43rd, 44th) 1871-79, and served 
as Chairman, in the latter Congress, of the 
Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, 
the duties of which he discharged with singular 
ability, and unspotted integrity. He was a 
candidatefor the 46th Congress, but from over- 
confidence on the part of his friends in his suc- 
cess, and unusual zeal on the part of the oppo- 
sition, he was defeated by Daniel L. Russell. 

Colonel Waddell, however, possesses quali- 
ties that well fit him for public stations ; scrupu- 
lous integrity, high qualifications and laborious 
habits, combined with an amiable disposition 
and an accommodating temper. He has been 
twice married and has an interesting family. 

Owen Holmes (born 1796 — died 1841) was 
distinguished as a lawyer and statesman ; he was 
Elector for President in 1826 and voted for Van 
Buren. He was elected one of the Judges of 
the Superior Courts in 1836, by the Legislature, 
which elevated position he declined to accept. 
He died at Wilmington, June 1841, of appo- 
ple.xy. 

John Cowan was the eldest son of Colonel 
Thomas Cowan, one of the old settlers of Wil- 
mington. He began life as a merchant, but soon 
abandoned this to accept the position of Cashier 
of the Wilmington Branch of the State Bank, 
which position he held at the time of his death, 
being then but thirty-five. He was much es- 
teemed for his amiable qualities, his courtly man- 
ners, and his admirable business talents. 

Edward B. Dudley long resided in Wilming- 
ton, but he was a native of Onslow county, 
where his father was a wealthy planter. In spite 



312 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



of the defects of his early education, by his en- 
terprise and force of character, he arose to high 
distinction. He entered public life as a Member 
of Legislature from his native county, Onslow, 
in 1811-13; he then moved to Wilmington, 
and was elected from the town in 18 16- 17 and 
again in 1834. He was the last representative 
from this ancient town, for the Convention of 
1835 abolished the borough representations. 

His course was distinguished in the public 
coucils as one devoted to the cause of the inter- 
nal improvement of the State ; he was liberal and 
patriotic; he subscribed $25,000 to construct the 
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, and became 
its first President. 

In 1829, he was elected a Member of the 
twenty-first Congress ; after one Congress he de- 
clined a re-election, for the reason, as he stated 
himself, that Congress was no place for an honest 
man. 

The amended constitution of 1835, gave the 
election of the Governor, to the vote of the peo- 
ple ; and without any action or solicitation on 
his part, he was nominated and elected the first 
Governor of North Carolina elected by the peo- 
ple. At the expiration of the second term. 
Governor Dudley retired from public life, and 
returned to his home in Wilmington, where he 
died, October 30, 1855. 

Governor Dudley was in person of the first 
type of our race ; of large, commanding presence ; 
of genial manners and pleasant address. He 
was a statesman of enlarged and liberal views, of 
generous impulses, and of unspotted integrity; 
true to party and friends, in which his zeal 
at times carried him beyond the bounds of pru- 
dence ; his speeches and addresses evince no 
superior ability, but are marked by good sense 
and patriotism ; his ample fortune enabled him 
to give expression to the generosity of his na- 
ture — he was a charitable and obliging neighbor; 
a devoted husband, an indulgent father, and a 
sincere friend. 

He married Elizabeth, the daughter of Wil- 



liam H. Haywood, of Raleigh ; the sister of 
William H. Haywood, Jr., Senator in Congress 
(1843-46) and sister of the wife of Governor 
Charles Manly, by whom he had several children, 
among them : 
I. Christopher. 
II. Eliza, married Purnell. 

III. William H., married Baker. 

IV. Margaret, married Mcllhenny. 
V. Jane, married Johnson. 

Rev. Adam Empie, who lived and died in 
Wilmington, was Rector of the Parish of St. 
James, for a long time discharging his sacred 
duty with great fidelity. He married a daughter 
of Judge Wright. 

On his election to the Presidency of William 
and Mary College in Virginia, in 1827, he re- 
moved to Williamsburg with his family; he 
resigned this position in 1835, and accepted the 
Rectorship of St. James Church in Richmond, 
which had been built expressly for him, and 
named in compliment of his old parish in Wil- 
mington, and here he officiated, until increasing 
years and declining health compelled his resigna- 
tion. He then returned to the scene of his early 
labors to die among the people with whom he 
had passed so many years, having finished his 
course on earth he calmly passed away ; leaving 
behind him a record of a well spent life. 

Rt. Rev. William M. Green resided for a long 
time in Wilmington. 

' ' The venerable Bishop of Mississippi is still 
living ; distinguished for his wisdom, the kindness 
of his nature, the earnestness of his piety, and 
the almost saintly purity of his life. The soldier 
of the Cross from early manhood, he has ever 
walked in an atmosphere of love ; lavishing upon 
all around him the bounties of his goodness, and 
the warmth of his affections. Holding the most 
e.xalted position in the Church, he is always the 
devoted, unaffected, humble man of God — so 
gentle, yet so wise; so loving, yet so firm ; so 
modest, yet so influential, long may he be spared 
to the people of his diocese, his hosts of friends, 



MOOR]': AND NEW IIANOVKR COUNTIES. 



313 



and to the cliurch of which he is an honored 
ruler. 

" He graduated at the Univcrsit}- in iSiS, and 
for a time was a professor in tlie Institution." 
North Carohna was early the scene of evan- 
gelization on the part of the Episcopal Church. 
As early as August 13, 1587, at Raleigh's 
Colony, on Roanoke Island, the chieftain, Man- 
tec, was admitted into the "fellowship of 
Christ's flock " by holy baptism, (Ander- 
son's Colonial Church, I., 75,) and five days 
after that event Hakluyt (III. 341) gravely in- 
forms us that "Eleanor, daughter of the Gov- 
ernor, and wife of Ananias Dare, one of the 
assistants, was delivered of a daughter in Roan- 
oke and the same was christened the Sunday 
following, and because this child was the first 
Christian borne in Virginia she was named Vir- 
ginia Dare." And so around Roanoke Island as 
a nucleus is formed the County of Dare, and its 
county seat is named Manteo . Although this 
settlement so soon passed away and the success, 
ful colonization of this portion of the State was 
left for other days and less pious hands, still the 
churches, as the minutes of the General Con. 
vention show, attained no little strength in 
North Carolina prior to the Revolutionary war. 
After the Revolutionary war the affairs of the 
church were naturally at their lowest ebb. 

Erom 18 1 7 to 1823 Bishop Richard Channing 
Moore, of Virginia, was in charge of the Epis- 
copal churches of North Carolina; until at a 
convention in 1794, held at Tarboro, the Rev- 
erend Charles Pettigrew was elected Bishop, 
(see the sketch of this prelate under head of 
Tyrrell County,) and the convention applied for 
his consecration. Bishop White in his memoirs 
(p. 172) states that Mr. Pettigrew set off to at- 
tend the Convention, but was unable to reach 
Philadelphia in time, abandoned his efforts and 
soon afterward died. From 1794 to 18 17 all 
was dreary ; then the coming of Reverend Adam 
Empie and Reverend Bethel Judd, the one at 
Wilmington and the other at Fayetteville, laid 



the foundation of the restoration of the ICpisco- 
pal Church in North Carolina. In May 22, 
1823, John Stark Ravenscroft, D. D., (see his 
sketch under head of Wake County,) was conse- 
crated Bishop of the diocese; he died in 1830. 
On September 23, 1831, Levi Silliman Ives, 
D. D., was consecrated, (see his sketch under 
head of JVa/cc County,) but on his defection 
was deposed October 11, 1853, when the Right 
Reverend Thomas Atkinson, D. D. , LL. D., 
assumed the Episcopal chair to which he was 
consecrated October 17, 1853. 

KIGHT REVERNED THOMAS ATKINSON, D. U. , LL. D. 

There have been more brilliant men in public 
service — men of more marked characteristics 
who have stamped their individuality upon the 
age in which they lived, and men of more extra- 
ordinary genius, but it is seldom that a character 
is found so complete, so harmonious, so evenly 
balanced and so thoroughly rounded in all of its 
proportions, so symmetrical and beautiful in the 
essentials of a godlike man as that of the late 
venerated Bishop of North Carolina, Thomas 
Atkinson, D. D., LL. D. 

The influence for good of such a character 
and of such a life as his cannot be over-esti- 
mated. As the refreshing dew falls alike upon 
the delicate plant and the coarser fibre of the 
weed, causing each to bloom and blossom, so 
does such a life shed its influences around. The 
mere man of the world, and even the thought- 
less and the dissolute could not but feel their 
better nature stirred within them by the force of 
such an example and the beauty of such a life. 
We cannot contemplate too frequently such a 
character, and we should be thankful that there 
is virtue enough still left among men to enable 
them to recognize the embodiment of so much 
goodness in human nature. Though dead, he 
yet speaks to us by his e.xample — an e.xample 
of such holiness of life that it should excite us 
who still survive, to strive earnestly to imitate it. 

It has been thought that a brief sketch of this 
distinguished divine could not fail to be of inter 



314 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



est, and not inappropriate to the Reminiscences. 

The grandfather of Bishop Atkinson was the 
son of a clergyman of the Church of luigland. 
He was himself born, baptized and brought up 
in the church, and never belonged to any other 
religious body. He came to this country in 
early youth, and after his marriage to IVIis.s 
Pleasants, of Curls Neck, on the James River, 
Va., settled near Petersburg, in Diiiwiddie 
County, on a farm known as IVIansfield, named 
after tlie great Elnglish jurist, Lord Mansfield. 
The Bishop's parents were Robert and Mary 
Tabb Atkinson, who inherited the family seat 
Mansfield, and to them eleven children were 
born. Thomas, the subject of this sketch, being 
the sixth in order, was born on August 6, 1807. 
Upon reaching the age of sixteen he was sent to 
Yale College, but remained there not quite a 
year, owing to a difficulty in which he became 
involved with the faculty and which was strik- 
ingly illustrative of his character even at that 
early age. 

Some of his college companions, in the exu- 
berance of youth and without the least malice 
aforethought, indulged on one occasion a little 
too freely in the juice of the grape, and became 
boisterously mischievous, not maliciously so, 
but recklessly as boys frequently are even in the 
absence of any stimulant. Young Atkinson was 
not one of the rioters nor was he connected in 
any way with the frolic, but knew all the parties 
who were engaged in it. He was summoned 
before the faculty and called upon to disclose 
their names. This he respectfully but firmly 
refused to do, stating that he was incapable of 
acting the part of a spy or informer. He was 
then told that his refusal would result in his ex- 
pulsion from college. They little understood 
the character of the youth who stood before 
them when they supposed that a threat, or a 
fear of punishment would cause him to do that 
which his high-toned sense of honor forbade, 
and he was consequently dismissed and returned 
to his home. His conduct in that matter 



met the entire approval of his parents, and 
but a few years before his death it happened 
that on one occasion, in the freedom of social 
intercourse while narrating some incidents of his 
early life he referred to that episode, quietly re- 
marking in connection with it that he had never 
felt any regret for the course he pursued. 

In 1825 he entered Hampdcn-Sidney College, 
Va. , joining the junior class, and graduated at 
nineteen years of age with distinction in a class 
that numbered among its members the eloquent 
John S. Preston and Wm. Ballard Preston, the 
latter Secretary of the Navy during the admin- 
istration of General Taylor. He married in 
1828 Josepha G., a daughter of John and Jane 
Wilder, of Petersburg, and she and his immedi- 
ate family, two sons and a daughter, still survive 
him. 

About the time of his marriage he was licensed 
to the bar and practiced his profession with 
great success, and would, without doubt, have 
risen to distinction as a jurist, had it not pleased 
God to call him to a different sphere of action. 
November 18, 1836, he was admitted into the 
order of Deacons in the Protestant Episcopal 
Church by the Right Reverend William Meade, 
Bishop of Virginia. He entered immediately 
upon the duties of his sacred office in the city of 
Norfolk, first as assistant to Rev. Dr. Parks, then 
minister of Christ Church. Within a year after 
his ordination to the Deaconate he was elevated 
to the Priesthood by the Right Rev. R. Channing 
Moore, D. D., and accepted a call to St. Paul's 
Church, Norfolk, May 7, 1837, where he re- 
mained about twelve months. He then removed 
to Lynchburg in the latter part of the year 
1838. Here he labored with great acceptability 
as rector of the parish of St. Paul's until 1843, 
when he was called to Baltimore to succeed the 
Rev. Dr. Henshaw, in the rectorship of St. 
Peter's Church in that city. Dr. Henshaw having 
been elected Bishop of Rhode Island. 

His abilities were at once recognized, and such 
was the rerard felt for him that Grace Church 



MOORK AND NEW HANOVER COUNTIES. 



315 



was built for him and he was made its rector 
in 1852. His connection with that parish was of 
short duration, however, for in 1S53 the Diocese 
of North CaroHna called upon him to be its 
Bishop. He accepted the call October 17th, and 
was consecrated the same year in St. John's 
Chapel, in the city of New York, at the same 
time with the Rev. Thomas E. Davis, D. D., 
a native of Wilmington, N. C, who had been 
elected Bishop of South Carolina. Bishop 
Brownell, of Connecticut, presiding, assisted by 
Bishops Mcllvaine, of Ohio; Doane, of New 
Jersey; McCoskry, of Michigan, and Otey, of 
Tennessee. On that occasion the lines of En- 
glish and American succession were reunited, 
Bishop Spencer, of Madras, and Bishop Med- 
ley, of Eredericton, taking part in the act of 
consecration. After his consecration he resided 
in Raleigh for a short time and then took up his 
abode in Wilmington, wliich city continued to 
be his home until his death on January 4, 1881. 
He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity 
from Trinity College, Hartford, 1846, and that 
LL D. from the University of North Carolina, 
1862, and also from the University of Cam- 
bridge, England, 1867. 

Bishop Atkinson assumed charge of the Dio- 
cese of North Carolina at a very trying time in 
its history. Bishop Ives, the successor of the 
great Ravenscroft, had abandoned his charge 
and had joined the Roman Catholic commun- 
ion. There was great anxiety throughout the 
Diocese as to the effect upon the Church in North 
Carolina of the defection of their chief pastor 
and it was feared that he who should be called 
to that high office would meet with more than 
ordinary difficulty in calming the troubled waters 
and bringing order out of chaos. It required 
administrative ability of a high order, firmness 
without obstinacy, self reliance and fearlessness 
in the discharge of duty, a personal magnetism 
and a character unimpeached and unimpeacha- 
ble. Dr. Atkinson upon whom the choice fell 
was personally known to but few in the Diocese. 



The hand of God was evident in the selection, 
for under his wise administration, dissensions 
ceased, confidence was restored and the Diocese 
remained true to the teachings of the uncom- 
promising Ravenscroft and to the "faith once 
delivered to the saints." 

Bishop Atkinson was a singularly prospered 
man in every way, a fact brought prominently 
forward by Bishop Lay of Easton, in his admi- 
rable memorial sermon before the Diocesan con- 
vention at Raleigh in May 1881, a discourse 
from which most has been drawn in the prepra- 
tion of this article. Said he, "I would set in 
the forefront of this discourse the expression of 
our devout gratitude to Almighty God for the 
tenderness of his life long dealings with Thomas 
Atkinson, late 15ishop of North Carolina. Few 
lives have ever been so even and prosperous, so 
laden with substantial blessings, so shielded from 
calamnity. " Though never a wealthy man, the 
Bishop had enough for the gratification of his 
tastes, enough to enable him to practice a liber- 
al hospitality and to avoid debt which he would 
never incur, for he would not owe any man any- 
thing but love ; enough to aid a friend and to 
assist the needy, and hie charity was large. In 
his domestic relations he was peculiarly blest. 
He had fifty three years of wedded happiness 
and children were born unto him and yet, dur- 
ing all that time there was never a death in his 
immediate family. Surely God blessed Thomas 
Atkinson. 

In his personal endowments also he was 
greatly favored. It is told of the late Bishop 
I'Llliott of Georgia, who was one of nature's no- 
blemen in every way, that once at a country tav- 
ern where he had stopped for the night, a poor 
inebriate was recklessly bantering the bystanders 
when his attention was arrested by the appear- 
ance of the stately Bishop. Awed and sobered 
for the moment by his commanding look and 
towering form he turned to him and exclaimed 
"who are you; are you a Judge, a member of 
Congress or Governor of the State? Well, if 



316 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



you aint any of these you ought to be." Very 
similar to the feehng expressed by that poor 
creature towards Bishop Elliott, was that felt in 
the presence of Bishop Atkinson. He was em- 
inently dignified and commanding, yet cour- 
teous and affable in manner, with a sensitive de- 
ference for the opinions and feelings of others, 
yet with a full and steady reliance upon himself. 
He would attract attention in any assembly and 
would be at once recognized as a leader of men. 
As he passed along the crowded thoroughfares, 
men would involuntarily turn to gaze upon so 
noble a specimen of manly dignity. He was 
intensely intellectual yet keenly alive to all the 
kindly impulses and more gentle virtues of our 
nature, a truly great man and remarkable in 
this, that in whatever circle he moved whether 
in the church, in society, or in the ordinary du- 
ties of life he exercised a mighty influence for 
good. His example was the refle.x of the pre- 
cepts he inculcated. He was a devout lover of 
the truth for the truth's sake, had no conceal- 
ments but was open as the day, was true to his 
convictions, to his friends and kinsfolk, and 
above all, to his God. While gentle unto all 
men, he was never pliant; ruling his Diocese 
with firmness, yet with mildness, and temper- 
ing justice with the benign influences of mercy; 
though a leader of the hosts of God, yet child- 
like in submission to the will of his heavenly 
Father; kindly in his nature, warm in his affec- 
tions, active in good works. 

His mind was more massive than brilliant or 
imaginative and its operations were marked with 
a degree of intellectual energy which ever com- 
manded attention. As a pulpit orator he was 
distinguished for keen powers of analysis, sound 
logic and effective reasoning. His style was 
chaste, not florid, and more conversational than 
declamotory, not disdaining ornament but using 
it simply by way of illustration, and yet his ora- 
tory was often fervid. But his great power lay 
in the faculty he possessed of impressing all who 
heard him, with his sincereity, no one could 



doubt it, and this had an overpowering influence 
upon all with whom he came in contact. He 
was strong in debate, a close reasoner and if the 
premises he laid down were admittted, there 
was no escape from his conclusions. He had 
naturally, a clear insight into character, was a 
searching preacher and could track sin through 
all its hidden ways with unerring skill and so 
God blessed his work and the labor of his 
hands. 

In the House of Bishops his influence was 
very great and we have been told that he never 
rose to speak without commanding the atten- 
tion of the members. This influence was shown 
in a marked manner in the General Convention 
of the Church held at Philadelphia in 1865, im- 
mediately after the close of the war. Bishops 
Atkinson and Lay thinking that no time should 
be lost after the fall of the Confederacy in seek- 
ing a resumption of our organic relations with 
the portion of the church from which we had 
been separated, attended that convention not 
knowing how they would be received. We 
again quote from the memorial sermon, already 
referred to; says Bishop Lay: 

"We came into a community exultant with 
victory and enthusiastic in loj-alty, disposed to 
take for granted that to return, was to ask 
forgiveness. To the tact, the gentleness, the 
manly out-spokenness of Bishop Atkinson the 
Church is indebted for the favorable result of 
this venture. After considerable discussion the 
matter was referred to a committee consisting 
of the five senior Bishops. After two days this 
committee reported a preamble and resolutions. 
In these we could not possibly concur. All 
eyes were upon Bishop,Atkinson as he answer- 
ed the appeal made to him. He knew that he 
had that to say which must needs be distastful 
to men full of exultation at the Southern down- 
fall. With no diffidence and with no temper, 
rather with the frankness of a child uttering his 
thoughts, he opened all his mind. We are asked, 
said he, to unite with you in returning thanks 



MOORE AND NEW HANOVER COUNTIES. 



317 



for the restoration of peace and unit)-. The for- 
mer we can say, the latter we cannot saj'. W'c 
are thankful for the restoration of peace, but we 
are not thankful for the unity described in the 
resolution, n-establisliing tJic autlwrity of tlic Nat- 
tional Goverivnent over all tlic land. We acqui- 
esce in that result, we will accommodate our 
selves to it and will do our duty as citizens of the 
common government, but we cannot say that we 
are thankful. We labored and prayed for a very 
different termination, and if it had seemed good 
to our Heavenly Father would have been vciy 
thankful for the war to result othoiuisc than it 
has resulted. I am willing to say that I am 
thankful for the restoration o^ peace to the coun- 
try, and unity to the Church. His language 
'in consideration of the return of peace to the 
country and unit}' to the Church,' was adopted 
by a vote of sixteen to seven, the Southern 
Bishops being excused from voting. Thus by 
his promptitude, by the frankness with which 
he met the immediate issues, by his calm de- 
termination to allow no censure to be cast upon 
those with whom he had been associated, he se- 
cured a speedy adjustment of all possible differ- 
ences and promoted no little the spirit of tolera- 
tion and kindness." 

The Diocesan Convention of North Carolina, 
which was appointed to be held at Raleigh on 
the second Wednesday in May, 1865, did not 
assemble in that city until the 13th of Septem- 
ber, having been postponed by the Bishop until 
that time. 

Every delegate to that Convention, will remem- 
ber that period of doubt and anxiety when the 
proposition to renew friendly relations with 
the Northern portion of the Church was sub- 
mitted. Some were strongly averse to taking 
any action in the matter and were opposed to 
the Bishop's attending the Convention at Phila- 
delphia. We were a conquered people, at the 
mercy of an exultant and arrogant foe, and the 
indignities which had been heaped upon us in 
matters political warranted the assumption that 



they would be continued even in our spiritual 
affairs. We were soured by defeat and its ruin- 
ous results and were in no mood to court the 
favor of those whose shouts of triumph were 
still sounding in our ears. Besides, we feared 
that the amiability of the Bishop's nature, his 
conservative temperament, the strong ties of 
affection existing between himself and his asso- 
ciates in the Episcopate and his anxiety to renew 
fraternal relations with Northern brethren might 
e.xercise a controlling influence over him at the 
sacrifice of his better judgment. The result 
showed that we had been unjust in thought to- 
wards our Northern brethren, and also how 
greatly we had underestimated the grandeur of 
our Bishop's character. His bearing was worthy 
of himself and of the high position he held as 
the peer of those in whose presence he stood. 
Rather than have surrendered a principle or com- 
promised his self respect he would have gone to 
the stake without hesitation. 

Bishop Atkinson was a man of large brain, 
a just man, fair minded and liberal, a lover of 
books and a thinker, and notwithstanding the 
cares and responsibilities of his office found 
time to keep up with the best literature of the 
day, and frequently in the lecture-room delighted 
large audiences from the rich stores of his varied 
learning. But it was as an expounder of divine 
truth, as a ruler in the Church that he was most 
distinguished. He was conservative by nature, 
not timid and yet not aggressive. His prudence 
and his wisdom were manifest to all. When 
these are combined as they were in him, with a 
sincere and unselfish piety, they are irresistible. 
The flourishing condition of the Diocese over 
which he presided for more than a quarter of a 
century, shows how faithfully and well he did 
his work. Few men were more honored and 
beloved than he, not only by his own flock but 
by all classes and conditions, " for this Duncan 
had borne his faculties so meek, had been so 
clear in his great office " that all peoples did do 
him reverence. 



318 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Surely we have great cause for thankfulness 
for the example of such a life, prolonged as it 
was beyond the period assigned b)- the Psalmist 
as the limit of human existence, for it is such 
men as he was, men of pra)'er and men of truth, 
who constitute the strength and power of a State. 
Eor more than forty years he was a faithful min- 
ister of the Gospel, but the time at length ap- 
proached for the aged warrior of the cross to 
cease from his labors. To him death had no 
terrors, for his life had been but a preparation 
for eternity. His house was in order, for length- 
ening shadows had long been gathering around 
him, and so at last when the summons came on 
the evening of January 4, 1881, it found him 
ready and he gently fell <Lsleep — a peaceful, 
blessed sleep, and bishops and priests, the high 
and the low, the rich and the poor, a vast multi- 
tude gathei'ed around his bier with bowed heads 
and stifled sobs as he was borne onward to the 
grave — for he was a good m.in. On the 7th of 
January, 188 1, he was interred under the altar 
of St. James' Church, Wilmington, North Caro- 
lina, of which jxarish he was once rector. 

The aforegoing sketch is nearly vcrhaliin the 
sketch prepared b)' Colonel James G. I^urr, and 
published in the "New South," edited and pub- 
lished at Wilmington by Edward A. Oldham. 

Colonel William McRee of United States En- 
gineer Corps, (born 17S7 — died 1833), is the sub- 
ject of a memoir written and published in Wil- 
mington ;' by it our attention is called to a wortliy 
and almost forgotten son, whose military talents, 
according to the testimony of Mr. Calhoun, 
General Scott and others, was of the highest 
order. 

His father was Collector of Customs and an 
officer in the Re\'olutionary War, and died in 
1 80 1. He was born in 1787 ; educated at West 
Point, in 1803, and was made, in 1807, a Cap- 
tain of Engineers, and promoted to Major in 
1812. In the. war of 18 12 he was engaged on 
our Northern borders, under Scott, Brown, 
Gaines and others, and was particularl)- distin- 
guished in the battles of Lunday's Lane, and 



Fort Erie, and won from General Scott the eulo- 
gium, that in his opinion and perhaps intheopin- 
on of the whole army, that he combined more 
genius with high courage than any officer in the 
war of 1 8 12. Shordy after the battle of Eort 
lirie, he was promoted to Colonel by brevet. 

In 18 1 5 he was sent to Europe for the purpose 
of examining the military schools and fortifica- 
tions — and on his return made an able report. 
In 1 8 19, indignant that a foreigner — General 
Bernard — should be appointed in the Engineer 
Corps, he resigned. He died of cholera in May, 
1833, and was buried at St. Louis, Missouri. 
His name is preserved on a beautiful fort at 
Pensacola. 

He left two brothers. Dr. James F. McRee of 
Wilmington, and Major Samuel McRee, United 
States Army. Uni. Mag. X. 196. 

Dr. James F. McRee married Mary Ashe, 
daughter of W. H. Hill. He was the father of 
Griffith J. McRee, who married Penelope, daugh- 
ter of Governor Iredell — the author of the "Life 
and Correspondence of Judge Iredell." 

William B. Meares (born December 8, 1787, 
died October II, 1841), deserves to be remem- 
bered among the distinguished men of this coun- 
t\- ; successful as a Lawyer and Planter. 

His first appearance in public life was as 
Member of the Legislature in 18 18, from the 
borough and as a Member in the State Senate in 
182S-29-30-33. 

"He was of great force of character, inde- 
pendent, decided in his opinions, and bold and 
fearless in expressing them. His mind was more 
solid than brilliant, and more practical than im 
aginative. He never, at the bar or in the Legis- 
lature, or on the hustings, attempted to influence 
his hearers by any appeal to their feelings ; but 
relied solely upon the strength of argument ; 
clear and concise statements, and sound logic. 

He was, when in the Legislature, a candidate 
for the Senate of the United States, and had he 
lived, would have risen to high distinction in the 
National Councils as he had already occupied in 
the State Legislature. But'he died suddenly in 



MOOUK AND NEW IIANOVKR COl'NTIMS. 



819 



tho luuridiau of his life and the full maturity 
of his powers." (Thalian Association.) 

Lewis II. Marsteller (born May 6, 1794, died 
Marcli 3, 1860) was a native of Virginia hut 
was long a resident and tlie Representative of 
New Hanover in the Councils of the State, and 
prominent in the politics of the country. He 
represented Xew Hanover in the Commons in 
1833-34. and in the Senate in 1835-36. He 
was also a Member of the Convention of 
1835. Modest and retiring in his disposition, 
he was a close observer of men and meas- 
ures, and distinguished for his prompt at- 
tention to every duty. Tliese (pialities, with 
a clear head and amiable temper, gave him un- 
bounded popularity. He was at one time the 
most popular man in the country and was never 
defeated for any position for which he was a 
candidate before the people. 

He was a decided politician of the Demo- 
cratic faith. He was appointed Collector of 
the Port of "Wilmington, by Mr. Van Buren, 
and, until his health gave way, Clerk of New 
Hanover County Court. 

He was a useful citizen and honest and faith- 
ful in every relation of life. (The Thalian As- 
sociation.) 

Joseph C. Abbot, Senator in Congress, and 
.Member of the Legislature, resided in New Han- 
over County. He was a native of New Hamp- 
shire — born in Concord in 1825; received an 
Academic education and studied law, and was 
Editor of the M<m.chester American and other 
papers. Entered the United States Army in 
1861, raised a Regiment and was elected Col- 
onel. In 1865 was brevetted Brigadier Gen- 
eral, "for gallant conduct at Eort Fisher." 

In 1867, was elected to the State Constitu- 
tional Convention, and in 1868 a Member of 
the Legislature, by which body he was chosen 
Senator in Congress. His term expired in 1871. 
He has been extensively engaged in Agricul- 
tural and Manufacturing pursuits at his home 



near Wilmington, and for a time was ccdlcctor 
of the port of Wilmington. Ho died on Octo- 
ber!), 1881. 

Daidcl Lindsay Russell resides in Wilming- 
ton. He was boi-n in Brunswick County, Au- 
gust 7, 1845; he was educated at the Bingham 
School in Orange County and at the University. 
Read Law and was licensed to practice in 1808. 
He was elected to the Legislature in 1864, from 
Brunswick County, and re-elected in 1865. He 
was elected one of tho Judges of the Superior 
Courts in April, ISiiH, and served six years in 
this responsible and elevated position. In 1871, 
ho was elected to the Constitutional Conven- 
tion, from the County of Brunswick, and in 
1876 a Member of the Legislature. He was 
elected a Member of the 46th Congress as a 
National Republican, receiving 11,011 votes 
against 10,730 for Alfred M. Waddell. 

Colonel Henry K. Burgwyn resided in this 
County. He was the eldest son of an intelli- 
gent and wealthy gentleman on the Roanoke 
river, bearing the same name, who, with Thomas 
Pollock Burgwyn and Thomas Pollock Dever- 
eux, were heirs of the late Thomas Pollock. 

Thomas P. Devereux was long a distinguished 
member of the Bar, reporter of the Su]ireme 
Court, and greatly esteemed as a man of learn- 
ing and culture. 

The\^ are lineal descendants of Governor 
Thonuis Pollock, who is referred to on page 29. 
Their father resided in New Berne, and their 
uncle George, on the Cape Fear. The immense 
Roanoke o states of George Pollock descended 
to them. Young Harry Burgwyn was worthy 
of his lineage. He was only twenty-two years 
old when he commanded the 26th Regiment. 
To gallantry and courage in the field, he united 
a gracious demeanor and inviting manner, with 
peerless personal beauty. His appearance at 
the head of his Regiment realized the descrip- 
tion of his namesake at Agincourt: 



320 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



" I saw young Harry,— witli Ids beaver ou, 

His cuisses on liis tliiglis gallantly arm'd— 

Leap from the giountl like feather'd Mercury, 

And vaulted with such ease into Ills seat. 

As if an angel dropp'd down from the clouds 

To turn and wind a tiery Pegasus, 

And 'witch the world with noble horsenianshiii.' " 

He led hia Regiment ou the fatal field of 
Gettysburg, and out of 800 men tliere fi'll, 
with their chivalric young leader, 54!» in that 
desperate battle; all the iield ofKeers being 
killed or wounded. 

Robert Strange was the second son of Hon. 
Robert Strange, at one time one of the Judges 
of the Superior Courts of Law and Equity, and 
subsequently in the Senate of the United States 
as a member from our State. See Wheeler II, 
130. Mr. Strange was born in Fayetteville, 
July 27, 1823; graduated from tlie University 
at the early age of 17, and adopted the profes- 
sion of the Law. Shortly after his admission 
to the Bar he removed to Wilmington and 
soon became a prominent actor in public af- 
fairs. He represented the County of New Han- 
over in the Legislature from 1852 to 1854, and 
was regarded as one of the most influential 
members of that body. He was also State So- 
licitor and for many years a director in the 
Bank of Cape Fear. To mental capacities of 
a high order he added great culture and unus 
ual stores of varied and accurate knowledge. 
As a profound lawyer lie occupied a most en- 
viable position anu)ng his professional brethren, 
and as a sound jurist and eloquent advocate he 
was second to none within the limits of the 
State. Few men possessed in so great a degree 
the confidence of the public and few 
so well deserved the same, for his integ- 
rity was spotless. Gentle and unobstrusi\-e 
in manner, yet firm and decided in his convic- 
tions, with a natural dignity that inspired re- 
spect and a chivalric sense of honor that re- 
coiled from, the faintest approach of "things 
unworthy," he was at all times and under all 



circumstances the high-toned gentleman, and 
of him was truly said by the Right Reverend 
Thomas Atkinson, as he stood by his bier, 
"Here lies the most spotless man I ever knew." 

He was true to his fellow men, to his friends, 
to his family and kin, and as true as mortals 
can be, to his God! A christian gentleman who 
to the grace of this life added those of the 
[lurcr life to come. A brilliant future lay be- 
fore hini; positions most gratifying to laud- 
able ambition and which he would have emi- 
nently adorned; but suddenly, in the midst of 
the argument of a case in Court, he received 
Ins summons to a higher trijjunal, to appear be- 
fore that Great Judge from whose decision 
there is no appeal. He died January 24, 1877, 
in the 53d year of his age, cut down in the 
full meridian of his powers. Amicus usqar at 
aras. 

Mr. Strange's first wife was Sarah Caroline, 
the second daughter of Thomas Henry Wright, 
who was the second son of Judge Joshua Gran- 
ger Wright (see p. 304,) and one of the most 
noted financiers of the State, President of the 
celebrated Bank of Cape Fear from its origin 
until his death. This was a man of man}' accom- 
plishments, but especially distinguished for 
his financial ability and his devotion to the 
church. He was one of the founders of St. 
James' church in Wilmington, the oldest parish 
in the State. 

Mr. Wright married Maiy Allan, daughter 
of a Scotch merchant, who survived him with 
a family of four sons and four daughters.* The 
eldest daughter Anne Eliza, married Hon. 0. 
P. xMeares, son of W. B. Meares, a distin- 
guished lawyer. He is now Judge of the Crimi- 
nal Court of New Hanover. 

•Tlieir sons were Dr. Adam E. Wright, t'n|itaiu 
James A. Wright ( killed iu the war) Lieiiten.int Josiiua 
U. Wright and M;i.i. Thomas C. Wright, (als,) killed 
m the war) and the daughters were, Auue Eliza, Sarah 
Carohne, Susan and Mary Augusta. The third daugh- 
ter married Dr. W. H. Hall, of Now York and the 
vouugest married Mr. Clayton Giles, a merchant of 
Wilmington. 



NORTHAMITON COUNTY 



321 



By his first marriago Mr. Strange had throe J). Hawkins, Esq., of Warren County. To them 

sons; Thomas Wright, Rev. Kobert,an(lJosepli were born two daughters, the older of whom 

Iluske, a merchant in New York City. His was named for his tir:5t wife, Caroline Wright, 

second wife was Bettie Andrews, a sinter of Col. and the second was named Jane Hawkins. 
A. B. Andrews, and a grand-daughter of Joiiii 



^<^^^M4 



t®->~ 



CHAl'TEU XLH. 
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY. 



Among the revolutionary worthies distin- 
guished for virtue and patriotism who lived 
in this County was General Allen Jones, whose 
services we have recorded with those of his 
distinguished brother, Willie Jones. 8ee p. 190. 

Matt. Whitaker Kansom was born in War- 
ren County, North Carolina, October 8,1826. 
His father Robert Ransom, was a nuxn of su- 
perior intelligence, the son of Seymour Ran- 
som, who was a half-brother of Nathaniel 
Macon On the maternal side Senator Ransom 
is descended through his mother Priscilla 
Whitaker, from tlie distinguished family of 
that name in Halifax County. He was from 
his boyhood ambitious of acquiring knowledge 
and distinction ; and having passed through the 
preparatory course of studies at home and at the 
Warrenton Academy, he was sent to the Uni- 
versity of the State, where he graduated in 
1847 in a class which embraced a number of 
young men who afterwards achieved reputation 
in the world. Among these was the late Gen- 
eral James Johnston Pettigrew, with whom he 
divided the tirst honors. Mr. Ransom made 
the study of Law a part of his collegiate course, 
under the instruction of the late Judge Battle, 
and was thus prepared while still in his twenty- 
first year, to take his place at the Bar upon 
leaving the University. His father was an 
earnest Whig, and young Ransom was tlius a 



Whig by iidieritunce, in the midst of a County 
which was Democratic in the proportion of 
nearly ten to one. These circumstances, how- 
ever, had no tetidency to keep down the ambi- 
tious aspirant to popular favor. His numerous 
and influential family connections were nearly 
all Democrats and faithful friends; so that 
with superior talents and attainments far be- 
yond his years, with the aid of a fine person, 
captivating maimers and an eloquent tongue, 
he at once took high rank at the Bar. Politi- 
cally he was in a hopeless minority in the 
County of Warren ; but his brilliant debut at the 
Bar attracted tlie attention of the Whigs in 
other parts of the State, and in 1852 his name 
was placed on the Whig electoral ticket. In 
December of that year, when only twenty-six 
years of age, he, a Whig, was elected Attorney- 
General of the State by a Democratic Legisla- 
ture, in competition with the Hon. William 
Eaton, a Democrat and lawyer of high stand- 
ing and character, against whom there was not 
and could not have been a serious ground of 
complaint. General Ransom attributes these 
early successes to the judicious counsels of his 
father; but they attest at the same time his 
own superior talents, his address, and knowl- 
edge of men, for which his later life has been 
distinguished. 

In 1855 General Ransom resigned the office 



322 



WIIEELEK'S REMINISCENCES. 



of Attorney-General. During the years that he 
hehi it new political issues had arisen to divide 
parties, upon which ho felt constrained to differ 
from his Whig friends, though never to be alien- 
ated from them personally and socially. He 
could not follow them in their denial of or ef- 
forts to curtail the political right.s of Roman 
Catholics and Foreign-born citizens, and he thus 
naturally drifted into association with the Dem- 
ocratic party. The fact is well remembered by 
men who have passed the meridian of life that 
these short-lived political issues had much to 
do with the final overthrow and dissolution of 
the Whig party; and now for many years p;iBt, 
General Ransom has been re-united under the 
Democratic banner, with the great majority of 
his old Whig friends. 

It was during his incumbency of tlie Attor-" 
ney-Generalship that General Ransom married 
MissExum, a daughter of Joseph Exum, Esq. 
of Northampton, a lady of rare excellence who 
has blessed and adorned her husband's house- 
hold and career in life. It was about this time 
that he moved his residence to that County. 
In 1858 he was elected to the Legislature, and 
again in 1860, in the County of his adoptii>n. 

Although deeply attached to the South l)y all 
the ties of patriotism and personal interest, he 
was a pronounced Unionist, from a conviction 
that Southern rights and welfare would be im- 
perilled by secession, and could only be preserved 
within the Union. But when secession became 
an accomplished fact, against his earnest pro- 
test and opposition, av.d when it became a ne- 
cessity to take sides in the impending conflict, 
he hesitated not a moment in espousing the 
cause of the State and of the Soutli. 

In 1861 he was selected by the State as one 
of three Peace Commissioners, sent to Mont- 
gomery, Alabama, in the hope of averting the 
calamities of civil war. His associates were 
Ex-Governor Swain,|l're.sident of the Univer- 
sity, and the late John L. Bridgers, Esq. Fail- 



ing in this peaceful mission, he returned home, 
and entered the military service. 

The fact is interesting to note that General 
Ransom volunteered as a private soldier, but 
was immediately appointed by Governor Ellis 
to the honorable and responsible rank of Lieu- 
tenant Colonel of the 1st North Carolina 
Infantry, with which he marched to the seat 
of war in Virginia. He was afterwards chosen 
by the otHcers, Colonel of the 35th Infantry, 
and was soon promoted to a Brigadier General- 
shiii. In 1865 he was again promoted, to the 
rank of Major General,and was entrusted with 
command as such; but in that supreme crisis of 
the Confederacy he failed, however, to receive 
the formal commission. General John B. Gor- 
don has written a letter to General M. J. 
Wright, compiler of the Confederate records, 
affirming that General Ransom was promoted 
to the rank of Major-General "for most distin- 
guished gallantry." 

The limits appropriated to this brief sketch 
render it impracticable to enter upon a narra- 
tive of General Ransom's military services. 
It must suffice to say that they were distin- 
guished and important, and served to place 
him among the foremost leaders of the people 
in North Carolina in that disastrous struggle. 
While yet a Colonel, he was seriously wounded 
in the breast and right arm (from which he 
still suffers,) in one of the battles before Rich- 
mond and Petersburg. His gallantry on 
this occasion led to his rapid promotion. But 
his achievements when clothed with higher 
command, on wider fields of action, must be 
left to the historian, or to the more preten- 
tious biographer. 

At the close of the war General Ransom ad- 
dressed himself to the elevated and patriotic 
task of restoring true peace, liberty and union, 
by instilling in the minds of the people the 
idea that the disastrous results of the struggle 
were irreversible. He saw clearly that ^there 



NORTHAMPTON COUNTY. 



323 



was no hope for the South in the iiulcfiiiito 
future that lay before us all, but in a frank 
recognition of this truth; and his was the 
honor, in virtue of superior sagacity and cour- 
age, to take the lead in the statesman-like 
work of reconstructing popular sentiment. 
There were man}' able men in North Carolina 
at that day who had ardently participated in 
the struggle for Southern independence — sound 
lawyers, practical statesmen, skilled in affairs — 
but it remained for Matt. W. Ransom to con- 
front the people with the unwelcome truth,that 
they had passed through a revolution which 
could never go backward, and that all their 
hopes for the future must turn upon their un- 
reserved acceptance of the results of that revo- 
lution and adaptation to them. At Hender- 
son in 1869, he delivered an eloquent address 
to the thousands who were assembled at the 
Agricultural Fair, and it is not too much to 
say that all thoughtful men present were 
startled and delighted by his bold utterances. 
He was listened to with attention by all, and 
the salutary truths that day proclaimed hj' a 
man who had been a gallant soldier in the ser- 
vice of the confedei'acy had their echo returned 
from every part of the State. 

It was in tins spirit that in a memorial ad- 
dress at the dedication of the Confederate Sol- 
dier's Cemetery at Raleigh, he uttered the 
beautiful sentiment, "I thank God that there 
are flowers enough in this beautiful land of the 
South to strew alike upon the graves of those 
who fell in the Grey and in the Blue; and 
that there are hearts large enough, and hands 
gentle and generous enough to perform this 
holy duty." 



In -lanuai'v 1872 General Ransom was elected 
to the United States Senate. In December, 
1876, he was re-elected; and again, for the 
third time that hc^ior was accorded him, in 
Januaiy, 1883. His career in that body has 
been one of great usefulness to the State and 
to the country. He; speaks rarely, but always 
effectively. In 187/) he made an elaborate 
speech, the printed copy of which is entitled, 
"The South faithful to her duties." It at- 
tracted wide attention liy its liroad, liberal 
and unsectional spirit, and by many passages 
of true eloquence. 

Perhaps no man who has ever represented 
the State has been so successful in procuring 
appropriations for its rivers and harbors, and 
for public buildings. As a member of a body 
in which his party is in a minority, his success 
in carrying out his purposes has been remark- 
able. Without the sacrifice of principle, in the 
slightest degree, his habitual courtesy inspires 
confidence and wins favor with men of the 
most diverse views, while his knowledge of 
men often enables him to bring them over to 
his own. As a Senator, the purpose of General 
Ransom has been to develope his State and the 
South, and to pacificate the country. 

It is worthy of mention that General Ran- 
som has associated his name permanently with 
that t)f the nation's capital, by his success in 
procuring large appropriations for removing or 
filling up the unsightly, pestilence-breeding 
flats, or marshes that have accumulated in the 
Potomac river, in front of the city. The su- 
pervision of this important work has been very 
properly entrusted, by his political opponents, 
the Republican majority of the Senate, to a 
sub-committee of which he is the Chairman. 



324 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



The Capital of this County was in 1753, called 
Childs, after the Attorney C4eneral of the 
Colony, and in 1765, its name was changed 
to Ilillsboro', by Governor Tryon, in honor of 
his illustrious patron the Earl of Ilillsboro', to 
whom in a despatch, Tryon predicted its early 
prosperity and renown. His own name, and 
the name of his accomplished wife and sister 
still give locality to its streets. It is a lovely, 
healthful and a fomhul phicc; has not grown 
much, l>ut is about the same as it was a cen- 
tury ago. It has been always distinguished 
for the intellectual and social qualities of its 
hospitable inhabitants. The centre of stirring 
events in our early struggles for liberty, its 
citizens were leaders in the war of the Reg- 
ulation. Here the Royal standard was dis- 
played by Cornwallis and here he rested, 
gathering strength to give battle at Guilford 
Court House. It was here the Governor of 
the State (Burke) was seized and carried to 
Charleston by Fanning. It was here the Con- 
vention met in 1788, to consider the Consti- 
tution, which was rejected by that body.* 
It is distinguished still as the home of those 
giants in intellect of the State Distin- 
guished too for the eloijuence and piety of 
its clergy, as also for learning and ability of 
its Bar, the excellence and perfc'tiou of its 
schools and the morality and decorum of its 
citizens. 

Its resident citizens of anti-revolutionary 
history were Edmund Panning, Ralph McNair, 
James Hogg, Francis Nash, Thomas Burke ^ 
Governors Caswell and Nash, William Hooper 
and Judge Moore; names all connected with 

*"Oue cause of its rejection by tlii>; Conveution was 
a letter of Mr. Jeti'ersoTi, wliicli v'a.s read iu tae Con- 
vention; tliat wliile tiienio'^t jiliildsopliic ot'onr state.s 
mrii were ilcsirons (liat niiM> stiit<'s slionlil laviiy, and 
tlms si'ciiif tile new ^dVeiiMnent, still Ik- i-ecDninicntled 
that four slioukl reject, and thus insure tlie proposed 
ameuduieuts." Moore XVI. 



many interesting events, befoi'e, during and 
subsequent to the Revolution. During the 
Revolution President Monroe, Gov. Rutledge 
of South Carolina, Col. "Williams of King's 
Mountain, Generals Gates and Smallwood, Col. 
Lee, Lord Cornwallis, Col. Wilson Webster, 
Col. Tarleton and others, were sojourners dur- 
ii)g a brief period. 

/ Henry E. Gotten, Esq., some years ago pub- 
lished in the Southern Literary Messenger a 
sketch of the history of this town. But it has 
disappeared from our libraries, and we have 
made frequent ineffectual efforts to obtain a 
copy from Richmond. This on a more extended 
scale is a tribute eminently due from a grate- 
ful population to their illustrious dead. 

Uni. Mag. (1801,) X., 374. 

The early history of the men of Orange 
County proves the sturdy spirit of her son in 
opposing unlawful power. 

The troubles as to taxes and extortions by 
the Crown Officers, which began as early as 
1771, culminating in the battle of Alamance, 
have already been alluded to. (See page 1.) 
The chief cause of their troubles was the con- 
duct of Edmund Fanning, (born 1737, died 
1818,) who was the son of Col. Phineas Fan- 
ning, born in Connecticut. He was an accom- 
plished scholar, a graduate of Yale, (in 1757,) 
which college conferred on him the degree of 
LL. D. in 1803. 

He studied law and settled in Hillsljoro' in 
1763; and was appointed Clerk of the Court 
and Register of the County. He was elected 
a member of the Colonial Assembly. By his 
thirst for wealth, his exorbitant charges for 
fees, and his intemperate zeal in regard to the 
unfortunate regulators, he became odious to 
the people ; in so much that they bm-nt his house, 
which stood where the Masonic Hall now is 

. . . . ■ '! "h 



ORANGE COUNTY 



325 



in Hillsboro', and l)eat liini severely. To escape 
their anger, he accompanied Governor Tryon 
to New York,* as secretary, in 1771. He raised 
a regiment and became its commander. Ac- 
tive and vindictive he served in several bat- 
tles and was twice wounded. In 1775 he was 
driven from his house in New York bj- the 
people and his effects seized, and he retreated 
on board of the " Asia," a man-of-war, for 
safety. 

Li 1794 he was appointed Governor of Prince 
Edward's Island, and in 1808 was commissioned 
as General. He took up his residence in Eng- 
land in 1815 where in 1818 he died, leaving a 
son Fredrick and two daughters. The cele- 
brated lawyer, John Wickham, of Richmond, 
was his nephew, and who under tlie advice of 
Genl. Fanning accepted a Commission for a 
time in the British Army. The late Col. Alex. 
Fanning, of the U. S. A., Capt. Edw. Fan- 
ning and Nathaniel Fanning, late of the U. S. 
Navy, were nephews of Genl. Fanning. 

Thomas Burke, born 1747, died 1783, lived 
and died in this County and had an eventful 
and romantic career. 

"He was a native of Ireland and a man of 
letters": Son of Ulrick Burke, of Galway. 
He was highly educated, and studied medicine; 
emigrated from Ireland in 1764, and came to 
Accomac County , Virginia, where he engaged in 
the practice of his profession. He became dissat- 
isfied with medicine and studied Law; removed 
to Norfolk and in 1774 finally settled in Hills- 
boro'. The next year, being a ready and enthusi- 
astic speaker, he became prominent in politics, 
and his generous temper made him popular 
with the people. He represented the County 
with Thomas Hart in the I'rovincial Congress 
at New Berne, the 4th of April 1775, and at 
Halifax in November 1776. He took an active 

*Drake in his " Dictionary of Am. Biography," says 
tliat Col. P. married a daugliter of Governor Tryon. 
Sabine makes the same statement. 



part in framing the State Constitutidn. In De- 
cember he vvas,with William Hooper aiidJoseph 
llewes, appointed delegate to the Continental 
Congress at Philadelphia where he served until 
July 1781, wlien he was elected by the Legis- 
lature Governor of the State, by acclamation. 
He wasvery popular with the Whigson account 
of bis patriotism, and consequently as odious to 
the Tories. On the 13th of September, 1781, a 
band of Tories led by David Fanning, before 
day-break seized Governor Burke, tied him on 
a horse, and carried him to the British head- 
quarters at Wilmington; from thence he was 
taken to Charleston, where he was placed on 
James' Island, as a prisoner on parole. John 
Iluske, of Fayettevillc, his private secretary, 
was also captured and imprisoned with Gov- 
eiior Burke and was placed with many desper- 
ate characters. Fearing for his life, as he was 
very obnoxious to them, he escaped after an 
imprisonment of four months. In April 
1782,he resumed bis place as Governor at Salem 
In December he was defeated by Alexander 
Martin for Governor.) Zt«. . - - ...^^^--.^ ■ 

This was the severest blow of misfortune — 
after all his trials, sacrifices and sufi'erings, to 
be discarded by those for whom he had done 
so much and suifered so much, was more than 
bis nature could bear. Borne down by such 
feelings of sorrow he died at Hillsboro' a few 
days before Christmas, beloved and mourned 
by a large number of admiring friends. His 
patriotic services and bis imdeserved misfor- 
tunes should have condoned far greater faults. 

There is but little doubt, says Moore I., ( page 
358,) "that disappointment and mental anguish 
caused his premature death." 

He married Mary Freeman, of Norfolk, Vir- 
ginaand left one daughter surviving,who moved 
to Alabama, where she resides. In a letter she 
states of her father's personal appearance, that 
he was "of middle stature, well formed, much 
marked by the small pox,which caused the loss 



32G 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



of his left eye. The remaining eje was an ex- 
pressive mild blue." 

He was a brother, or near kinsman of Judge 
Edamus Burke, of South Carolina, equally ec- 
centric, and like Edamus Burke full of genius, 
fun and frolic, of whom many anecdotes are 
still remembered. 

Col. William Shepperd, of Long Meadows, 
(his ancestral home, near Hillsboro, N. C.,) was 
a conspicuous member of the State Senate; he 
was an oificer of the North Carolina line during 
the revolution of 1776 — a terror to " The 
Tories." 

Many are the legends of his prowess, which 
enlivens the blazing pine knots of '• the Old 
North State," but sweeter far are the memories 
of his benevolence. 

Let one instance for each characteristic suf- 
fice for this sketch. One to show that " bread 
cast upon the waters will return after many 
days," and the other to remind a wavering pa- 
triotism and hesitating honesty of that great 
self-sacrifice and stern devotion to principle, 
which were the secrets of the success of our pa- 
triotic grandfathers, and which not only were 
rewarded, but will descend in mantles of glory 
to the third and fourth generation ! Colonel 
Shepperd had married Miss Elizabeth Hay- 
wood, sister of Judge Haywood, of North Car- 
olina, then I'emoved to Tennessee. Her sister 
married a lawyer named Captain William 
Bell, clarum ct L-cncndiilc nomai. He ilied, 
leaving a lovely family without support, and 
although Colonel Shepperd's family was nu- 
merous, yet he adopted the orphaned family 
as his own. They are since known to his- 
tory, as Captain William H. Bell, of the 
United States Army; Admiral Henry H. Bell, 
U. S. N.; Captain John Bell, U. S. N.; a daugh- 
ter married to Mr. McNair, of Edgecombe 
County; a daughter Elizabeth J., who married 
Thomas Ashe, grandson of Gov. Ashe, the 
youngest brother of I'aoli Ashe, and another 



married to Dr. Howell, of West Tennessee; an- 
other Miss Haywood, a sister of Mrs. Col. Shep- 
perd, married Mr. Johnstone, of North Caro- 
lina, and moved to Tennessee; another married 
Mr. Duffie, au eminent lawyer of North Caro- 
lina, and after his death Dr. Buchanan, of St. 
Stephens, Ala.; and after his death Mr. Adlai 
Osborne; she left one son, Egbert. Judge Jas. 
Osborne, the distinguished judge, was a son of 
Adlai Osborne by his first wife, Miss Walker, 
of Wilmington. A sister of Col. Wm. Shep- 
perd — Martha — married Major Wm. F. Strud- 
wick, of Hillsboro, a member of Congress. She 
left Sam Strmlwick, of Alabama; Dr. Edward 
Strudwick, of Hillsboro, and Eliza, who mar- 
raied Paoli Ashe, (grandson of Gov. Sam Ashe) 
formerly of New Hanover, afterward removed 
to Alabama; and Martha married to Col. Elisha 
Young; and Margaret, a famous beauty, wife 
of Egbert Osborne. Captain William Bell (the 
protege of Col. Shepperd,) whilst a young lieu- 
tenant in the army, invented a contrivance for 
turning round heavj^ ordnance with great ra- 
pidity; for this invention, under a" relief bill," 
the Government appropriated to him the sum 
of §25,000, which money he invested in the 
growing city of St. Louis, Missouri, and so be- 
came immensely wealthy. When about to die, 
immediately after the close of our civil war. 
Captain Bell added a codicil to his will, Janu- 
ary 11, 1866, distributing one-eighth of his mag- 
nificent fortune, in the following significant 
words: " To the descendants of my benefactor, 
William Shepperd, of Orange County, North 
Carolina." 

The other incident is a legend of bloody war 
during the revolution. R. C. in the " Farmer 
and Mechanic " most graphically writes as 
follows of Col. Wm. Shepperd: 

He was very short, spare built man, of plain, 
insignificant appearance, and the farther disad- 
vantages of a very thin, piping voice, with one 
eye; no one in search of a hero would have 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



327 






p'ivcn liiiii a second tlionirht, and _yct that spare 
frame was knit together with joints as Hexible 
as a politican's principles, and muscles like 
bands of finely tempered steel; and through 
that solitary eye looked forth a spirit that no 
danger could anpul, no adverse fortune subdue 
or dismay. A democrat of intcnsest dye he 
affected the roughest costume, and in an age 
when gentlemen never wore aught but "purple 
and fine linen," he clothed himself with home- 
spun, woven on his plantation, and shoes made 
by his own negroes. 

He had organized a partizan force of Minute 
men, some four or five hundred strong, men 
who dwelt peaceably enough at home, until a 
runner notified them that Sliepperd had work 
for them to do, when at the rendezvous would 
gather a band of rough but resolute men reaily 
to execute any plan, however daring and haz- 
ardous, of their idolized chief. 

An English officer named Patton was then 
raiding through Orange and the adjoining coun- 
ties, carrying terror and devastation with him. 
Born a gentleman and a soldier, and of superb 
physical developement, he mocked at fear and 
utterly devoid of con.science, staunch in his 
loyalty to the king, and with a goodly scorn of 
American rebels, he showed no quarter; rapine, 
violence, and murder marked every step of his 
onward progress, and none were able to stay 
his course. 

Col. Sheppcrd and liis troopers returning 
home after the disastrous battle of Briar 
Creek found Patton devastating the country, 
and riding rough-shod over the people. Plan 
after plan to capture him was devised, but Col. 
Patton was as wary a soldier as he was brutal 
as a man, and time and again he slipped through 
Sliepperd's toils, and laughed him to scorn. 

Finalh' Sheppcrd was ordered on some expe- 
dition that withdrew his forces from the neigh- 
borhood, and i'atton getting wind of it, came 



down into the lion's don, quartered at "Long 
Meadows" for a iiiglit and a da}', and although 
treating Mrs. Sheppcrd witli extreme courtesy, 
(for Patton, though absolutely without hu- 
manity to women as women never failed to 
treat a lady of his own rank with the most fin- 
ished courtesy of manner) appropriated the 
Colonel's stock, provender, and plantation sup- 
plies like the frcc-bootcr that he was. 

Col. Shepi)erd returning one night to visit 
his wife, whom he passionately loved, discov- 
ered that Patton was in the neighborhood, and 
laid a plan to capture him. 

Summoning his immediate body-guard of 
twenty picked men, he stationed thirteen of 
them in an old deserted school house to lie in 
wait, while he and the others reconnoitcrcd. 
Returned to the school house, what was his an- 
ger and astonishment to find the building 
" empty, swept and garnished," and a card 
tacked up by Col. Patton to tell the reason why. 

Patton also had been out reconnoitering, and 
came to the school house, where a pack of carde 
and jug of whiskey were helpingthe ambuscade 
to forget their duty. All the muskets were 
piled near the dooi', and their owners sitting 
cross-legged on the fioor were deep in the mys- 
teries of card playing, while the sentry lifted 
the jug to his head a time or so too often. 

Stepping lightly to the door, Col. Patton 
seized one of their own muskets, and levelling 
it at the absorbed card-players, cried out in his 
ringing voice of irresistable command: " Sur- 
render to Col. Patton of his Majesty's forces, 
or I will shoot every man of you." Half drunk, 
wholly surprised, and with instinctive obedi- 
ence of soldiers to a born commander, they at 
once surrendered. Still holding his musket at 
point blank range, Patton made one of the men 
advance and hand him the nmskets one by one, 
stock foremost. Then lie was required to tie 
his comrades, each man with his own halter, 
the horses were in turn secured to tlieir mas- 



328 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



ters, and thus yoked together man and beast, 
the crest fallen thirteen were marched ahead 
of their captor to the British camp. A sorry 
enough spectacle, truly! 

A tiery, passionate man, Col. Shepperd's rage 
and mortitication were indescribable. His de- 
sire to capture Patton became a perfect frenzy, 
and he bent all his energy to its accomplish- 
ment. 

If a man will, he ciw, generally; and Col. 
Sheppard's hour came at last. 

Not very long after the disgraceful capture 
of his men, there was to lie a sale in the neigh- 
borhood. People had submitted, if they were 
not subdued, Patton rode or walked through 
the land a very Lord Paramount, and none 
dared gainsay or resist. He was going to at- 
tend the sale, not as a bidder, but to take vi et 
artiiis whatever he saw tit. Shepperd stationed 
some of his men below, and above the point 
of attack that he had selected, eai'ly on the 
day of the sale, and then dressed like a com- 
mon farmer, as he always did, and with a loose 
halter over his arm, he mounted his horse and 
took a bridle path through the woods that 
would bring him out into the road tluit Patton 
must take to reach the sale. A house occu- 
pied by a man t:amed Smith was on the left 
of the road, above the lower anibuseadc of 
Shepperd's men. 

Down the road came Patton riding a superb 
black mare, dressed in full British uniform, and 
presenting a very briilant and splendid appear- 
ance, lie was tall, large, and superbly hand- 
some, and in courage and high soldierly quali- 
ties fully Shepperd's equal. As he rode gal- 
lantly on in all the pride of conscious beauty 
and power, out of a bridle path to his right 
rode a small ill-favored man, who saluting him 
awkwardly, as he rode alongside, said : "I 
bought some colts not long ago front a man 
named Smith, who lives somewhere on this 
road, and they have strayed away, and I expect 



they have gone back to their old home, so I 
am looking for them. Can you tell me where ^ 
Smith lives ?" /^ 

"Oh, yes," said Patton carelessly, raising his 
I'ight arm and pointing across the road, "he 
lives across the road yonder." He had turned 
his face as he spoke, and in that instant a pair 
of why arms were clasped around him like a 
vice, and a small piping voice cried out, "Col. 
Patton, you are my prisoner, sir." Patton was 
a stammerer in his speech, and he stuttered 
out, angrily. "It is a damned lie, sir. I am 
no man's prisoner;" struggling desperately to 
loose himself. He had not reckoned on the 
immense strength hidden away in the small 
body of his captor, and his efl'cu-ts availing 
nothing. Drawing his sword with his left 
hand he essayed to cut himself loose, but Shep- 
perd was 80 small, and so close to him that the 
slashes did not touch him. Patton shortened 
his sword, and cut and thrust mei'cilessly until 
the arm that pinioned him was gashed and 
stabbed in a dozen places, l)ut the resolute lit- 
tle Colonel never flinched. This, though long 
in the telling, occupied only a moment, and 
the horses feeling loose bridles on their necks 
broke and ran, landing both riders in the road. 
Patton being the heaviest fell underneath, and 
when Shepperd's troopers came hurrying up, 
attracted by the riderless horses passing them, 
for everybody knew Patton's black mare, a 
superb English thoroughbred, they found the 
stubboi'n little Colonel holding his prostrate 
foe in an embj'ace that seemed riveted like 
bands of steel. 

The arrival of reinforcements made the con- 
test hopeless for Patton, who had been badly 
hurt by his heavy fall, and he said: "I surren- 
der, and claim the usage of a soldier and a 
gentleman." Shepperd at once relieved him, 
and when Patton was helped to las feet, he 
held out his sword and said: "To whom do I 
surrender?" "Col. William Sliepperd, sir," an- 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



32d 



swored tlic Colonel with a ring ol" triuinph in 
his voice. 

"Colonel Sheppord!" exclaimed Patton, in 
the utmost amazement and chagrin as he 
looked at the small, insignificant speaker. 
"Yes, sir. Col. Sliepperd, who has promised to 
hang Col. Patton whenever he caught him," 
said Shepperd, drawing from his pocket a pair 
of handcuffs which he had carried for months 
for the purpose of hraceleting Patton if ever 
captured. 

"With a spring like a tiger Patton sliook him- 
self free from the troopers that surrounded 
him, and catching up a limb of a fallen tree he 
put his back against a large oak, and ex- 
claimed, "Col. Shepperd, you shall never sub- 
ject me to the disgrace of handcufls; I will 
die first. I claim the usage of war, to be 
treated like an officer and a gentleman. I will 
never submit to be handcuft'ed." 

"You are a robber, and a murderer, and 
have forfeited all the consideration due a sol- 
dier, sir," answered Shepperd, bitterly. "I 
wear the uniform of a British officer, sir, and 
I demand to be treated like an officer of his 
Ma-jesty's army. I give you my word of honor 
to make no effort to escape. I will go alone 
with you, or any one else to headquarters. I 
will consider myself your prisoner and deport 
myself accordingly without constraint, but I 
never submit to pei'sonal indignity, and no 
man will handcuff me alive." 

"Shepperd was no fool; and he saw plainly 
enough that Patton would make a desperate 
resistance, in which he would have to be either 
killed outright, or so badly hurt that he would 
be unfit for travel, so the plan of handcuffing 
him was abandoned, and accepting his parole, 
Shepperd made ready, and both men mounted 
their horse.', and set off alone for Gates's head- 
quarters near Asheville, eating, sleeping, and 
riding together like brothers until they reach- 
ed the American camp where Shepperd turned 



his prisoner over to the authorities, and lie 
was tried by drnndiead court martial, con- 
demned, and executed. 

lion. Augustin Shepperd, a member of Con- 
gress for thirty years, was his nephew, and 
he was the father of William and Mrs Gen- 
eral Pender; Captain Frank Shepperd, of 
Georgetown, and Hamilton Shepperd, Esq., of 
Warrenton, Va., are his near kinsmen. One of 
hissisters Pamela, married Col. Paoli Ashe, from 
whom descended Hon. Thomas S. Ashe, of the 
Supreme Bench of North Carolina, and other 
brilliant men. Col. Shepperd left three sons, 
"William, Egbert and Henry, all of whom after- 
war dmoved to the Western District of Ten- 
nessee. 

Two of his sons mari-ied daughters of Mar- 
niaduke Johnson, Esq., a wealthy gentleman, 
of Warrenton, Va., William, his eldest son, 
was most happily married to Mary Haywood, 
and their daughter, Mary, is the wife of John 
L. T. Sneed, Chief Justice of Tennessee, who 
was a nephew of the illustrious Judge William 
Gaston, of North Carolina. Col. Shepperd's 
daughters were equally fortunate in tlieir alli- 
ances. Of his daughters two were married to 
the two Governors, Ashe of North Carolina, 
that is — Elizabeth married Col. Sam. Ashe, 
son of Gov. Sam. Ashe, and had WiUiam S. 
Ashe and others; Mary married Samuel Porter 
Ashe, son of Col. John Baptista Ashe (the old- 
est son of Gov. Sam. Ashe, a U. S. Senator, 
elected Governor, but died before qualifying.) 
He was a citizen of Fayetteville before be re- 
moved lo Tennessee, his oldest daughter, Sarah 
married Wm. Barry Grove, a member of Con- 
gress and a banker in Fayettesville; Susan mar- 
ried David Hay, Esq., a gentleman of fortune, 
whose sister, Susan, was the first wife of Judge 
Wm. Gaston. 

David Grove, a .son of Wm. Barry Grove 
and Sarah, married Susan Hay Ashe, a daughter 
of Sam. Ashe and Elizabeth. John Baptista 



330 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Ashe a soil of Col. Sam. Aelie and Elizal:)eth, (he 
was a meniher of Congress from Tennessee) 
married Elizabeth Hay, daughter of David and 
Susan llay. 

The youngest daughter, Margaret Lucia, mar- 
ried to Dr. John Rogers, several years after 
the death of Col. Shepperd, who died at Ilills- 
))oro. Dr. Rogers was an Irishman by birth, and 
for a short time in the United States Navy; a 
graduate of Geoi-getown, D. C, came to Wil- 
mington about 1815, and became a teacher 
t-here, for Rev. Dr. Empic, and afterwards Col. 
Uill—about 1822 to 1826 had charge of the 
Academy of ilillsboro. To these was born Dr. 
J. Webl) Rogers, July 11, 1822, at "Long 
Meadows," the old North Carolina homestead 
of his grand-father, a graduate of the College 
of New Jersey at Princeton. 

He became an Episcopal clergyman, built six 
churches in Tennessee; and Ijecoming a con- 
vert to tlie Roman Catholic faith, returned to 
the profession of the law, which he had stu- 
died in early life. He is an author oi' several 
theological and poetical works. The children 
of Dr. J. Webl) Rogers have already attained 
such distinction as to entitle them to much 
more than passing notice. 

Two sons, J. Harris Rogers and Wm. Shep- 
perd Rogers are both electricians. By the 
middle name of the older son named, the alli- 
ance of the two families is noted. Arthur 
Harris, his maternal ancestor, was the bosom 
friend of William Shepperd, and served with 
him in the State Legislature. The names of 
Hon. Ishani' G. Harris, U. S. Senator, Hon. 
Wm. R. Harris, Gen. Buckner Harris, Elisha 
Harris, a wealthy planter before the late war, 
Dr. George C. Harris, dean of St. Mary's Cathe- 
dral, Dr. G. Whitson Harris, the famous sur- 
geon, and many other names not unknown to 
lame, are all grouped around this family centre. 

These descendants, the Rogeis, have by their 
patents in connection with electricity, obtained 



great reputation and have become immensely 
wealthy. 

The Mebane family have been very well 
known and esteemed in Orange County, and 
its descendants have not only been distinguished 
in this section, but have pervaded Tennessee 
Kentucky, Missi8sippi,Indiana, Arkansas, Louisi- 
ana, Texas and other sections. (Revo. Incidents 
in the old .Morth State, by E. W. Caruthers.) 

Colonel Alexander Mebane, the founder of 
the family in North Carolina, came from the 
North of Ireland, emigrated to America and 
settled in Pennsylvania, where he remained 
for several years. He removed to Hawfields, in 
Orange County, before the revolution, lie was 
an industrious, upright man, thrifty in worklly 
matters, and soon acquired considerable wealth. 

Under the Royal Government he received a 
conimission as Colonel and was made a Justice 
of the Peace. When the revolution began he 
and all of his sous were decided and became 
active defenders of the rights of the people, 
when opposed to the oppressions of the Crown. 
On this aceount'the British and Tories devas- 
tated his property. He was too old to be an ac- 
tive soldier himself, but his sons were brave and 
zealous defenders of the cause of independence. 
He had six sons : 1st William, 2nd Robert, 3d 
Alexander, 4th John, 5th James, 6th David. 

William Mebane was a captain in the rev- 
olution and a member of the Senate in the State 
Legislature in 1782; married first to Miss Rainy, 
second to Miss Abercrombie, but had no issue. 

Robert was the soldier of the family, a Col- 
onel in the Continental army. He was with 
General Rutherford in his campaign in 1776 
against the Overhill Cherokee Indians and in 
man^' battles with the British and Tories, in 
which he displayed unflinching courage. In 
the battle of Cane Creek, in an endeavor to in- 
tercept the fierce marauder Fanning, who had 
seized the Governor, Colonel Mebane displayed 
great valor, and when General Butler had or- 



ORANGK COUNTY. 



331 



(Icred a retreat, Colonel Mebane rushed be- 
fore the retreating party, stopped them and 
turned the defeat into victory. Towards the 
close of the Ijattle ammunition becoming scarce, 
ho passed along the line bare headed, carrying 
powder in liis hat and distributing it among 
the men, urging them to coiitinuc the figlit_ 
lie WiXri afterwards, witli his Keginient on the 
Cape Fear, lighting the Tories T5ut he was 
notified that his services were needed in the 
northei-n part of the State and he set out, ac- 
companied only by his servant. On his return 
he came upon a noted Tory and horse thief, 
Henry Hightower, who was armed with a 
l>ritish musket. Fearless of the consequences 
Mebane pursued him; when within striking dis- 
tance and with his arm uplifted, Ilightower sud- 
denly wheeled and shot him dead. He was the 
model of a soldier, brave, fearless, of active and 
conmianding presence. 

Alexander Mebane was the statesman of the 
family, born in Pennsylvania, 26th of November, 
1744. He was a member of the Provincial Con- 
gress at Halifax, 16th December 1776, that 
formed the State constitution, and of the con- 
vention at Hillsboro' which rejected the consti- 
tution of the United States. He was a mem- 
ber of the Legislature from Orange County, 
from 1783 to 1793 and in the latter year was 
elected a member of the United States 
(3rd) Congress and re-elected, but died be- 
fore taking his seat on 5th of July, 1795. He 
was distinguished for sound practical sense,8terii 
integrity and indomitable firmness. He was 
married, first to Mary Armstrong, of Orange 
County; second, to Miss Claypole, of Philadel- 
phia. 

He left several children,, lames, William and 
Dv John A. Mebane, of Greensboro'. His son, 
James Mebane, inherited his father's talents 
as a statesman, was one of the first students 
who entered the University and the founder 
of the Dialectic Society, which perpetuates 



his memory by his lil'e-sizo portrait that may 
still be seen in their hall. He was a mend)er 
of the Legislature in 1808,-'9, '10, '11, '22, '23 
and '28. In 1821 he was elected Speaker of 

the House. 

He married Klizul)ctli, the only child of 
William Kinchen, by which union he had six 
children, five sons and one daughter. Among 
these is Giles Mebane, the faithful and able 
Senator in the Legislature (1877-78) from 
Orange, Person and Caswell. Kinciien, an 
older son, was a Presbyterian clergyman. The 
younger sons were James and Lemuel. 

Dr. Alexander Wood Mebane, a son of Wil- 
liam, was born in this County, liberally educa- 
ted, graduated in Philadelphia and settled in 
Bertie County on the Chowan river, wliere lie 
became one of tlie successful and enterprising 
men of that section. He was a man of unblem- 
ished reputation, faithful to every duty, active 
and energetic in every good work and enter- 
prise. These qualities and abilities were duly 
appreciated, for in 1829 and 1830, he was elected 
member of the House of Commons and in 1833, 
'34, '35, and 36, he was in the Senate; and in 
1848 he was a candidate for Elector on the 
Cass ticket in opposition to Kenneth Payner. 

This was his last public service. 

He married Mary Howe, a lady of fine es- 
tate, by whom he had several children, one of 
whom was the wife of the Hon. John Pool. 
Grandison and Howe were brothers; Mai'v 
Frances and Mrs. Jordan were sisters of Dr. 
Mel>ane. 

Colonel John Mebane, son of Alexander .Me- 
bane, senior, and brother of Alexander Mebane, 
junior, resided in Chatham. He was a mem- 
ber of the Legislature from 1790 to 1811. 
About the close of the war of '76 he married 
Mrs. Sarah, widow of William Kinchen, by 
whom he had two children, John Brigga Me- 
bane, who was a member of the Legislature 
in 1813; and Mr. Thomas Hall, of Rockingham 
County. 



332 



WnEELP]R'S REMINISCENCES. 



Captain James Mebaiie was active in the 
revolutionary struggles. He married Margaret 
Allen, of the Hawfields. 

David Mebane, the youngest son of the pa- 
triarch of this family, was not old enough to be 
of much service in the war of the revolution, 
lie, however, served in two campaigns and did 
all in his power. lie represented the County 
of Orange in the Legislature in 1808, 1809-'10. 
lie married Ann Allen, of the Hawfields and 
left a large family, among them George A. 
Mebane of Mason Hall, merchant and Post- 
M aster. 

Brig. Genl. Francis Nash was the brother of 
Governor Abuer Nash, whose biography we 
have recorded. (See page 132.) 

He was much respected, and in the colonial 
period of the state, was a member of the Su- 
perior Court under the Royal rule. 

When the revolution commenced he was on 
the 22(1 of April, 1776, appointed Lt. Colonel of 
the first Regiment of North Carolina troops in 
the Continental e8tablishment(.Tas. Moore,CoI.; 
and Thos. Clark, Maj.;) upon the death of Col. 
Moore, he became Colonel. He was subse- 
quently promoted to be a Brigadier-General, 
and ordered to join the Grand Army of the 
North under Washington.* He commanded a 
brigade at the battle of Germantown ( Oct. 4, 
1777,) where he received a mortal wound. His 
thigh was shattei'ed by a spent cannon ball 
and the same shot killed his aid, Major With- 
erspoon, son of Rev. Dr. Witherspoon, Presi- 
dent of Princeton College. 

He was buried at Kulpsville, Montg(jmery 
County, Pennsylvania, twenty-six miles from 
Philadelphia. By the patriotism and liberality 
of John F. Watson, a monument has been 
placed over his remains. 

•Extract from Journal, of theCoiitineutal Cougress, 
"July 14, 1775, Resolvcc] tliat General Nash proceed 
immediately with the Vii.«iiiia and North Carolina 
ti'oops, together with rolimcl I'rocter's corps of artil- 
lery to join General Washington.'' 



The Continental Congress on Nov. 4th 1777, 
passed the following: 

"Resolved, that his excellency Governor Cas- 
well, of North Carolina, be requested to erect 
a monument of the value of five hundred dol- 
lars, at the expense of the United States, in 
honor of the memory of Brigadier-General 
Francis Nash, who fell in the battle of Ger- 
mantown on the 4th day of Oct. 1777, bravely 
contending for the independence of his coun- 
try." 

This pledge is yet unredeemed. P)v jxuior] 

General Nash married Sally, daughter of 
Judge .Maurice Moore, leaving one daughter, 
Sally, who married John Waddell and who 
had ten children, viz: I, Ilaynes married Fan- 
ning; II, Frank mai'ried Moore; III, Hugh 
married Susan Moore; IV, Maurice; V, Sally 
mai-ried DeRossett; VI, John; VH, Alfred; 
VIII, .Mary; IX, Claudea; X, Fanny married 
John Swan. 

Frederick Nash, (born 1781, died 1858,) son 
of Governor Abner Nash and nephew of Gen- 
eral Francis Nash, was born on the 9th Feb- 
ruary, 1781, in the old colonial palace at New 
Berne, his father then being Governor, the 
successor of Richard Caswell, first governor 
elected under our State constitution. 

His education was conducted by Rev. M. 
Pattillo, a Presbyterian minister of piety and 
learning, at Williamsboro, Granville County, 
and he was prepared for college by Rev. Thomas 
P. Irving, of New Berne, a divine, and scholar 
of eminent attainments ; he graduated at 
Princeton, in 1799, in same class with .John 
Forsythe, of Georgia; Jas. C. Johnston, of Ed- 
enton, and others. He returned home and com- 
menced the study of the Law, in the practice of 
which from his ability, learning and assiduity, 
he attained high distinction. It was natural, 
from such qualifications, that his fellow citizens 
should look to him as a suitable representative 
iu the halls of Legislation. Li 1814-15 he rep- 



ORANGE COITNTY. 



333 



resented New Benie in the Logislature, where, 
from his ability and i»iirity of character, he 
wielded great influence. lie continued to 
reside at New Berne in the practice of his 
profession until 1808, when he removed to 
llillshoro', and purchased the residence of 
his friend, Judge Cameron, where he resided till 
his death. In 1814-15 and 1816-17 he repre- 
sented Orange County in the Legislature, and 
in 1818 was elected one of the judges of the 
Superior Courts. lie possessed those qualities 
which Lord Campbell has designated as essen- 
tial to a good judge: '' Patience in hearing, 
evenessof temper, and kindness of heart." He 
served eight years in this laborious and impor- 
tant position when he resigned; and in 1827- 
28 represented llillsboro' in the House of Com- 
mons. He was again elected in 1830 to the 
Superior Court Bench, and in 1844 succeeded 
Judge Gaston as one of the justices of the Su- 
preme Court. On the resignation of Judge 
Rulhn he was made Chief Justice. Here was 
a field where his extensive learning, his amenity 
of temper and his " even-handed justice" had 
full employment. He occupied this important 
post till his death, which occurred at llillsboro' 
on 5th Decend:)er, 1858. 

He married Mary Kallock, of Ehzabethtown, 
New Jersey, and left a lai'ge family. 

Among them: I, Frederick; 11, Henry K.; 
Ill, Shepperd; IV, Sally; V, Maria. 

For much of this sketch we are indebted to 
the Memoir of Judge Nash, by the late Hon. 
John 11. Bryan. Uni. Mag., X., 257. 

Archibald Debow Murphey, (born 1777, died 
3rd February, 1832,) son of Colonel Archibald 
Murphey, was born in Caswell County, near 
Milton. His early education was conducted by 
Rev. Dr. David Caldwell, and finished at the 
University, where he graduated in 1799, in the 
second class graduated at that institution. In 
this class were Francis Nash, William Benton, 
John Phifer and others. Such was his reputa- 



tion as a scholar, that he was appointed to the 
chair of Ancient Languages in the Uiuversity, 
which he filled acceptably for three years, when 
he resigned and studied law under William 
Duffy, then residing in Hillsboro. lie rapidly 
advanced in his profession, at that period, 
adorned by the ability of such legal celebrities 
as Camei'on, Norwood, Nash, Seawell, Yancey, 
Rulfin, Badger and others. Among these he 
held a high position, and which fully justified 
the remark of Pinkney that the Bar was not a 
place where false and fraudulent reputation for 
talents can be maintained. His practice for 
years was not exceeded by that of any lawyer 
in the State; and his success was equal to its 
extent. Particularly did he excel in the Equity 
branch of the profession and in the examina- 
tion of witnesses. In 1818 he was elected one 
of the judges of the Superior Courts, and in 
this elevated position he well sustained his rep- 
utation for learning and ability which had been 
so well established at the Bar He commanded 
the admiration of the prc^fession and the peo- 
ple, by the courtesy, patience, dignity and jus- 
tice of his rulings. After riding the circuit 
for two years he resigned, and returned to the 
less laborious and more germane practice of his 
profession. From 1812 to 1818 he was a Sen- 
ator in the Legislature from Orange County 
In this new arena he was more conspicuous than 
he had been at the Bar, or on the Bench, and 
wielded a larger influence than any other mem- 
ber in the Councils of the State. In 1819 he 
published " A Memoir of Improvements Con- 
templated, and the Resources and Finances of 
the State," dedicated to' Gov. Branch, which 
will I'ank with the efforts of a Clinton or a Cal- 
houn, and which elicited from the North Amer- 
ican Review, high commendations. With his 
mind absorbed in the gigantic schemes of in- 
ternal improvements, at the same time he as- 
siduously labored in his profession and literary 
pursuits. Judge Murphey conceived the pm-- 



334 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



pose of writing the History of the State. He 
knew her resources; he was familiar with her 
early records; he had studied her interets; he 
had visited every section from the mountains 
to the seaboard ; he knew personally every lead- 
ing man of eminence or intelligence in the 
State. He had gathered material from every 
source, public and private, at home and abroad. 
He fully felt the importance and tlie necessity 
of a good history of the State. In a letter to 
General Joseph Graham, (20tli July, 1621,) he 
says: 

"We want such a work, we ncitiier know 
outsiders; nor are we ktiown to others. We 
want pride; we want independence; we know 
nothing of our State and we care nothing al)out 
it." 

At his instance, the Legishiture througli Mr. 
Gallatin our Envoy in England caused the offi- 
ces of the Board of Trade in the Rolls offices in 
London, to he explored, a rich mine never de- 
velo[ted; he corresponded with Mr. Jefferson, 
Mr. Madison and other literary men of other 
states, and with tlie families of Govs. Burke, 
Caswell, Jolmston,and witli many revolution- 
ary officers then living, as Generals Gi'aluim 
Lenoir, Col. Wm. Polk and ntliers all uf whom 
contributed their treasures of knowledge freely 
to him. 

The Legislature in 1826, upon liis applica- 
tion, granted authoiity to him to raise liy a 
lotter}^, a sum sufficient to carry out his pa- 
triotic intentions. But beyond publishing one 
or two chapters on the Indians, ill health and 
decayed fortune arrested this great enterprise; 
poverty and adversity clouded the evening of 
his days. He died at Ilillsboro', February 3rd, 
1832, and is buried in the Presbyterian grave 
yard, a few feet from the front door of the 
church. He left two sons, Dr. V. Vloreau 
Murphey,of Macon, Missis8i[)pi, and Lieutenant 
P. U. Murphey of the Navy (since dead,) and 
several grand children, among whom Judge 



Archibald Murphey Aiken, who worthily sus- 
tains the high reputation of his illustrious pat- 
ronomic and ancestor. 

We acknowledge our indebtedness for much 
of the material of this truthful memoir to the 
able address of Gov. W. A. Graham. (N. C. 
Uni. Mag. Aug., 1860.) 

William Norwood, born 1707 died 1840, one 
of the Judges of the Superior Courts of North 
Carolina, was a native of Orange county. lie 
was elected a member of the Legislature from 
Ilillsboro' in 1806, and re-elected in 1807. 

He was elected one of the Judges of the 
Superior Courts in 1820 and after serving with 
great aeceptaliility for sixteen years, he re - 
signed in 1836, on account of his ill health; 
he died in 1840. 

Dr. William Montgomery, born 1791, died 
1844, long a resident, and a representative 
from this county, entered public life in 1824, 
as a Senator from Orange count}^ in the Leg- 
silature, and served till 1834, when he was 
was elected a member of the 24th Congress 
(1835-'37) and continued to the 25th and 26th 
Congress, 1841 where he declined further pub- 
lic life. He was distinguished for the inflexi- 
bility of his political principles, and his fidelity 
to his party. 

Willie Person .Mangum, born 1792, died 
Sept. 14th, 1861, a native and resident of this 
County was born in 1792, and educated at tlie 
University where he graduated in 1815, in the 
same class with John H. Bryan, Isaac Croom, 
Francis L. Hawks, Richard Dobbs Spaight, Jr. 
aud others. He studied law, and became so 
distinguished in the profession that in 1819 at 
the early age of 28 he was elected one of the 
Judges of the Superior Courts. He had been 
the previous year, elected a memher of the 
Legislature. In 1823 he was elected a mcmljcr 
of the 28tli Congress (1824) and re-elected 
to the next Congress, after 1826 he was again 
elected a Judge of the Superior Courts. In 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



335 



1829 he was elected and voted for Jackson; 
in 1831, he was elected Senator in Congress 
and served till 1836 wlien, under instructions, 
he resigned. His party came again into 
power, and 18-11 he was again elected Senator 
and re-elected in 1847 and served till 4th 
March, 1854. He lived in high party times, 
and his political life was chequered with alter- 
nate success and defeat. Yet he hore the one 
with dignity and moderation, and the other 
with calmness and resignation. 

In 1837 he received the electoral vote of 
South Carolina for President. On the death 
of Gen. Harrison (1841) and the accession of 
Mr. Tyler to the Presidency, he was elected as 
pre.siding officer in the Senate, and through the 
term of Mr. Tyler's administration held this 
dignitied position. 

He now retired from the husy theatre of pol- 
itics in which he had been so prominent an ac- 
tor, to his country home at Red Mountain. His 
latter days were clouded by sorrow at the loss 
of a favorite son in battle. He died at home 
on Sept. 14th, 1861. 

He married Miss Cain of Orange. 

\ Thomas H. Benton, (born 178^, died 1858,) 
was born near Hillsboro, N. C.,at Hart's Mills, 
March 14th, 1782. He was educated at the 
University, but never graduated. He studied 
law under St. George Tucker at William and 
Mary College, Va. He entered the United 
States Araiy, but soon resigned his commis.sion 
as Lieutenant Colonel; and in 1811 settled 
in Nashville, Tenn., where he commenced the 
practice of law. After a short time he emi- 

\ grated to St. Louis, Missouri, and became con- 
nected with the press. He soon arose to posi- 
tion and influence, and in 1820 was elected to 
the Senate of the United States. To the Sen- 
ate he was repeatedly re-elected for "thirty 
years," and there was no public measure from 
1821 to 1851 in which he did not take an active 
part; every subject he discussed was exhausted 



by his research and powers of investigation. 
He was a decided democrat, and the chief sup- 
porter of Jackson and Van Buren in the Sen- 
ate. His long term of service caused others, 
who wished his place,"to supplant him, by strong 
efforts they were finally successful. He was, 
however, returned to 33rd Congress (1853-55) 
as a member of the House. He then retired 
from public service and devoted the balance 
of his life to the compilation of his Register of 
Debates. He died at Washington (Mty April 
10th, 1858. 

General Geo. B. Anderson, (born April Iz, 
1831, died Oct. 16, 1862,) was the son of Wil- 
liam E. Anderson, born near Hillsboro. His 
mother was Eliza, daughter of Geo. Burgwyn, 
of New Hanover. 

His education was conducted by William 
Bingham, and at the Caldwell Institute, imtil 
1848, when he was, on the recommendation of 
Hon. A. W. Venable, appointed a cadet at the 
United States Military Academy, where he 
graduated in 1852. He was then appointed 
Lieutenant of Dragoons. After spending six 
montlis in the Cavalry School, at Carlisle, he 
was appointed assistant to Lt. Parke of the En- 
gineers and ordered to locate the route for a 
railroad to California. This duty performed, 
he joined his regiment in Texas, and marched 
over to Fort Riley, Kansas, where the troops 
were constantly engaged in arresting predatory 
parties, headed liy Lane and Ossawatomie 
Brown, or Missouri mobs. When the war of 
1861 began he resigned his commission in the 
United States Army, and hastened to North 
Carolina to share the fortunes of his native 
State. He was the first officer of the old army 
who tendered his sword and services to North 
Carolina. He was appointed on May 18, 1861, 
by Gov. Ellis, colonel to the 4th Reg't, N. C. 
troops; John A. Young, of Charlotte, was the 
Lt. Col., and Bryan Grimes, of Pitt, Major. 
The Regiment after being organized at Garys- 



336 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



bvu-g, marched to the front. Though engaged 
in slight skirmislies at "Williamsburg, the 4th 
Regiment did not receive its real baptism till 
May 31, in the bloody battle of Seven Pines. 
Here, in the absence of General Featherston, 
Colonel Anderson commanded a Brigade, con- 
sisting of the 49th Va., Col. (Ex-Gov.) Wm. 
Smith; 27th and 28th Georgia, and the 4th N. 
C The latter went into this battle with 520 
men and 27 officers. It lost 86 men killed, 376 
wounded , and 24 officers. Such was the gallant 
bearing and skillful conduct of Colonel An- 
derson, that lie received the highest encomiums 
from his commander, Gen. D. H. Hill, and was 
promoted on .June the 9th to be a Brigadier- 
General, and the 2n(l, 4th, 14th and 20th regi- 
ments of North Carolina troops were assigned as 
his brigade. 

In the series of battles around Richmond 
the brigade earned an immortality of renown. 
At Malvern Hill, Gen. Anderson was wounded 
in the hand. At the liattle of Sharpsburg, 
Sept. 17th, he occupied a priniiiticnt position 
on slightly rising ground. While thus exposed 
he was struck by a niinnie ball near the ankle 
joint and fell. He was carried with diffi- 
culty and danger to the rear, and subsequently 
across the Potomac to Sheperdstown. Ac- 
companied by his brother. Lieutenant Robert 
Walker Anderson, who was afterwards killed, 
May 5th, 1864, in the Wilderness, he was car- 
ried in a wagon up the valley to Stanton, thence 
by rail to Raleigh. Here at the residence of 
his brother, Wm. E. Anderson, he received 
every attention that science and affection 
could offer. After a fortnight of intense suf- 
fering, mortification set in, and amputation 
was resorted to, as the last hope, but he sank 
under the operation. On the 16th of Oct. 
1862, his pure and noble spirit departed for 
another and better world. 

He was buried in the city cemetery with 
obsequies suitable to his gallant conduct, and 



his heroic death. He married Nov. 8tli, 1857, 
Miss Mildred Ewing, of Louisville. 

While endeavoring to sketch the heroes, 
statesmen and patriots, the patient and labo- 
rious educator of our day should not be ne- 
glected. We extract from "the Living Writers 
of the South," the following tribute to the 
carefulness and merits of one of our most dis- 
tinguished men in that useful profession of edu- 
cation — William Bingham. 

He is of the third generation of a race of 
teachers — teachers who have always main- 
tained a prominent place in that lion()ral)le 
calling. Colonel Bingham was born a school 
master. He was born on July 7th, 1835, and 
has followed like the "pacr Ascamuf''^ of Virgil 
in the "jyi.ssibas iqtds'' of his illustrious sires, 
his father and grand father. After due prep- 
aration by his father, he entered the Univer- 
sity and graduated in 1856 in the same class 
with Clement Dowd, (Mr. Dowd's thesis at 
this commencement was "the corrupting in- 
fluences of political controversy," ) John T. Gil- 
more, Thos. B. Slade and others, attaining the 
first distinction throughout the course. 

This nursery of so manj^ distinguished youths 
of our State, the Bingham School, was estab- 
lished by the Rev. William Bingham in 1793, 
it was removed from New Berne to Hillsboro 
and still survives in undiminished usefulness 
the pride and ornament of the State. He com- 
menced teaching at 12 years of age,and in 1861 
was an author of a text book in Latin. 

He has published: 

1. A Grammar of the Latin, with exercises 
and vocabularies, Greeiusboro, 1863. 

2. Ca?sar's Commentaries with notes 1864. 

3. A Grammar of the English language, 
1867, which is pronounced to be the best gram- 
mar ever published in the United States. 

Col. Bingham is preparing an edition of 
Sallust's "Jugurthine War, and Conspiracy of 
Cataline " 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



337 



Without some reference to this nlmn mnttr, 
the University of North Carohna, a hook of 
roininiscetisee of eminent North Carolinians 
wouhl he incomplete. 

When we consider the extended list of her 
alumni, who have risen to eminence and to he- 
come ornaments of their native land, hoth at 
home and in other States; so many of that 
band of i^radiiates have become laurel crowned 
and honored in every sphere of life's duties, 
that their (dmn nutter cannot but feel elated 
with much of the same pride, whicli the poet 
says, swelled the breasts of the mother of the 
gods on Mount Olympus, as she looked upon 
her children- 

Spo all her procciiy, illustrious siglit! 
Behold and count tlicni ;isthcy rise to sight, 
.She sees around her in the blest abode, 
A hundred sons, and every son a god! 

Therefore, I have extracted from apulili^hed 
address of the late Hon. William 11. Battle, 
delivered June, IStio, the following reminis- 
cences: 

It is the boast of our State that in its or- 
ganic law, provision is made for the instruction 
of her youtli in all useful learning. By the 
4l8t section of the Constitution it is declared : 
"That a school or schools shall be established b}' 
the legislature for the convenient instruction 
of youth, with such salaries to the masters, paid 
by the public, as may enable them to instruct 
at low prices ; and all useful learning shall be 
duly encouraged and promoted in one or more 
universities." The merit of those who adopted 
this wise provision cannot be duly appreciated, 
without adverting for a moment to the time 
at, and the circumstances under which it was 
nuidc. The war of the Revolution had but 
fairly commenced, and the Declaration of In- 
dependence had only a few months before been 
promulgated, when a convention of the people 
met at the town of Halifax for the purpose of 
preparing a constitution or form of govern- 
ment for the State. The country was poor. 



the people generally but slightly educated, and 
the war then raging was of douljtful issue, yet 
the members of the convention were resolved 
that their posterity should enjoy the advanta- 
ges of education which had been denied to the 
most of them. There can be no doubt that a 
large majority of those members had been in- 
structed only in the plain rulesof reading, writ- 
ing and arithmetic, but destitute as they were 
of book learning, the}' had, in the business of 
social and political life, improved their mental 
faculties, and had thereby educated themselves 
to a due appreciation of the rights and privil- 
eges to which, as free men, they were entitled. 
A few, and but a few of them, were men who 
had been more favored by fortune, and were 
well instructed in all the branches of a classical 
and scientific education. Prominent among 
these were Richard Caswell, Thomas Burke, 
•lohn Ashe, Samuel Ashe, Abner Nash, David 
Caldwell, Joseph Ilewes, Thomas Jones, Allen 
Jones, Willie Jones, Cornelius Harnett, Archi- 
bald McLaine and VVaightstill Avery. Richard 
f^aswell was president of the convention, and 
Tliomas Burke was chairman of the committee 
on the constitution. They were both eiuinent 
lawyers, and it is to them and their enlightened 
compeers that we are indebted to that section 
of the constitution from which have emanated 
our University, our Colleges and our noble sys- 
tem of Common Schools. The constitution was 
ratified the 18th day of December, 1776, and the 
war ceased by a definite treaty of peace which 
secured our independence in September, 1783; 
but was not until the year 1789 that the finan- 
cial condition of the State justified the legisla- 
ture in making the necessary expenditures for 
the foundation of a University. In that year 
the charter of this institution was granted, and 
among the patriotic and enlightened members 
who advocated it, no one stood more conspicu- 
ous than Gen'l William R. Davie. Of his 
efforts on that occasion, the late Judge Mur- 



338 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



phey, who delivered the first animal address he- 
fore your Societies, tlms spoke in that address: 
" The General Assembly resolved to found our 
University. I was present at the House of 
Connuons, Avhen Davie addressed that body 
upon the bill granting a loan of money to the 
Trustees for erecting the building of this Uni- 
versity, and although more than thirty years 
have since elapsed, I have the most vivid recol- 
lections of the greatness of his manner and the 
powers of his eloquence upon that occasion." 
After the grant of the charter, the iirst object 
which engaged the attention of the Trustees, 
was to fix upon a site for the institution. The 
first Board consisted of forty menibei's who re- 
sided in various parts of the State, and were 
all men distinguished for position and influence. 
The committee appointed by them for the pur- 
pose, after a careful examination of many places 
which had been suggested them as suitable, se- 
lected Chapel Hill. This place was so-called 
from its being the site of one of the anti-revo- 
lutionary churches of the English Establish- 
ment. The church building is said to have 
stood on the lot now occupied by Capt. Rich- 
ard S. Ashe. It may not be uninteresting to 
revert to the terms in which the location was 
spoken of in one of the public journals of that 
day : 

"The seat of the University is on the sum- 
mit of a very high ridge. There is a gentle 
declivity of 300 yards to the village, whi^i is 
situated in a handsome plain considerably 
lower than the site of the public buildings, but 
so greatly elevated above the neighboring 
country as to furnish an extensive landscape. 
The ridge appears to commence about half a 
mile directly east of the college buildings, 
where it rises abruptly several hundred feet. 

This peak is called Point Prospect. The 
flat country spreads oft" below, like the ocean 
giving an immense hemisphere, in which the 
eye seems to be lost in the extent of space." 



The building committee, having in the year 
1793 secured a competent contractor in the per- 
son of Mr. James Patterson, of Chatham Coun- 
ty, the 12th da}' of October in tliat year was 
fixed upon for laying the corner stone of the 
first building. The following account of the 
ceremony subsequently appeared in the journal 
to which we have already referred: "A large 
number of the brethren of the Masonic order 
from Hillsboro', Chatham, Grrauville and War- 
ren attended to assist at the ceremony of plac- 
ing the cornerstone, and the procession for this 
purpose moved from Mr. Patterson's at 12 
o'clock in the following order: The Masonic 
brethren in their usual order of procession, the 
Commissioners, the Trustees not commission- 
ers, the Hon. Judge McKay and other public 
officers; then followed the gentlemen of the 
vicinity. On approaching the south end of the 
building the .Masons opened to the right and 
left,and the Commissioners,etc., passed through 
and took their place. The Masonic procession 
then moved on round the foundati'ou of the 
building, and halted with their usual ceremo- 
nies opposite the southeast corner, where Wil- 
liam Richardson Davie, Grand Master of the 
Fraternity, etc., in this State, assisted by two 
Masters of Lodges and four other officers, laid 
the corner-stone, enclosing a plate to commem- 
orate the transaction." 

The Rev. Dr. McCorkle, a member of the 
Board of Trustees, then made an appropriate 
and eloquent address to his fellow members and 
the spectators, which closed as follows: " The 
seat of the University was next sought for, and 
the public eye selected Chapel Hill, a lovely sit- 
uation, in the centre ,of the State, at a conven- 
ient distance from the capital, in a healthy and 
fertile neighborhood. May this hill be for reli- 
gion as the ancient hill of Zion; and for litera- 
ture and the muses may it surpass the ancient 
Parnassus! We this day enjoy the pleasure of 
seeing the corner stone of the University, its 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



339 



t'ouiulatioii, its material, and llie arrliitcct of 
tlie buildings, and we hope ere long to see its 
stately walls and spire ascending to their siuii- 
niit. Ere long we hope to see it adorned with 
an elegant village, accommodated with all the 
necessaries and conveniences of civilized so- 
ciety." This address was followed by a short 
prayer, which closed with the united Anioi 
of an immense concourse of people. 

The building, since called the East, having 
been suiHciently prepared, Mr. Hinton James, 
of Wilmington, the first student, arrived on the 
Hill the 12th day of February, 1795, and the 
exercises of the institution were soon after com- 
menced. The first instructor was the Rev. 
David Kerr, a graduate of Trinity College, 
Dublin, who was Professor of Ancient Lan- 
guages, and he was assisted by Samuel Allen 
Holmes in the preparatory department. Shortly 
afterwards Charles W. Harris, a native of Ire- 
dell County, in this State, and a graduate of 
Princeton College in New Jersey, was ap- 
pointed Professor of Mathematics, but he held 
the office only one year, when he was succeeded 
by the Rev. Joseph Caldwell, who was also a 
graduate of Princeton, and a native of New 
Jersey. The first commencement, at which the 
degree of Bachelor of Arts was conferred, was 
held in the year 1798, when seven young gen- 
tlemen, among whom was Mr. Hinton James ^ 
received that degree. 

For several years after the erection of the 
first building, the accommodations for the stu- 
dents, both in the collegiate and the prepara- 
tory department, remained nearly the same. 
The old Chapel and the East were the only edi- 
fices, and the latter was then only two stories 
high, and contained but sixteen rooms. The old 
chapel was the Aula Personua in which the de- 
grees were for many years conferred. 

The South building was commenced, carried 
up a story and a half, and then left for a long 
time in an unfinished state. We are told by 



|)r. Hooper in his adniiralile address before 
Alumni of this institution, entitled "Fifty 
Years Since," that the students who could not 
well prepare their lessons in the crowded dor- 
mitories of the East, wore in the habit of erect- 
ing cabins in the corners of the unfinished brick 
walls of the South, where they could pursue 
their studies to better advantage. But Dr. 
Caldwell, who was then President, could not 
long endure this state of things; and by his ac- 
tive exertions, the sum of twelve thousand dol- 
lars was raised by subscription, which enabled 
the Trustees to have the South building com- 
pleted. This was done in 1812; and about the 
year 1824, the West building was erected and 
an additional story was put upon the East. 
Shortly afterwards the new chapel was built; 
and in 18-18 extensions were added to the East 
and West buildings, which was done mainly for 
the accommodation of the two Literary Socie- 
ties, whose two rooms in the third story of the 
South had become too small for the increased 
number of members. The buildings since erec- 
ted have been the University library, and the 
wings to the East and West. The two last were 
finished and prepared for occupation only a 
short time before the commencement of the 
war. The beautiful and commodious Society 
Halls contained in them have been the admira- 
tion of all beholders. 

At the commencement of the institution, 
and for several years afterwards, the range of 
studies was very contracted. Greek was not 
introduced into the course until 1804, and in 
the year 1807, we learn that Morse's Geogra- 
phy was one of the principal studies of the Soph- 
omore class. The higher mathematics were not 
introduced until the Rev. Elislia .Mitchell came 
here as professor of that science in 1819. The 
same year witnessed the advent of Denison 
Olmsted as the first Professor of Chemistry; 
and in the year following, the Rev. Shepherd 
K. KoUock, was in like manner the first Pro- 



340 



\yHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



sessor of Rhetoric and Logic. After that time 
the number and variety of studies were .2;reatly 
increased, and it is believed that the present 
college curriculum is on as high a scale as any 
in the United States. 

The University has, in the main, been for- 
tunate in its governors and instructors. Dur- 
ing the first nine years of its existence, it had 
no president, but was under the management 
of a professor as a presiding otiicer; that otiicer 
however, was, for the greater part of the time, 
the same distinguished gentleman who after- 
wards became its first president. Of his emi- 
nent merits in that respect it is unnecessary for 
me to speak at this time and in this place. The 
beautiful monument erected to his memory by 
the Alumni of this institution, and which now 
graces and adorns the college campus, full}' at- 
tests his claim to distinction, not only as the 
head of the University, but as a learned divine 
and an early and etiicient advocate of a system 
of internal improvements and of common 
schools in the State. His presidency extended 
from his first appointment in 1804, until his 
death in 1835, with the exception of an inter- 
val of four years, from 1812 to 1816, during 
which the unsuccessful administration of Dr. 
Robert H. Chapman occurred. Of the present 
incumbent,* I shall say nothing, except that he 
has filled the office with distinguished success 
for nearly thirty years. In administering the 
affairs of college, and in businessof instruction, 
the presidents were aided by a succession of 
many learned and able professors. Of tliose 
who are now members of the faculty, it will not 
be expected of me to speak; and of those who 
have gone from us and are still living, I will 
merely refer you to Dr. William Hooper and 
John DeBerniere Hooper, to Bishop Green, of 
Mississippi, to Professor Hedrick, and to Drs. 
Deems, Wheat and Sbipji. Among the dead 

•Hon. David L. Swain. 



there are several names which the friends of 
the University ought not to permit to be for- 
gotten. There was Charles W. Harris, to whose 
brief sojourn here we were indebted for Dr. 
Caldwell; there was Archibald D. Murphey,who 
afterwards became one of the most distin- 
guished jurists and statesmen of North Caro- 
lina; the Rev. William Bingham, of whom 
Chief Justice Taylor said, that as a teacher of 
a school he was well qualified to raise its repu- 
tation, " by the extent of his acquirements, the 
purity of his life, and the judgment by which 
he accommodated the discipline and instruc- 
tions of the school to the various talents and 
dispositions of the youth." There was Dr. Ethan 
A. Andi'ews, so well known for his classical la- 
bors; and Dr. Olmsted, who, as Professor of 
Natural Philosophy at Yale College, so gi-eatly 
increased the reputation which he had estab- 
lished as Professor of Chemistry here ; there was 
Nicholas M. Hentz, a learned man, but not so 
widely' known as his accomplished wife, Mrs. 
Caroline Lee Hentz; there was Walker Ander- 
son, who afterwards removed to Florida and 
became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of 
that State; and finally there was Dr. Elisha 
Mitchell, whose varied, extensive and profound 
literary and scientific acquirements were lost 
to the world a few years ago by a tragical event 
which sent a pang of sorrow to every votary of 
science throughout the land. 

In referring to the instructors of the institu- 
tion, the tutors should not be passed over with- 
out a notice. Among the living and the dead, 
they have very able and distinguished repre- 
sentatives. Among the living are ex-Governor 
Morehead, Hamilton C. Jones, Anderson 
Mitchell, Giles Mebane, Judge Manly, ex- Sec- 
retary Jacob Thompson, and others whose 
names may yet swell the trump of fame. Among 
the dead, I would point you to James Martin, 
afterwards a Judge of the Superior Court; to 
Gavin Hogg, long one of the ablest lawyers of 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



341 



the State; to Lewis Williams, who was a nieiii- 
berofthe House of Representatives so lonsi;tliat 
he aeijuired tlie name of father of the House; 
to Williaii) I). Moseley, for many years Speaker 
of the Senate in this State, ami afterwards 
Governor of Florida; to James II. Otey, tlie 
able and learned Bishop of Tennessee; to the 
Rev. Josepli II. Saunders, whose earl\' death 
cut short a hi-ight career of usefulness iu his 
church; to Edward D. Simms, whose growing 
reputation as a professor in the University of 
Alabama was closed by death before he had at- 
tained the mei'idian of his years; and to Al)ra- 
ham F. Morehead, the youngest member of a 
distinguished family ,who would doubtless have 
greatly increased the fame of that family, had 
he not died in tlie earliest dawn of manhood. 
I name with peculiar sadness George P. Bryan, 
George B. Johnston, Iowa Royster and E.Gra- 
ham Morrow, who have so recently been cvn- 
signed to soldiers' graves. 

From this hasty and imperfect s'^etch of the 
origin and history of the University, it appears 
clearly and stroiigly"that - Vtie founders of our 
republic and their successors, have always had a 
deep sense of the 'importance of a collegiate ed- 
ucation. The; enquiry is naturally presented, 
how far their hopes have been realized from 
this institution; in other wcn-ds, with what 
nieaPjure of success has it been attended in pro- 
m<jting and advancing the weal of the State? 
. A practical solution of this enquiry may perhaps 
be obtained by ascertaining, if we can, what 
influence the men who received their educa- 
tion here have had in the management and di. 
rection of the affairs of the General aud State 
governments. It is unnecessary on this occa- 
sion, to go into minute details on this subject, 
but we can say in general, and say with cer- 
tainty, that there is scarcely an office or place 
of profit or trust, or any position in the busi- 
ness of life, professional or non-professional, 
ecclesiastical or lay, military or civil, which 



has not been filled, time and again, by some 
one who has received his education, in whole 
or in part, at this University. To the general 
government it has furnished one President, at 
least five mend)ors of the cabinet and foui- min- 
isters to foreign rourts, while of the number 
which it has sent to the Senate and House of 
Representatives it is difficult to make a reck- 
oning In the State government there is hardly 
any office which has not been filled by those 
who have gone forth from these halls. It has 
its representatives in the highest places of the 
church, among the leaders at the bar, anil in 
the chambers where suffering humanity most 
needs the aid of educated science and skill. 
It has supplied banks and railroads with pres- 
idents, clerks and superintendents. It sends its 
AlurP'.d to explore mines and to construct rail- 
Toads; and above all and best of all, it furnishes 
to agriculture and commerce some of their mo.-t 
enlightened, energetic and skillful votaries. 

The exciting times through which we have 
just passed and are now passing, have prevented 
me from bringing more particularly to your at- 
tention the men whom our University has sent 
forth to act their parts in the world. It is only 
l)y the offices which they have filled, or the 
places ^ rhich they have occupied, that I have 
recalled them to your recollection. Many of 
them have paid the great debt of nature, and 
gone to render to their Maker an account of 
their stewardship. Others are still living to 
perform, it may be, higher duties to their coun- 
try, and to obtain greater rewards for them- 
selves. Of all these, dead or living, I have 
nothing further to say. But with your indul- 
gence, I will occupy a few more moments of 
your time in recalling from the dim recollections 
of the past the names of a few men, each of 
whom was regarded as the college genius of 
the day, and who with well directed energies 
and a longer life, might have left a name which 
the world would not willingly have let die. 



342 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



William Cherry was a native of Bertie 
<-ouiity, and was graduated here in the year 
1800. While in college he was not a very dil- 
igent student, Init his aptitude for learning 
was so marvellous that, it was said, he could 
prepare his lesson after the recitation hell had 
commenced ringing. Having selected the law as 
his profession, he had already attained an ex- 
tensive practice and a high rank at the Bar, 
when his career was cut short by death, caused 
by intemperance, at the early age of twenty- 
seven. Those who were engaged in practice 
with him could not but wonder at the admir- 
able manner in which he managed his causes, 
knowing as they did that the time which he 
ought to have spent in thepreperation of them, 
was passed at the card table and around the in- 
toxicating bowl. A story is still remein.^ered, 
that on one occasion, in the forgetfulness cause(3 
by a deep debauch, he opened an important 
cause by making a very aljle argument on the 
wrong side; but being made aware of his mis- 
take just as he was about to close, he, immedi- 
ately, with admirable presence of mind, com- 
menced a reply for his own client, by saying 
that the argument which he had just made was 
what he supposed would be urged by his oppo- 
nent, and that he would proceed to answer it, 
and expose its fallacy. Tradition, however, re- 
ports that his first argument was so masterly 
that he could not answer it successfully, and 
thus lost his cause. 

About fifteen years after Mr. Cherry left the 
University a young man from the County of 
Nash was, with many others, suspended from 
college in consequence of what was long known 
as the great rebellion of 1817, which resulted 
in the expulsion of the leaders, Messrs. George 
C. Drumgoole and William B. Shepard, and the 
resignation of the President, Dr. Chapman. 
The expelled members both afterwards became 
distinguished men, but talented as they un- 
doubtedly were, they were decidedly inferior 



in genius to their classmate and friend, Thomas 
N. Mann. He became a lawyer, and at the 
time when he fell a victim to consumption, 
while under thirty years of age, he was one of 
the best read and most profound lawyers in the 
State. Though so young, he was appointed by 
the then President of the United States as 
Charge iV Affaires to Central America and died 
while on his way to the court of that country. 
In the year of 1824, Thomas Dewes, a young 
man from the County of Lincoln, took his de- 
gree of Bachelor of Arts, dividing with Prof. 
Simms, Judge Manly and ex-Governor Graham 
the highest honor of the class. His parents were 
poor, and it is said resorted to the humble oc- 
cupation of selling cakes for the purpose of pro- 
curing means for the education of their prom- 
ising boy. After his graduation, he studied 
law and commenced the practice with every 
prospect of eminent success, when, unhappily, 
a morbid sensitiveness of temperament drove 
him to habit'' of intemperance, during one of 
the fits of which he came to an untimely end 
His name which ougi^t to have gone down to 
posterity on account of gr^at deeds achieved by 
extraordinary talents, will pr6>l>ably be remem- 
bered only in connection with a tappily turned 
impromptu epitaph. When ex-Gove'r^of Svvain 
was at the Bar, he was, on a certain xpccasion, 
at the same Court with Messrs. James R. Djdge , 
Hillman and Dewes. Mr. Swain had seen son?®" 
where a punning epitaph on a man namea 
Dodge, which ended with the couplet that 

"After dodging all he could, 
He couldu't dodge tlie devil." 

This he wrote on a piece of paper and handed 

it to the other members of the Bar, whose 

merriment it very much excited. After a while 

it reached the hands of Mr. Dodge himself, 

who, seeing from whom it came and supposing 

that Hillman and Dewes were participes erimi- . 

rds, immediately wrote on the back the follow 

ing: 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



343 



"Here lie a Hillraau anil a Swai". 

Tli<-ir lot let no man choose 
Tliev lived in sin and died in pain, 
And the devil lias his Dews." 

Those who are familiar with the playful and 
happy turn of thought and e.xiiresjsion which 
distinguish the lighter writings of Washington 
Irving will not be surprised to learn that Mr. 
J)odge is his nephew. 

The next and last college genius to whom T 
shall call your attention was the late Gen. James 
Johnston Pettigrew. Born in the County of 
Tyrrell, he was prepared for college at the cel- 
ebrated school of William J. Bingham, a son 
of the Rev. William Bingham already men- 
tioned, and entered the Freshman class here in 
the year 1843. Ilis whole college course was a 
continued series of literary triumphs. In a class 
containing many members of more than ordi- 
nary- talents he was among the best, if not the 
very best, in all his studies; but mathematics 
was his speciality. In that he was far ahead of 
all his classmates. I well remember being pres- 
ent at the examination of the class on Astron - 
omy, when the learned Professor, after having 
worried several members by putting questions 
which they could not answer, called up Mr 
Pettigrew. As he did so one of the class, in 
a whisper loud enough to be heard half across 
the room, said, "You can't stick him," and sure 
enough he couldn't. After taking the Bach- 
elor's degree, and after a short term of service 
n the Naval Observatory in Washington city, 
he selected the Law as his profession, and went 
to Europe to perfect himself in that depart- 
ment of it called the civil law. On his return 
he settled in Charleston and became connected 
in practice with his distinguished relative, the 
late Hon. James L. Petigru, who was perhaps 
the ablest and most profound lawyer in South 
Carolina. During his brief residence there he 
became one of the representatives of the city in 
the Legislatureof the State. While a member 
of that body he greatly distinguished himself 



by .sending in from a committee a minority re- 
port against a scheme then proposed for taking 
steps towards the reopening of the slave trade. 
He himself constituted the minority, and his 
report was so profound in its views, and so con- 
vincing in its arguments, that the proposed 
measure failed to secure the sanction of the 
Legislature, though strongly urged in a icpurt 
agreed upon by all the other members of the 
committee. 

Wlien the war broke out between the North 
and the South he espoused the cause of his sec- 
tion of the country. After some service at Char- 
leston he came to this State, was elected Colo- 
nel of one of its regiments and was afterwards 
promoted to the rank of Major-General. Of his 
merits as a soldier and an officer it is unneces- 
sary for me now to speak. His untimely death, 
in a slight skirmish near the banks of the Poto- 
mac during General Lee's retreat from Penn- 
sylvania, caused his friends and his country to 
deplore an event which extinguished the light 
of his genius long ere it had attained its merid- 
ian splendor. 

My young friends, my task is done and no 
one can feel more sensibly than myself how im- 
perfectly it lias been accomplished. No one 
can know more fully than myself how difficult 
it has been to withdraw my thoughts from the 
unhappy condition of our country and apply 
them to the work of attempting to prepare an 
offering worthy of your acceptance. 

In the commencement of my address I had 
occasion to refer to the low condition to which 
the war had suddenly reduced our beloved LTni- 
versity. Its declension was as great as it was 
sudden. Before the war it had attained, in a 
very few yeart^, a height of prosperity of which 
scarcely a parallel can be found in any country. 
In the extent and variety of its studies, the 
nund)er and ability of its instructors and the 
number of its students, it surpassed nearly all 
sinular institutions in our own section of the 



344 



WHEELEE'S REMINISCENCES. 



country, and was lieginiiing to rival the old, 
time-honored establishments of Yale and Har- 
vard. In the year 1858 its catalogue showed a 
larger number of under gi-aduates than that of 
any other college in the United States, except 
Yale. All this success was accomplished in a 
very short time. A glance at the rapidly in- 
creasing ratio of its graduates will illustrate the 
truth of my remark. For the first ten years 
after the date in which degrees were conferred 
h\ the University, the number of students 
who received the Baccalaureate was 53 ; for 
the second decade it was 110 ; for the third 
259 ; for the fourth 146 ; for the fifth 308 ; for 
the sixth 448 ; and for the seventh the annual 
number was going on at a rate which would 
have produced 882, nearly the double of that 
which immediately preceded it. 

Another striking manifestation of the grow- 
ing fame and the wide-spreading influence of 
the University was afibrded by the honor of 
having had among the visitors at each of the 
commencements of 1847 and 1859 the then 
President of the United States and a part of 
his cabinet. On the first of these occasions 
one of her own sons came to greet his fair 
mother, and on the second a stranger from a 
distant State came to do her honor. 

The editor deems that no apology to the 
reader is needed for completing this sketch of 
the history of the University from the pen of 
an illustrious father, by adding the following 
from the pen of his illustrious son. 

Hon. Kemp P. Battle, the President, on 
University day 1883, in Gerrard Hall, gave a 
most interesting History of the Buildings of 
the University of North Carolina : 

This anniversary day commemorates the lay- 
ing of the corner stone of the Old East Build- 
ing, on the 12th of October, 1793. I have al- 
ready recounted at length the celebration of 
that momentous event, when Wm. Richardson 
Davie, in stately dignity, arrayed in his Grand 



Master's Regalia, with his silver trowel in the 
hand which had weilded the warrior's sword, 
surrounded l)y Alfred Moore, W. H. Hill, 
Treasurer .John Haywood, Alexander Mebane, 
John Williams, Thomas Blount, Frederick 
Hargett, and other eminent men of that day, 
including the generous donors of our land, 
Benjamin Yergain, Colonel John Hogan, Mat- 
thew McCauley, Christopher Barbee, Alexan- 
der Piper, James Craig, Edward Jones, John 
Daniel, Mark Morgan and Hardy Morgan, gave 
tangible form to the institution, for which he 
had labored with such persistent energy and 
wisdom, while Dr. Samuel E. McCorkle in- 
voked the blessing of Heaven on the enterprise. 

The building was of humble size, only two 
stories high, with 16 rooms, designed for the 
occupancy of four students each, but it sheltered 
many able young men struggling hard and 
struggling successfully for the inestimable 
benefits of diciplined minds — such men as 
Judge Archibald Murphey, Governor John 
Branch and Francis L. Dancy, John L. Haw- 
kins, Wm. Hardy Murfree, Judge John Cam- 
eron, Judge James Martin, Judge John R. 
Donnell, Gavin Hogg and Chancellor Williams 
of Tennessee, of the earlier students, not to 
mention the names of great men who inhab- 
ited it in succeeding years. 

The Old East was intended only as the 
South wing of a grander structure looking to 
the East, to front a wide avenue, nearly a 
mile long, leading through the forests east- 
wardly to the conspicuous eminence of which 
Gen. Davie speaks : "This peak," he says, "is 
called Point Prospect. The flat country spreads 
out below like the ocean, giving an immense 
hemisphere, in which the eye seems to be lost 
in the extent of space." The name has by the 
mutation of time become singularly inappro- 
priate. The growth of trees and brushwood 
has shut out the " prospect " and the irreverent 
successors of Davie, not being able to see the 



OKANGE COUNTY. 



345 



" Point," have with tar-heel ol)8tinacy and tar- 
heel appropriateness changed it into " Piney." 

It will doubtless interest you to hear a few 
sentences in Davie's own language, describing 
the laying of this corner stone. He says : " A 
large number of the brethren of the Masonic 
Order from Ilillsboro, Chatham, Granville and 
Warren attended at the ceremony of placing 
the corner stone ; and the procession for thin 
purpose mo\'ed from *Mr Patterson's at 12 
o'clock, in the following order : the Masonic 
brethren in tlieir usual order of i)rocession ; 
the commissioners ; the Trustees, not comnns- 
sioners ; the lion. Judge Mackay and other 
public officers ; then followed the gentlemen 
of the vicinity. On approaching the south end 
of the building the Masons opened to the 
right and left and the commissioners, &c., pas- 
sed tlu-ough and took their places. The Ma- 
sonic procession then moved on around the 
foundation of the building and then halted 
with their usual ceremonies, opposite the 
Southeast corner,where "VVm. Richardson Davie, 
Grand Master of the Fraternity, &c., in this 
State, assisted by two Masters of Lodges and 
fom- other officers, laid the corner stone, en- 
closing a plate to commemorate the transac- 
tion." 

" The Rev. Dr. McCorckle then addressed 
the Trustees in an excellent discourse suited 
to the occasion." I give only a few sentences. 
He commenced by saying : " It is our duty to 
acknowledge that sacred scriptual truth, "Ex- 
cept the Lord build the house, they labor in 
vain who build it ; except the Lord watchcth 
the city, the watchman walketh but in vain." 
He then contended that " the advancement of 
learning and science is one great means of en- 
suring the happiness of mankind." • * * 
"Liberty and law call for general knowledge 

•Note. — Mr. Patterson was the architect. His tem- 
porary dwelling was on Cameron Avenue East. 



ill the people and extensive knowledge in the 
matters of State ; and these demand public 
places of education." • • • « How can 
glory or wealth l)e procured and preserved 
without liberty and laws? " • • • 
"Knowledge is wealth, it is glory, wlietber 
among philosophers, ministers of State or Reli- 
gion, or among the great mass of the people. 
Britons glory in the name of a Newton and 
honor him with a place among the sepulchres of 
their Kings. Americans glory in the name of a 
Franklin, and every nation boasts of her great 
men, who has them. Savages cannot have, 
rather cannot (■diiadc them, though many a 
Newton has been born and buried among 
them." « * * "Knowledge is liberty and 
lav/. When the clouds of ignorance are dis- 
pelled by the radiance of knowledge, power 
trembles, but the authority of the laws remain 
inviolable." * * * "And how this knowl- 
edge, productive of so many advantages to 
mankind, can be acquired without public places 
of education, I know not." Dr. McCorckle 
concludes as follows : "The seat of the Uni- 
versity was sought for, and the public eye se- 
lected Chapel Hill, a lovely situation, in the 
centre of the State, at a convenient distance 
from the capitol, in a healthy and fertile neigh- 
borhood. May this hill be for religion, as the 
ancient hill of Zion ; and for literature and the 
muses may it surpass the ancient Parnassus. 
We this day enjoy the pleasure of seeing the 
corner-stone of the University, its foundation, 
its material and the architect for the building, 
and before long we will see its stately walls 
and spires ascending to their summit. Ere 
long we hope to see itadorned with an elegant 
village, adorned with all the necessaries and 
conveniences of civilized society." 

" The discourse," says Davie, "was followed 
by a short and animated prayer, closed with the 
united Amen of an immense concourse of peo- 
ple." 



846 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



The hopes thus expressed so earnestly l>y Dr. 
McCorckle, we on this day, ninety years from 
thedelivery of his noble discourse fully realize. 
We see around us eight stately buildings, from 
which have issued five thousand students, in 
long procession, dispersing over this broad 
Southern land to take their places among its 
strongest and wisest and best leaders, in peace 
and in war. The great institution thus inau- 
gurated has supplied with mental nourishment 
our fathers and grand-fathers, sheds its lus- 
trous influence on us to-daj^, and will be an ed- 
ucational luminary to all the ages which are 
to follow. 

The Old East was designed to be no 
ephemeral structure. The foundation is a 
stone wall three feet thick. The mortar is of 
two measures of lime to one of sand. The 
sleepers are 3 by 10 inches and are only 14 
inches apart. The timbers are of the best heart, 
the bricks carefully made on the University 
grounds and Inirnt hard as the imperishable 
i-ocks. The lime was burnt likewise on our own 
land from shells brought by boat from Wil- 
mington to Fayettevdle and thence hauled by 
wagon. Among the donations of this period I 
find 50 bushels of shells by Richard Bennehan, 
grand-father, as the royal charters say, "of 
our well-beloved cousin and trusted counsellor," 
Paul C. Cameron. 

The Old East continued in its primitive con- 
dition until 1824, when its roof was adorned 
by another story nearer to the skies. At the 
same time the Old West was built of a corres- 
ponding size. In 1848 the length of both was 
extended towards the north so as to admit new 
Society Halls and Libraries. I remember well 
the ceremonies of the inauguration of the new 
Hall, of which I was a member. I violate no 
confidence in describing them, because by gen- 
eral consent the seal of secrecy was removed. 
The Professor of Rhetoric, a graduate of the 
class of 1818, still surviving, the veneralde 



Bishop Green, of the Episcopal diocese of Mis- 
sissippi, a classmate of President Polk, of Rev 
Dr. Morrison, now living, the first President of 
Davidson College, and of our good old friend. 
Gen. Mallett, of New York, opened the exer- 
cises with iirayer. A 3'oung lawyer of the class 
of 1841, now regarded as one of the most cul- 
tured members of that profession our Sia'te 
has produced, who, notwithstanding he has at- 
tained the honor of being the second law offi- 
cer of a country of 50,000,000 people, has not 
lost a particle of his early love for the Univer- 
sity, Gen. Phillips, delivered an address, which 
for appropriateness and literary ability, I have 
never heard surpassed and seldom equalled. 
The first President of the Society in 1795 was 
still living, the venerable James Mebane, who 
had occupied the high office of Speaker of the 
Senate. His father, Alexander Mebane, one 
of the early members of Congress under the 
constitution of 1789, had been one of our early 
Trustees, was one of the committee who selec- 
ted the site of the University and assisted in lay- 
ing the corner stone. As James Mebane had a 
distinguished father, so he had a distinguished 
son, likewise Speaker of the Senate, one of the 
best of men, Giles Mebane, of Caswell. I had 
the eminent honor of sitting by the side of this 
noble father of the Dialectic Society, and pre- 
sidingjointly with him over its deliberations. 
I wish that I could produce the words of wis- 
dom which fell from his lips on that night. 
The oil portrait over the President's chair in 
the Dialectic Hall is a perfectly faithful image 
of the President of 1795. He was of stately 
figure, tall and ponderous. His bearing was 
like Washington's, grave and dignified, al- 
ways courteous, but repelling familiarity. He 
was seated on an elevated platform. In front 
were officers of the Society. I recall Thomas 
Settle, the Vice President, who showed then 
the powers which have made him so eminent 
since, once a Judge of the Supreme Court of 



OKANGE COUNTY. 



347 



North CiiroliiKi, now Judge of the District 
Court of tlie riiited States for Florida. The 
Secretary was Washington C. Kerr, tlie State 
Geologist, one of the most eminent scientific 
men this University or the State lias produced. 
The President of the Society, a nmrkcd con- 
trast to the President of 1795, sat on tlie same 
platform, on his right. While the old Presi- 
dent's weight was near 230, the new balanced 
about 100 jioiinds. lie was thin even to ca- 
daverousness. He was. conspicuous as one of 
the smallest hoys in college. Whatever dig- 
nity he had was borrowed for the occasion. 
He was a hard student, but jokes and laughter 
were more natural to him in those days than 
severity or even gravity of demeanor. 

Having thus presided over the ])ialectic 
Society, jointly with the first President, I feel 
that I have a kind of Apostolic succession in 
that body. 

Having finished the story of the Old East 
and West Iniildings, I return to iiiy starting 
point. 

The lots of the village of Chapel Hill were 
sold on the same 12th of October, 1793, the 
price for all, about $3,000, being considered 
highly satisfactory. It was pressingly neces- 
sary to provide a resideiice for the President, 
or presiding Professor, and also a Steward's 
Hall, wherein the hungry students of the per- 
iod might turn hog and hominy, beef and po- 
tatoes and the juicy " collards" into muscle 
and bones and brains and nerves. The Presi- 
dent's Mansion is the house on the Avenue 
west of the New West Building, which we 
are now getting ready for the occupancy of 
our Professor of Physics and any company 
which he may bring with him from Bonny 
Maryland. In that house were sheltered 
David Kerr and Joseph Caldwell and Dr. Chap, 
man, then it passed into the possession of Dr. 
Elisha Mitchell, who fell a martyr to his love 
of scientific accuracy on the loftiest srmmit of 



the Rlack .Mountains. President Caldwell 
preferred to rest under his own vine and fig 
tree, the present residence of Pfof. Hooper, 
which was purchased by the University after 
Caldwell's death. The old President's house 
contained in the small room at the head of the 
stairs, the library of the institution. 

The Steward's Hall was situate nearly oppo- 
site the New East Building in the centre of 
Cameron Avenue. It .was there that mo.st of 
the students for many years boarded at Com- 
mons, paying for the first year $30, or $3 per 
month, for the ne.xt four years |40 per year or 
$4 per month, in 1800 rising to $.57 per year, in 
1805 to $60, in 1814, under the inflated war 
prices to $66.50, in 1818 to $95, or $9.50 per 
month, in 1839 to $76, when the system was 
abandoned and every man made his own con- 
tracts for the supplies of life. It was in this 
Imilding that the "Balls" of the old days were 
given, at which tradition hath it, venerable 
Trustees and Faculty, even the great Presi- 
dent himself, together with their pupils, with 
hair powdered and plaited into "pigtails", and 
legs encased in tight stockings and knees re- 
splendent with liuckles, mingled in the mazy 
dance with the beauteous damsels of the day, 
whose brilliant dresses and angelic beauty far 
lie it from me to describe. I must for that 
purpose call into my service the scientific pens 
of my unmarried professors, glowing with 
electric energy and chemical forces, or of Dr. 
Manning's students, so well qualified by re- 
searches into the ancient laws, to give informa- 
tion on such antiquarian matters. 

At the Commencement of 1881 wo had a 
most eloquent and instructive address to the 
students by an excellent specimen of tiie old 
school, an octogenarian. Gen. Mallett, of New 
York, lately called to his final home. I intro- 
duced him as having received his diploma 63 
years before that day, and stated that for 70 
years he had never taken a glass of ardent spir- 



348 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



its, and t her cf ore that he had still the inestimable 
blessings of mens sana in eorporc sano, and that 
other still g^i'eater blessings, mens sibi conscia 
rerti In his autobiography, printed only for 
his relatives — a cop}' being given our Historical 
Society at the urgent request of Mrs. Spencer, 
we find an account of the Ball given in com- 
pliment to his class, when graduating. I 
must extract a description of his dress: 

"The style of costume," says Gen. Mallet, 
"and even the manners of the present genera- 
tion are not in my opinion an improvement on 
a half century ago. The managers would not 
admit a gentleman into a l)all-room with boots, 
or even a frock coat; and to dance without 
gloves was simply vulgar. At Commence- 
ment Hall, (when I graduated, 1818,) my 
coat was broadcloth of sea-green color, high 
velvet collar to match, swallow-tail, pockets 
outside with lapels, and large silver-plated but- 
tons; wnite satin damask vest, showing the 
edgeof a blue undervest; a wide opening for 
bosom rutlies, and no shirt collar. The neck 
was dressed with a layer of four or five three- 
cornered cravats, artistically laid, and sur- 
mounted with a cambrick stock, pleated and 
buckled behind. My pantaloons were white 
canton crape, lined with pink muslin, and 
showed a peach blossom tint. They were 
rather short, in order to display flesh colored 
silk stockings, and this exposure was increased 
by very low cut pumps with shiny buckles. 
My hair was very black, very long and queued. 
I should be taken for a lunatic or a harlei^uin 
in such costume now." 

I challenge Mr. Chief Manager Roberts to 
produce a dress as gorgeous as this on any stu- 
dent of the Ball of 1883. 

Having provided dormitories for sheltering 
the students and food for their bodily susten- 
ance, and halls for their mental instruction, the 
Trustees next addressed themselves for provi- 
sion for the religious and moral training. The 



old ante-revolutionary Chapel of the Church 
of England, from which the place took its 
name, originally New Hope Chapel, the place 
being likewise New Hope Chapel Hill, had 
gone to decay. A building under the control 
of the Trustees must be erected. When it 
was barely above the ground the treasury ran 
low; when the strong box was tapped it gave 
a hollow sound. An old bachelor, one of that 
class, which having no immediate claims on its 
bounty, sometimes redeems by beneficence to 
public objects their failures in social duty, came 
to their releif. His name was Thomas Person. 
He had been an ardent lover of liberty, had sym- 
pathized with the Regulators in their abortive 
etibrt to shake off colonial oppressors, and had 
suffered from the ravages of Tryon's army. 
He was prominent in resisting the exactions of 
the British Government, which led to the war 
of Independence. He appeared at Newbern as 
a delagate from Granville to the first Assem- 
bly held in defiance of the royal authority 
in August, 1774, of which that noble patriot, 
John Harvey, was moderator. He was one of 
the thirteen Council of Safety which was the 
supreme Provisional Government, after the end 
of the lioyal authority. He assisted in 1776, 
as a memijer of the Congress at Halifax, in 
forming our State constitution, in which alone 
of all others was a provision requireing the es- 
tablishment of a University. He was the first 
Brigadier General of the District of Hillsboro. 
He was among the band of forty of the greatest 
men the State had in 1789 — the first Board of 
Trustees of the University, among whom were 
six Governors; eight Judges, of whom two 
were Judges of the Supreme Court of the Uni- 
ted States; fifteen members of Congress, of 
whom three were Senators, besides able men 
like Archibald Maclaine, Frederick Hargett, 
Stephen Cabarrus, Wm. Lenoir, Joel Lane, 
John Haywood, Joseph McDowell, Joseph Gra- 
ham, and others, who were great in war, or as 



ORANGE • COUNTY. 



349 



trusted officers or legislators of our State, or 
in the pursuits of private life. "With these 
I'ersou was a fit associate. As Senator from 
Granville he gave his vote for the new institu- 
tion. He did more. He put his hand into 
his pocket. He pulled out and dropped into its 
treasury shining gold. In grateful memory of 
his services to the State the General Assem- 
bly gave his name to a gallant little county 
carved out of old Orange. In gratitude for 
his generous gift the Trustees called the new 
Chapel after him — Person Hall — or as it still 
appears on the diploma, Aul/i Pirsonici. 

In this Hall our ancestors worshipped for 
nearlj' fift}' years. On its platform veidant 
Freshmen and sapient Sophomores and dignified 
.luniors spouted about "They tell us, sir, that 
we are weak," and "Blind old Bard of Scio's 
Rock}' Isle," and "Boys standing on Burning 
Decks," and "Lindens when the Sun was low," 
and on grand Commencement occasions "most 
potent, grave and reverend Seniors made Latin 
Salutatories, in which every allusion to "/o/-- 
mom-v'ma puelh: Septentriowilis Carolimvi^" (all 
the Latin the boj's understood), was greeted 
with tumultuous applause, delivered valedicto- 
ries loaded with mournful farewells, and disser- 
tations in Literature, Science and History, 
worthy to live forever — or at an}- rate to til! the 
pages of a UnirtTsiti/ Montldy, 

Although this building is named Person Hall, 
yet, because of its use as a church on Sundays 
and for morning and evening prayers, it gained 
the name of "the Chapel," and when Gerrard 
Hall was built, the former was called and is so 
known to this dav by old students as "the Old 
Chapel." I have heard recent students speak 
of Physics Hall, but that is a desecration. 
"Throw Physic(s) to the dogs". I would as 
soon steal the old General's monument and 
convert it into a door-step, as purloin his 
name from his building. So whenever a visi- 
tor asks you where is Dr. Venerable's Indust- 



trial Museum, which he has collected and ar- 
ranged with such intelligent skill, carry him 
straight to person hall. 

A larger Hall was needed for the growing 
institution. The building where we now are 
assembled was begun in 1822. It was called 
after another revolutionary hero — not a bach- 
elor, but childless. He was a native of Carteret, 
but long a resident of Edgecombe. Major Chas. 
Gerrerd. He served in the war of the revo- 
lution from the beginning to the end. As a 
soldier he was "brave, active and persevering." 
His character asa citizen,husband,father, friend 
and neighbor was justly admired by all who 
knew him. His rank in the army (Lieutenant ) 
entitled him to a grant of 2560 acres, which 
he located at the junction of Yellow Creek 
with Cumberland river, not far below the city 
of Nashville. I hold in my hand the original 
grant sealed M'ith the great seal of the State. 
This tract, the fruit of his toil and suffering and 
blood, he regarded with peculiar affection, and 
when he bequeathed this, with some 10,000 
acres additional' which he had purchased, 
he requested in his will that it should perpetu- 
ally remain the propierty of the University. 
For 35 years the Trustees regarded this wish 
as sacred. But after this long experiment, 
after losses from neglect and perfidy of agents 
and the onerous charges of high taxes, while 
the black cloud of debt hung over the institu- 
tion, they concluded with sorrow to authorize 
its sale. Two of their ablest lawj-ers, Gaston 
& Badger, after examination reported the fol- 
lowing resolution, 

"Whereas, The Trustees of the University 
of Norih Carolina have been compelled to di- 
rect a sale of a valuable tract of land, be- 
queathed by Major Charles Gerrard, with the 
request that the same might be perpetuall}' re- 
tained by the University, and 

Whereas, They are solicitous not only to 
manifest their own sense of the liberality of 



350 



WHEELER'S KEMINISCENCES. 



the donor, Init as far as may be practicable to 
perpetuate its remembrance, 

Resolved, Therefore that |2,000, part oftlie 
l^urchase money of said land shall be applied 
to the tinishing of the new Hall at the Uni- 
versity, and that the same shall be called by 
the name of ' Gerrard Hall.' " 

Five years afterwards this resolution was 
carried into effect. I wish you to note [lar- 
ticularly the spelling of the name of the old 
hero. The original will and the orliituary 
notice in the Norl/i Cuniliii'i JoNni'il, puldislied 
at HaUfax, by Hodge & Wills, Oct. 16th, 1797, 
give the name Gerrard. Judges Gaston and 
Badger in their resolution have the same speh 
ling, which I am particular about, because un- 
fortunate carelessness has often coni'nunded 
our benefactor's name with that of Stephen 
Girard, the benefactor of rhiladel[iliia. I am 
quite sure that in every respect, except m 
wealth and money-making cunning our gallant 
lieutenant of the revolution was vastly the 
superior of the Philadelphia trader. 

I witnessed once in this Hall one of those 
exhibitions of uncontrolable, unreasoning 
fright, whicli sometimes hajipen to crowds and 
which the ancients attributed to temporary 
madness, inspired by the God, Pan. A cry 
was raised "the Gallery is falling ! " There 
was a rush of the crowd amid screams of ter- 
ror. There was for a moment imminent 
danger of trampling to death in the narrow 
stair-cases. I recall vividly bow tiriu and se- 
vere was the attitude of President Swain, of 
Morehead, Graham, Battle, and other Trustees, 
who sat on the rostrum. There was no serious 
damage done. Some gallant young men, who 
were on the outside, displayed their heroism 
by catching in their arms the frightened dam- 
sels leaping from the windows, but I heard no 
complaints on either side. A |100 reward 
offered on the s[)ot failed to detect the giver 
of the false alarm. 



An architect's examination proved that not 
Sampson, in all his long-haired glory, could have 
pulled down the galleries, even if they were 
loaded with bad Philistines, instead of good 
North Carolinians, but still additional pillars 
were inserted and other alterations made to 
give public confidence and afford larger room 

When this Hall was l>uilt it was intended 
to have a broad avenue running along the 
Southern wall, East and West. Hence the 
porch on the South side of the building. The 
merchants of the village claimed that tins 
would injure their trade by diverting travel 
from Franklin Street, and the plan was aban- 
doned to the mystiiication of all who do not 
know this veracious history. 

We will now return to what we call the 
South, but what was known for manj' years as 
the ".Main" Building, the old plan of grand 
structui-es to face the East, just as the capitols 
at Washington and Kaleigh, were faced under 
the intiuence of orientalization was soon aban- 
doned, and the European plan of a quadrangle 
— in old times a veritable prison in which the 
students were locked at night, giving rise to 
tlie expression "being in quad," was adopted, 
probably at the suggestion of Dr. Caldwell and 
Prof. Harris, who were educated at Princeton. 
Its corner stone was laid in 1798. Its walls 
reached the height of a story and a half, and 
then remained roofless for years. Dr. Wm. 
Hooper in his " 50 Years Since," a most inter- 
esting and amusing production, tells how the 
students of that day packed in the East Buil- 
ding four in a room, built cabins in the corners 
of the South in order to secure greater privacy 
for devotion to their books, and how, "as soon 
as si>ring brought back the swallows and the 
leaves, they emerged from their den and chose 
some shady retirement, where they made a 
path and a promenade," like the Peripatetics of 
ancient Greece. He states moreover, what 
sounds strange to us, that holidays were some- 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



351 



times given for the curious reason that the 
inclemenc}' of the weather prevented stiuh/. 

To finish this buildiui;: was the ijreat problem 
of the young University. Tlie Trustees in de- 
spair did not hesitate toprai'tit-e what was com- 
mon in old time, even for Imildiiig churches 
and dcniiminatioual schoids, hut which tlie 
sounder morals of our day make a crimiiuil of- 
fence; the raising of mone}' hy lotteries. I have 
their circular of 1802, announcing witli sanc- 
timonious gravity tluit " the interests of the 
University of North Carolina and of learning 
and science generally, are concerned in the im- 
mediate sale of these tickets." The highest 
prize was $1,500, and was drawn by Gen. Lavv- 
reuce Baker, of Gates. The lucky number, 
113S, was announced as an important item by 
the Metropolitan Journal, the Raleigh Rir/ister. 

Still the building was unfinished, and still 
the intellectual squatters of the University sat 
shIj diro, as the Professor of Latin would say. 
President Caldwell mounted with heroic en- 
ergy his stick-back gig and painfully traveled 
over the State in 1809, and again in 1811, so- 
liciting subscriptions. 

It would be interesting to contrast his jour- 
neys with those of the present day, when one 
can dine in Goldsboro' and breakfast next morn- 
ing in Asheville. The battle of New Orleans 
occurred on the 8th of January, 1815. The 
news did not reach Raleigh until the 17th of 
February. Prof. Charles W. Harris writes in 
1795 to Dr. Caldwell, at Princeton, that bis 
best way of reaching Cliapel Hill is to buy a 
horse and sulky and thus travel in his own 
conveyance, selling the same at Chapel Hill. 
He is confident that the trip can be made 
in tkirtij days. 

Last week the President of 1883 left New 
York at a quarter before four o'clock in 
the afternoon, in a luxurious coach, which 
ran so smoothly that reading and even 
writing was easy. So well lighted at night that 



he read with comfort and pleasure Anthony 
Trollope's most interesting autobiography un- 
til bed-time at Washington, then went regu- 
larl\' to bed, had a refreshing night's rest, and 
dined next day at a quarter before two in the 
afternoon at home — less' than twenty-two hours. 
It was doubtless the achings and weariness 
of these journeys which caused Dr. Caldwell 
20 years after to astonish the State by his elo- 
quent and practical Carlton letters, advocating 
the N. C. Rail Road from the Tennessee line 
to Beaufort. Ilis labors were successful. He 
secured about |12,000, and while our people 
were going crazy over the naval victories of 
1814 the rejoicing students moved into the 
completed " South Building." The corner- 
stone was laid the year when the gi'eat Napo- 
leon gained the first victory of the Pyramids, 
the year before he usurped the power of 1st 
Consul; it was finished the year when he laid 
down the imperial title for a petty throne in 
Elba, the year liefore his fiual ruin at Water- 
loo. When that corner stone was laid the 
land was ringing with preparations for a war 
with France. The building was ready for oc- 
cupancy while we were fighting England. It 
has lately sheltered cavalry of the conquering 
Union army in the great civil war. 

It was one of the grandest buildings in 
North Carolina in those days. It afforded am- 
ple recitation rooms. It furnished for a third 
of a century halls and libraries for the two so- 
cieties, which before its erection were forced 
to meet by turns in Person Hall. I have 
thought that it should have been called in honor 
of the Father of the University, Gen. Davie. 
The omission thus to recognize bis great ser- 
vices has been rectified by the happy thought 
of a gifted lady, on whom the Muses of History 
and Poesy have benignly breathed, Mrs. C. P. 
Spencer, by calling the historical tree which 
sheltered the venerable men, who under its 
shaile located the site of the University, which 



352 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



in spite of a century's storms and the fierce as- 
sault of the thunderbolt, still rears its majestic 
head above the neighboring oaks, the Dav'w 
Poplar. • 

In 1852 the Trustees did tardy honor to the 
first benefactors of the University. T e char- 
ter was granted in 1789. The first meeting of 
the Board was held in 1790 at the flourishing 
town of Fayetteville. The President of the 
Board was a King's Mountain hero, Gen. Wm. 
Lenoir who has given his name to a county and 
town of our State-the last survivor of this illus- 
trious foi'ty-dying in 1839 at the age of 88. Gen. 
Benjamin Smith, of Brunswick, then a mem- 
ber, made the first donation for the cause of 
higher education in North Carolina. lie giad- 
ened the hearts of all present by the gift of 
20,000 acres of land in Tennessee It is true 
they were not immediately available. They 
were afterwards surrendered to the Chicka- 
saws and subsequently repurchased b}' the 
Govermiient. It was forty years before they 
were made available. They were ultimately' 
sold for $14,000, after being shaken up by the 
greatest earthquake, which has afflicted Amer- 
ica since its discovery, into lakes and hills 
The proceeds went into the endowment and 
were swallowed up by the great civil war, 
which with more terrible voracity than a hun- 
dred earthquakes engulped so much of the 
wealth and population of the Southern Coun- 
try. 

Benjamin Smith was a man of mark. He 
was in youth an aide-de-camp of Washington 
in the disastrous defeat on Long Island. He 
was conspicuous for his gallantry under Moul. 
trie. By his fiery eloquence the militia of Brun- 
swick volunteered to serve under him in the 
threatened war against France. He was fifteen 
times Senator from Brunswick. He was cho 
sen Governor in 1810. IIis county called its 
capital, Smithville, in his honor. His name 
survives too in the bleak and stormy island at 



the mouth of the Cape Fear. The land he 
gave us, as was also the land of Gerrard, was 
won by valor and blood in the war for free- 
dom. Their sacrifices were not useless. Their 
monuments are far more enduring than brass 
or marble. Centuries will come and go. 
Families will grow great and be extmguished. 
Fortunes will be made and lost. Offices will 
be struggled for and ambitious hopes realized, 
but the names of the contestants will vanish as 
if written on the sea shore. Reputations blazing 
in pulpit, or foruiu, and senate chamber will 
fade as rapidly as the meteor's path. But the 
blessings of the gifts of Person, Gerrard and 
Smith will never cease. For nearly a century 
they have planted learning and sound princi- 
ples in the minds of men over all our Southern 
land. In all the ages to come their work will 
go on. The thousand young men, who will 
have their mental panoply supplied from tlie 
University armory to engage in life's varied 
conflicts, will hold their names in honor. As 
long as the University lasts they will never be 
forgotten, and the. University will Inst forever ! 

I will say only a few words of the New 
West buildings. Prior to 1850 the highest 
number of students was 170. After the dis- 
covery of the California gold mines, and con- 
sequent increase in the supply of the circu- 
lating medium, there ensued wonderfully pros- 
perous times for all the world, and especially 
for our Southern States. The old North Caro- 
lina families who had carried their lares and 
penates into the fertile regions of the South- 
west sent back their sons to their native State 
for education. Students swarmed into the 
University. They overflowed the old build- 
ing and were camped in little cottages all over 
the town from Couchtown to Craig's. In 1858 
there were as many as 456, of whom 178 were 
from other States than North Carolina. The 
New East and New West were built for their 
accommodation^ and finished in 1859. The two 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



358 



societies aided in a considerable degree in the 
construction and adornment of their beautiful 
Halls and library rooms. Probably no Socie- 
ties in America have superior accommodations 
in these respects, and I am bound to say that 
in my opinion, no Societies, by intelligent and 
honest devotion to the purposes of their crea- 
tion better deserve them. Long may they 
flourish. 

We come at last to the Memorial Hall, 
which though about to take a winter nap, will 
in the spring, we hope, rise rapidly in all its 
harmony and grandeur. I have already ex- 
plained to the students that a miscalculation 
as to the cost was made by the architect, and 
hence a delay is necessary in order to replenish 
our Treasury. I desire it to be understood 
that very experienced builders think that the 
work ought to be stopped for a while in order 
to allow the timbers to dry. They are green 
as yet, and greenness is a fault in architectural 
as well as intellectual timbers. After being 
securely covered so that the rain and snow 
shall not reach them, the great rafters will by 
the end of winter shrink to their iiiial dimen- 
sions and support their majestic roof with no 
wai-pings or distortions. 

Such a Hall is necessary, in order to enable 
us to accommodate our visitors — the people of 
North Carolina. "We have gained much odium 
by turning from our door the good citizens, 
who made long journeys in order to hear the 
eloquence of our Representatives and Gradu- 
ates. Every pereon, rich and poor, who desi- 
res, should have, and shall have a comfortable 
seat during our commencement exercises. 

This hall will supply all our needs. It will 
hold 2450 seated without crowding, and if 
needed 4000 can be pleasantly cared for by 
utilizing the aisles. You can gain a vivid idea 
of its proportions by noting that the New 
"West Building can be placed in it, centre to 



centre, and whirled around without touching 
its walls. 

It will be a Memorial Hall, not alone of my 
predecessor, who so long and so ably presided 
over this institution, Gov. Swain, but of all the 
departed good and great — Trustees, Professors, 
Alumini — who have aided and honored the 
University. It will lie a Memorial of those 
gallant Alumni who, at the call of our State, 
gave up their lives in the great civil war. 
Though God gave them not the victory, and 
though we will not question the wisdom of the 
decision of the All-Wise, yet we must always 
honor the courage, the devotion to duty, the 
high resolve and the willing sacrifice of our 
Confederate Dead. 

A writer in the New.'?- Obsirrer, buys the plan 
of honoring the great and worthy men of the 
University of our State, trustees, professors 
and students, by placing on the walls of Me- 
morial Hall tablets in their memory, has met 
with great favor. Such has been its reception 
that we are able to pronounce it crowned with 
success. 

We have not seen the list of all for whom 
tablets have been pledged, but we have heard 
of the following, who are certainly deserving 
of the highest honor-for example, there is 
Samuel Johnston, the first named of the board 
of trustees, that of 1789; forty of the most ill- 
ustrious men of the day. Gov. Johnston was 
the first who held executive power in our State, 
having been president of the provincial coun- 
cil of 1775, which was our provisional govern- 
ment. He was president of the convention 
which adopted the constitution of the United 
States; also one of the first Senators, where he 
he ranked with the ablest men of America. 
He was afterwards judge and governor. 

Tablets are also engaged for Gen. Wm. Le- 
noir, of King's Mountain fame, who was the 
first president of the first board of trustees, and 
and the last survivor of the board, dying in 



354 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



1839; also to Benjamin Hawkins, one of the 
lirst Senators of the United States; to Judge 
Archibald Miirphej^, probably the most progres- 
sive man in the annals of North Carolina; to 
Gov. Morehead, one of the ablest governors 
any State ever had; to the great jurist and fi- 
nancier, Judge Duncan Cameron; to the pure 
and steadfast Gov. Worth; to the wise states- 
man, Bartlett Yancey; to the distinguished 
botanist, Louis DeSchweinitz; to the active 
revolutionary patriot, Archibald Maclaine; to 
our eminent fellow citizen, John H. Bryan; 
to the scholar and eloquent divine, Dr. Wm. 
Hooper; to the gallant general, Bryan Grimes, 
to Judge Battle, than whom no State ever 
had a purer judge or more upright citizen; to 
Burtyn Craige, who as a publicman, and ardent 
lover of North Carolina and a strong lawyer has 
had few equals; to Michael Hoke, who so well 
illustrated our people by his manly characteris- 
tics, whose brilliancy ranked him with the gi- 
ants of his generation. We mention these as 
occurring to our minds just now, and hope to be 
furnished with a complete list at an early day. 

This memorial hall will be the grandest his- 
torical building in the South. Mr. P. C. Cam- 
eron, chairman of the building committee, 
promises that the next commencement (1885) 
shall be held in it. 

Associated with the University of North 
Carolina is the name of Charles Force Deems, 
D. D., L. L. D., who was an inhabitant, "part 
and parcel" of her fame from 1842 to 1848. 
He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on Dec- 
ember 4th, 1820. He is a graduate of Dickin- 
son College, Pennsylvania, in the class of 1839. 
In his twentieth year, he was made general 
agent of the American Bible Society, and 
(hose North Carolina as his field of labor, and 
ever since he has claimed that State as his 
home — though greatly honored in New York 
City and elsewhere, he always speaks of North 
C'arolina as "home". 



Here he became adjunct professor in logic 
and rhetoric in the University at Chapel Hill 
in conjunction with Doctor, (now Right Rev- 
erend Bishop) Green and remained for five 
years, when he accepted the chair of Natural 
Science in Randolph-Macon College, Virginia, 
which position he occupied for one year. Re- 
turning to North Carolina, he was stationed 
at New Berne, and became a delegate to the 
General Conference held at St. Louis ; it was 
during its session that he was elected president 
of the Greensboro' Female College; he had 
charge of this institution for five years. In 
1854 he returned to the regular work of the 
ministry, and after preaching at Goldsboro' and 
at Wilmington, he was re-elected to the Gen- 
eral Conference, where he was chosen presi- 
dent of the Centenary College of Louisiana He 
has been repeatedly invited to professorship 
and presidencies of colleges, but it was in Dec- 
ember 1865 that Dr. Deems removed to New 
York City, and there engaged in literary labor 
and in July 1866 began to preach in the chapel 
of the University ; his congregation there as- 
sembled soon crystalized into a new society 
and became known as the "Church of the 
Strangers." In 1870, through the munifi- 
cence of the famous railroad magnate, Cor- 
nelius Vanderbilt, who became a devoted 
friend of Dr. Deems, this congregation found 
its home by the purchase of the Mercer Street 
Presbyteran Church, (No 4. Winthrop Place,) 
where they were most solemnly installed Oc- 
tober 9, 1870, and has since become one of the 
great institutions of the great commercial me- 
tropolis. 

Dr. Deems received his degree of doctor of 
divinity from the Randolph-Macon College 
when he was only thirty years of age, and in 
1877 the T^iiversity of North Carolina con- 
ferred upon him the honorary degree of L L D. 

lie is the author of more than a dozen vol- 
umes of different religious works, among 



ORANGE COUNTY, 



355 



wliich may 1)0 inentioued "Tlie Hour' Altiir ;" 
"What Now"; "Annals of Southern'' Metlio- 
diem "; "Weights and Wings" and '' Wlio was 
Jesus ? " 

He is one of the Council of the University 
of New York, a T)ireetor of the American 
Tract Society and a life ineinher of the New 
York Historical Society founded Ijy another 
North Carolinian, Rev. Dr. F. L. Hawks. Dr. 
Deems is tlie president of the American Insti- 
tute of Christian i'liilosophy, of which lie was 
the chief founder. 

In Patton's "Lives of the Clergy," we iind 
the following, touching this eminent divine: 
"He is impassioned even in argument, and 
there is in all that he writes and says the glow 
of earnest and sincere feeling. In his preach- 
ing there is a display of the finest powers of 
the national orator and thorough scholar. His 
thoughts are rapid and are all aglow with beau- 
tiful sentiment and tender emotion, which can 
only be imparted by extensive learning. 

Dr. Deems enjoys great popularity at the 
South, and was esteemed one of the foremost 
theologians and public men in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

Dr. Deems has shown his love of North Caro- 
lina by founding a fund for the help of young 
men pursuing their education in the University 
of North Carolina. It is a memorial to his son. 
Lieutenant Theodore D. Deems, who fell in 
our civil war. Mr. William II. Vanderbilt's 
munificence and the accrued interest has car- 
ried the "Deems' Fund" to over twelve thou- 
sand dollars. 

Paul Carrington Cameron, of Orange County 
North Carolina, the second son of Hon. Dun- 
can Cameron and his wife Rebecca Bennehan, 
was born Sept. 25th, 1808 at Stagville, Orange 
County, the residence of his gradfather, Richard 
Bennehan. 

He received his education partly at the Uni- 
versity of North Carolina (1825-20) and partly 



at what is now Trinity College, Hartford, 
Conn. At this latter Institution he gradu- 
ated, July 1820. He read law in Raleigh in 
the office of his father Judge Cameron, look 
ing forward to the practice of that profession 
with eager ambition. Like many other south- 
ern gentlemen, however, he was heavily 
weigiited at the start by circumstances and re- 
sponsibilities that could neither l)e delegated 
nor ignored, and found himself compelled to 
turn his energies and abilities into channels 
where the sense of duty fulfilled alone must 
be his reward, where no hopes of laurels to 
be achieved, or the enjoyments that are found 
in congenial studies would stimulate his eftort. 
A large landed interest,and the guardianship 
of numerous slaves demanded his care, and 
he became of necessity a planter, managing 
not only his own estate, but his fathers, and 
those of vai'ious near relatives committed to 
his charge in the States of North Carolina, Ala- 
bama and Mississippi. 

Mr. Cameron has exhibited in the conduct 
of these responsibilities for more than fifty 
years, an administrative and financial ability, 
an energy and an integrity which would have 
secured him high honors on any field of action. 
His career has been characterized by the simple 
straight -forward devotion to what he conceived 
dutj/ in every relation of life. As a son, as the 
head of a family, as a citizen, and as the guar- 
dian of nineteen hundred slaves, his course may 
challenge inquiry, and would doubtless repay it. 
The ver}' mistakes of such men are instructive. 
That Mr. Cameron has never ei'red, no one will 
atfirmjthathe has been able to please every 
body in the conduct of his wide and nmltifari- 
ous interests is equally doubtful; but his strict 
sense of honor, of justice, and his unflinching 
adiierence to what appeared to him right, at 
the time, have never been called in question. 

He engaged with great earnestness in all agri- 
cultural improvements, advocated the early in- 



356 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



troduction of all labor-saving machines, and 
the adoption of the best and most intelligent 
systems of farming. He was President of the 
first agricultural society organized in the 
county of Orange, North Carolina, and his ad- 
dress at its first meeting is yet a model of prac- 
tical suggestion aud sagacious forecast. Mr. 
Cameron has also been always an ardent sup- 
porter of internal improvements and though in- 
curi'ing losses occasionally as all pioneers in 
such work do, has always been a large stock- 
holder and contractor on our i-ail- roads. On 
the building of the North Carolina Central 
Rail-Road he was the first man to enter on the 
work and the first to complete his section. 
Subsequently he succeeded Col. Fisher as its 
President, and was for years one of its Direc- 
tors. A director also for the last ten years of 
the R. & G. and of the R. & A. Air Line Rail- 
road s He was a member of the State Senate in 
1856. Wherever an important committee could 
procure. Mr Cameron as its chairman, the public 
has long felt secure that the business in hand 
would be done, and well done. His conservative 
attitude towards the old has always been ac- 
companied by most intelligent and discrimining 
liberality towards the new, and this fine spirit 
keeps him now in advanced life, still fresh and 
indomitable, m rapport with all around him,ac- 
cepting the new order of thing and making 
the best of the inevitable with unimpaired 
judgment and sagacity. 

Mr. Cameron has never sought office, and 
never has accepted it but at the call of duty 
and when he felt he could serve the State. 
The successful management of his large estates 
and their complicated interests, the perform- 
ance of his duty to his own family, and large 
circle of friends, the exercise of an ample and 
genial and truly southern hospitality have sufli- 
ciently employed his energies. He was one of 
the very few southern planters whom emanci- 
pation found free from debt, so that he retained 



his landed property and reestablished his for- 
tune on the new basis, with undiminished 
credit and success. 

His army of slaves had ever received strict 
humane attention. He took pride in the 
knowledge that all his dependants were well 
fed, clothed and housed, and that their con- 
dition miglit challenge comparison with that 
of any in the fifteen slave States of the Union. 
When freed at the close of the civil war, they 
parted from their master with kindly feeling, 
aud the elder ones greet him yet, whenever 
they chance to meet him, with the same exhi- 
bition of attachment. He has a right to be 
as proud of this record as of any other of his 
life's work's, and he probably is, for he tells 
with some zest in these latter days of a family 
of negroes devised to him by a friend "for 
emancipation," whom he settled in Liberia 
under the care of the American Colonizaton 
Society, providing them with house and food 
for twelve months, and one thousand dollars 
in gold as an an outfit. They returned from 
Africa and presented themselves at his door in 
Orange County, begging him to take them back. 

Reviewing his life in a late letter to a friend, 
Mr. Cameron writes: "Best of all I have been 
a trustee of the University of North Carolina, 
steadfast and true to its every interest at all 
times, and anxious now to make it in the 
future the best ornament of the State-" 

When the University was restored and re- 
organized after the calamities that befel it 
upon the death of Gov. Swain, he was made 
Chairman of the Committee on Repairs, and in 
fact did all the work. Its speedy rehabilita- 
tion, and re-occupation in 1875 were due to his 
energetic oversight. He has been since an ac- 
tive and influential and most judicious member 
of the Executive Committee to which is entrus- 
ted the practical conduct of the aflairs of the 
Institution. One striking evidence of the 
public estimation of the value of Mr. Cam- 



orangk county. 



357 



eroii's services, is seen in the fact that he was 
unanimously elected Chairman of the Alumni 
Association and continued for a succession of 
j'ears against his earnest protest as not being 
a graduate. 

Mr. Cameron is a capital jMiMic speaker. 
lie goes to the point, commands attention, and 
is always effective. Those wlio have been so 
fortunate as to hear his singularl}^ neat, elegant, 
and impressive short speeches on various occa- 
sions at the University Commencements will 
remember them long as models of their kind. 
His frequent visits in term time to the Uni- 
versity and short, unpremeditated addresses to 
the students, present him in a most amiable 
and interesting light. His fine ruddy complex- 
ion and bright dark eye, surrounded by an 
aureole of snow-white curling hair, his air of 
habitual comuiand, conjoined with the tine 
courtesy of a through-bred gentleman of the 
old school aftbrd a picture that our young peo- 
ple will do well to keep in mind. 

One aspect of Mr. Cameron's character 
which should not be omitted in even a slight 
sketch, is his benignant interest in young peo- 
ple, and in their pleasures. For years he has 
made a point of being a spectator at the Com- 
mencement dances, giving them dignity, and 
endorsing their claims to public respect by his 
presence. 

He stands now representative to the rising 
genei'ation of a class of men, the like of whom 
will never again be seen in our country. Their 
faults as well as their virtues have been the 
product of a system of life now passed away 
forever. The southern slaveholders will figure 
in History, will adorn the pages of Romance, 
and will be held up alternately to the admira- 
tion, and the scorn of mankind as magnate, as 
despot, as tyrant or afl patriarch, according as 
friend or foe shall depict him. We who know 
them well, who recall the high-toned chival- 
rous gentleman, the ardent and patriotic 



citizen, the generous friend anil noighlior, tlie 
devoted husband and father, the just and hu- 
mane master — we take courage when we 
reflect that the Final Judge of all is not a man. 
He alone knows through what diflScultics the 
southern planter went forward to his duty; 
how fearfully weighted by his inheritance ; — 
h(nv blinded, bow hampered, how weakened by 
circumstances which neither he nor his fathers 
could control. 

Kemembei'ing what we do, we look with 
reverence and afl'ection on those who remain. 
Their failings have vanished from our vision 
with the system that brought them to light, 
and we bid our young men take courage by 
the example of their virtues to go on in the 
path of duty, self-sustained, fearless and per- 
severing. 

Mr. Cameron married, Dec. 20th 1832, Anne, 
daughter of Chief Justice Euffin at his resi- 
dence on the Alamance. This union has se- 
cured his domestic happiness now for more 
than fifty years. Seven of their children have 
lived to maturity. Their home the centre for 
man\^ years of a large and amiable hospitality, 
and interesting family connection was at Far- 
intosh, their plantation in Oi'ange county, but 
of late they reside chiefly in Ilillsboro'. 

Julian Shakspeare Carr was born at Chapel 
Hill the seat of the University of North Caro- 
lina, in the county of Orange, October 12th, 
1845. His father, John W. Carr, descended 
from a Scotch family, is a gentleman of consid- 
eration in the county, who, before and since 
the war, has tilled the responsible stations of 
Magistrate, Justice of the Inferior or county 
court, and County Commissioner. His mother 
is of the highly respectable family of Bullock, 
of Granville county, and a sister of Colonel 
Robert Bullock, a distinguished citizen of 
Florida. 

Mr. Carr acquired the rudiments of education 
in the vicinity of his home, and was prepared 



558 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



for college under the tuition of J. L. Stewart, 
Esq., now a prominent lawyer resident at Clin- 
ton. He spent nearly two years at the Univer- 
sity, beginning in June, 1862, but in the early 
part of 1864, before attaining to nineteen years 
of age, he enlisted in the Third North Carolina 
Cavalry, which was then at Dinwiddle Court 
House, and with little time for soldierly train- 
ing, he was brought face to face with the enemy , 
in some of the fiercest conflicts of the desper- 
ate and protracted struggle before Petersburg 
— among them Thatcher's Run and Burgess' 
Mill. A wi-iter, Mr. II. V. Paul, with oppor- 
tunities for obtaining correct information, states 
that the command to which Mr. Carr belonged 
very gallantly assisted in covering the retreat 
of the army from Petersburg to Appomattox, 
and during the engagement was cut in two at 
Five Forks. He never lost a single day's duty 
during the entire period of his service, was a 
general favorite among his comrades, and pre- 
ferred to be simply a private, in order to be 
among " the boys," although he carried in his 
pocket a detail as an officer on the staff of Gen- 
eral Barringer. 

At the close of the war Mr. Carr returned to 
his college course at the University, but re- 
mained only one session. He then engaged in 
merchandisining the town; but soon becoming 
dissatisfied with his prospects in that small, se- 
cluded community, he gave up the business, and 
set out upon a tour of observation through the 
South and West. Passing through Georgia, 
Tennessee and Mississippi, and at length reach- 
ing Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas, he 
decided to locate in that thriving town, lleim- 
mediatelj' entered into business with an uncle 
and a Mr. Kingsbury, under the name and firm 
of Carr & Kingsbury. This was in 1868. He 
continued in this connection for aliout eigliteen 
months, when the opportunity offered of his 
engaging in a business near his birth-place, 
whicii was destined to eclipse in magnitude and 



importance, m the near future, anything his 
imagination, or day dreams, could have con- 
ceived of. 

It seems that Mr. Carr is indebted to the 
foresight of his father for the idea of quitting 
Arkansas to return home, and engage in the 
manufacture of tobacco. We are told by Mr. 
Paul that after a residence at Little Rock for 
eighteen months, " his father saw an opportu- 
nity of purchasing a third interest in W". T. 
Blaclm-ell's tobacco factory, at Durham, ami 
being anxious that his son should settle nearer 
home, insisted and prevailed upon him to re- 
turn. Accordingly, in 1870, he joined that 
firm, and ever since had the entire control of 
its mercantile and financial departments." 

And this brings us to the original history of 
the greatest business enterprise which North 
Carolina — perhaps the South — has ever known; 
a brief sketch of which will be presented. 

Among the several suits in which W. T. 
Black^vell & Co. have been involved by the 
necessity of defending their business against 
encroachments, is that of a party who applied 
in 1877, to the Commissioner of Patents, for 
the Registration of the Durham Bull Trade 
Mark. This application was made more than 
seven years after W. T. Blackwell had become 
the purchaser, at auction sale, made by Mager 
Green, the Executor of J. R. Green, of the said 
Trade Mark and Factory. It is alleged,however, 
that the applicant brought suit in Iredell 
County in 1875, as the assignee or partner of 
J. R. Green, against Blackwell & Co. But this 
was five 3'ears after Blackwell's purchase, and 
after Blackwell & Co. had raised the business 
of the firm, under the Durham Bull Trade Mark 
from a position of insignificance, and little 
value, to one of world-wide fame and princely 
revenue. 

From depositions taken in this case before a 
Justice of the Peace in the Autumn of 1877, in 
Orange County ,|the following facts ai-e derived. 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



359 



They ai'e of liistorical value and interest, since 
they leave no douht about the origin of this, 
the greatest southern business enterprise; an 
enterprise wliich has inaugurated and given im- 
pulse to the grand career of industrial develop- 
ment upon which the State has entered. 

Mr. James R. Elacknall, a difterent name, 
the readers will notice, from the future propri- 
etor of the great Durham factory — stated in 
his deposition that the first parties he ever 
knew to manufacture smoking tobacco at Dur- 
ham were Morris & Wright, in the year 1860. 
This firm was succeeded in 1861 and 1862 by 
Blaeknall & Morris, and during these latter 
years W. H. Bowles became a partner, when the 
firm took the name of Blaeknall, Morris & Co. 

In June 1862, W. P. Ward bought out 
Bowles; and John R. Green in November 
bought out Morris and Blaeknall, when the 
firm became Ward & Green. They were equal 
partners, and engaged in the manufacture of 
chewing and smoking tobacco. This firm held 
together until sometime in 1864, when, perhaps 
in March, Ward bought Green out. Their busi- 
ness had been, mostly, the manufacture of 
chewing tobacco. Ward continued it until 
November 1865, when he in turn sold out to 
Green. 

Dp to this time there was but one tobacco 
factory at Durham, which place was little more 
than a way station on the North Carolina rail- 
road, twenty-six miles west of Raleigh. The 
"factory" had the appearance of a cow-house, 
the top of which was scarcely ten feet above 
the ground, while around it, within a distance 
of a few hundred yards were perhaps a dozen 
small dingy dwellings, a country store or two, 
a smithy, and, as may be supposed, a whisky 
shop. Such was Dui'ham, nineteen years ago, 
and for some years later. A more dreary, in- 
auspicious outlook — one less calculated to in- 
spire the hope of future developements cannot 
be imagined. 



Tlie frequent mutations in the pn)prictor- 
ship of the sole Durham tobacco factory, up to 
the close of the war, as above recounted, can 
leave no doubt that the business was far from 
being prosperous or remunerative. 

But it seems that in the spring of 1865, an 
incident befell the establishment, such as, in 
the ordinary course of human affairs, is ac- 
counted a gi'eat disaster, but which in this case 
turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and the 
source of the greatest good fortune. In April 
of that year, it will be remembered, at the close 
of the war, and after the suspension of hostili- 
ties, the two armies of General Sherman and 
General Joe Johnson were encamped around 
Durham station. Green, who was then the 
owner of the factory, had stored away in his 
ware-house many thousand 2:tounds of the fin- 
est smoking tobacco, which is grown no where 
else in such perfection, as in that vicinity. It 
is not in the nature of soldiers, at such a time, 
with pay-day remote, to stand on ceremonies; 
and "not to put too fine a point upon it," they 
helped themselves bountifully to Green's to- 
bacco. He had not at that time adopted the 
famous Trade Mark, and it is to be supposed 
that he had not arrived at the perfection in 
the manufacture which his successors have at- 
tained to; but the inherent virtues of the old 
Granville and Orange weed could not be mis- 
taken, or confounded with the inferior pro- 
ducts of other less favored regions of the earth. 
The opposing hosts lay encamped in the vicin- 
ity of Durham station only a few days, but long 
enough to become familiar with the locality, 
and with the name of the tobacconist whom 
they had so liberally patronized. They were 
soon mustered out of the service by the bellig- 
erents and returned to their respective homes; 
not doubtless, without a pipe-full or two, in 
their wallets, at any rate with a lively recollec- 
tion of the fragrant Durham antidote to all 
the imaginary ills that flesh is heir to. The 



360 



WHEELER'S EEMmiSCENCES. 



consequence was that from their distant homes, 
from Maine to Texas, they sent their orders to 
Mr. Green for his unrivaled smoking tobacco. 
The}' boasted of its virtues to their neighbors, 
and regaled their senses with its odors; and 
thus was laid the foundation of the world-wide 
celebrity of the Durham smoking tobacco. 

The introduction of the Durham Bull as the 
conspicuous characteristic of the Trade Mark 
was not made until the Autumn of 1866. This 
fact rests upon the testimony of more than one 
witness. James Y. Whitted, a manufacturer 
of tobacco at Hillsboro' and a man whose char- 
acter is avouched by liis neighbors, deposed 
that he, in the year 1866, suggested to Green, 
the idea of adopting the Durham Bull as his 
Trade. Mark, and that Green acted upon the sug- 
gestion, in the Autumn of that year. Several 
other deponents state that Green never used 
the Bull as a Trade Mark prior to that date. 
But the conclusive proof of this fact is the 
certificate of copy-right taken out by Green 
in the Clerks Office of the Southern District of 
New York, May 2nd, 1866, which makes no 
reference to the Bull. In this copy-right the 
brand is in the following words: "Genuine 
Durham Smoking Tobacco manufactured by J. 
R. Green, the right whereof he claims as pro- 
prietor in conformity with the act of Congress, 
&c." 

Ward deposed that up to the time he resold 
to Green in November, 1865, there was no 
representation of a Bull, nor any part of a 
Bull used on packages of smoking tobacco, or 
any sign by any one at Durham. The absence 
of any reference to the Bull as a Trade Mark 
in the above certificate of the copy-right, 
coupled with this testimony of Ward, a part- 
ner or sole owner in 1862, 1863, 1864, and 
1865, is fatal to any claim founded on an al- 
leged purchase of an mterest in the Trade 
Mark, at an earlier date. Indeed, Ward be- 
came a partner in the business before Green 



purchased an interest, and could not fail to be 
thoroughly informed in regard to its history. 
In 1869 J. R. Green disposed of a half in- 
terest in his business to W. T. Blackwell and 
James R. Day. These gentlemen, up to that 
date, were engaged in the sale of manufac- 
tured tobacco at Kinston in the lower part of 
the State. The terms of the contract are stated 
in a paper signed by J. R. Green, and dated, 
Durham, March 30, 1869. Green acknow- 
ledges the receipt from Blackwell and Day of 
fifteen hundred dollars, "to be used in the 
manufacture of tobacco for the present year, 
and it is hereby agreed that the full amount 
shall be used for the tobacco business exclu- 
sively and for no other purpose, for twelve 
months from date; and it is hereby agreed 
that J. R. Day, of the firm of Blackwell & 
Day, is to give all his personal attention to the 
management of the business; and that I agree 
to give such attention to the busmess as my 
health will admit, and at the expiration of 
twelve months we are to divide equally all the 
profits, if there be any, between myself and 
Blackwell & Day, after allowing me one thou- 
sand dollars for the rent of factory and the 
advantages of my trade, and in case of loss 
each party interested shall bear their propor- 
tionable part." 

[signed] J. R. Green. 

This contract is doubly interesting, as form- 
ing at once, an important link in the narra- 
tive, and as illustrating the contrast between 
the small begining, and the vast progress made 
within a few brief years, of this remarkable en- 
terprise. 

Mr. Green's health was failing. Early in 
July, 1869, he went to the Catawba Springs, in 
the hope of finding relief; but he continued to 
sink rapidly, and died on the 21st day of that 
month. He left a will, in which his father 
Mager Green, was named as Executor. 

The latter, in pursuance of the authority 



OEANGE COUNTY. 



361 



(loiived from tlie will, in November, advertised 
the tobacco factory, tbe ground on which it 
stood, the brand and Trade Mark for sale pri- 
vately. The advertisement was published in 
both the Raleigh Sentinel and Standard, the 
loading newspapers of the State, published 
Tiearest the property. The sale, however, was 
not effected under this advertisement, and the 
Executor again advertised the property for 
sale, at auction, on the 9th of April, 1870. 
This advertisement was posted at various places 
in Orange, and contiguous counties, and the 
sale took place in accordance with its terms. 
William T. Blackwell became the purchaser. 
The price paid was two thousand two hundred 
and ninety-two dollars. The conveyance was 
made to William T. Blackwell, without nam- 
mghis partner, Mr. Day; but the latter appears 
to have retained his interest. 

Mr. Julian S. Carr being produced as a wit- 
ness by Mr. Blackwell, deposed that in Sep- 
tember, 1870, he connected himself with 
Messers Blackwell and Day, who were manu- 
facturing both plug and smoking tobacco, in 
Durham, under the lu-m name of W. T. Black- 
well. The term of co-partnership was for 
three years, during which they continued to 
operate under the firm name of W. T. Black- 
well, and to use the Trade Mark, " Genuine 
Durham Smoking Tobacco," in connection 
with the side view of a Durham Bull. The 
name on the labels was W. T. Blackwell, suc- 
cessor to J. R. Green & Co. Neither Mr. 
Day nor Mr. Carr, by the terms of their part- 
nership, acquired any interest in Blackwell's 
brand or Trade Mark. They only acquired a 
right to use it during the three years of their 
partnership. Mr. Carr states that he, on be- 
half of Mr. Blackwell, paid the purchase 
money for the property, including the Factory, 
the lot on which it stands, the brand and 
Trade Mark, at Hillsborough, the county town 
on the 3l8t day of August, 1871. 



Mr. Carr, in response to a question, by 
Jilackwell's coiinsel explained his duties in 
connection with the establishment, as follows 
" I had " he says, " entire charge of the oiiice 
duties of W. T. Blackwell, and of W. T. Black- 
well & Co.; superintended and directed their 
correspondence, managed their finances, lines 
of credit, etc. The firm of W. T. Blackwell 
expired by limitation the 12th day of Septem- 
ber, 1873; immediately thereafter, on the same 
day, the same parties, to wit: W.T. Blackwell, 
James R. Day and myself, associated ourselves 
in business under tbe firm name of W. T. 
Blackwell & Co. and they continued to use the 
same Trade Mark as that used by the firm of 
W. T. Blackwell, to wit: "Genuine Durham 
Smoking Tobacco," with the side view of a 
Durham Bull, in gilt letters, on steel blue pa- 
per; there was this change, however, made in 
the wording of the label used by W. T. Black- 
well & Co.: where the label of W. T. Black- 
well read "Successor to J.R.Green & Co.," 
the label used by W. T. Blackwell & Co. reads 
" Sucessors to W. T. Blackwell." 

Mr. Carr, in reply to a question by the Re- 
spondent's counsel, states that the year before 
he entered into the partnership Blackwell 
manufactured less than ninety thousand pounds 
of tobacco, and employed, not exceeding one 
dozen hands, and that in the course of the cur- 
rent year, 1877 when the deposition was given, 
Blackwell & Co., had in one week shipped 
eighty odd thousand pounds of smoking to- 
bacco, upon which they paid the United States 
Government an Internal Revenue tax of more 
than nineteen thousand dollars. In the month 
of April of that year they paid the Govern- 
ment sixty thousand dollars in taxes on to- 
bacco, while their average monthly taxes were 
forty thousand dollars, or nearly half a million 
in twelve months. During this time they em- 
ployed in tbe manufacture of smoking tobacco 
alone two hundred and twenty-five hands. 



362 



WHEELER'S REMmiSCENCES. 



Ill reply to the question "to what is the in- 
crease and growth of your business attributa- 
ble ?" Mr. CaiT replied that they attributed 
their success to the superior quality of the to- 
bacco grown in the adjacent country, to their 
careful selection of the best, to extensive ad- 
vertising, and to the energy with which the 
business had been conducted. 

The peculiar fitness of Mr. Carr for the man- 
agement of a great enterprise is best attested 
l)y the extraordinary success which has at- 
tended his labors. When he entered the firm 
of W. T. Blackwell & Co., the business was 
small, insignificant, indeed, if compared with 
what it soon became. The whole machinery 
of administration was to be organized, and 
adapted to the rapidly growing business, and 
it required an organizing and directing talent 
of a high order to meet the constantly recur- 
ring emergencies. The history of this country 
has shown that it requires no extraordinary 
amount of talent to fill the office of Secretary 
of the Treasury, for instance, with passable 
credit. The new appointee, selected from con- 
siderations of his political standing and services 
to the party; or with reference to the equitable 
distribution of honors among the States, steps 
into office, finding the machinery in motion, 
polished and oiled; and for months, his great 
duty is not to direct, but to learn from his 
subordinates. The experienced messenger who 
brings him a paper to sign, properly made out 
by an obscure clerk, recorded by another, 
docketed by half a dozen others, and certified 
by auditors, comptrollers, and other heads of 
bureaus, becomes the new Secretary's first in- 
structor. What he fails to learn from the 
messenger, he ekes out day by day, and week 
by week, from the chiefs of the several 
branches of his department. If he is an apt 
scholar, he may, in the course of twelve months 
begin to understand the motive powers, and 
operations of the department of which he has 



been the nominal head, and which the country 
gives him the credit of being the controlling 
spirit. But persons who have had opportuni- 
ties of seeing and knowing how public affairs 
are managed at the seat of Government, are 
well aware of the insignificant part played by 
new heads of departments. And such minute 
knowledge of afl:airs is necessary to a just ap- 
preciation of a genius like that of Alexander 
Hamilton, who at thirty-one years of age, or- 
ganized and successfully administered the 
Treasury Department. His successors have 
only to learn their routine duties from their 
subordinates. He planned them, and adapted 
them to the situation of the country, under 
an entirely new form of Government. And 
akin to the great achievement of Hamilton 
has been the work of Mr. Carr. Beginning 
from next to nothing, he has developed a vast 
enterprise, involving the employment of many 
hundred thousand dollars, and nearly a thou- 
sand men, women and boys. He has wisely 
directed capital to the most useful applications; 
he has assigned to an army of laborers, their 
several places and spheres of dutj', and by the 
judicious subordination of ranks and employ- 
ments, which are various and unlike, he pre- 
serves order and co-operation, to the common 
end of producing the best results. 

Among the most gratifying incidents connec- 
ted with this great and successful North Caro- 
lina manufacturing enterprise, is the fact that 
it originated with, and has been directed, in all 
its stages of development, by natives of the 
State. Taken in connection with many simi- 
lar ventures in the manufacture of tobacco, 
cotton and other articles, within the last few 
years, there is left no ground for longer hold- 
ing the idea that yankee, or northern genius 
alone, is equal to such achievements. It is cir- 
cumstances that develope men. Slavery absorb- 
ed all the active capital of the south, and applied 
it almost exclusively to agriculture. Capital 



ORANGE COUNTY. 



363 



was thus applied for two reasons. In tlie first 
place, it required too great an out -lay of capi- 
tal to engage in manufacturing with slave 
lahor, in competition with the free labor of the 
Xorth. ' To realize this fact, it is only necessar}- 
to imagine that the great firm of Blackwell's 
Durham Toi)acco Companj', in addition to their 
iialf a million of capital, invested in grounds, 
liuildings, nuichinery, and raw material, were 
nil (lor the necessity of owning as slaves, eight 
hundred lahoi'crs, worth an average of one 
thousand dollars each. 

Here, then, was the great obstacle to South- 
ern enterprise before the war. But the im- 
pediment being removed, we see in all direc- 
tions the development of Southern genius for 
business enterprises of every kind — nowhere, 
however, with such astonishing results as at 
Durham, North Carolina, and by the renowned 
firm of Blackwell & Co., of which Mr. Carr has 
been to a great extent the organizing and di- 
recting spirit. 

The businessof the company has grown stead- 
ily and rapidly from the time Mr. Carr became 
a partner and director of its affairs. We have 
seen that, prior to that time, Mr. Blackwell, 
by his sagacity and enteqjrise and with his very 
limited capital, had been able to turn out 
nearly ninety thousand pounds of the manu- 
factured article in a year. The product of the 
establishment is now about four million of 
2>ounds, or nearly a fifty -fold increase in four- 
teen years. Mr. B. employed a dozen hands, 
all told ; the company last year employed seven 
hundred and fifty; and still the work goes on 
increasing. Before the considerable reduction 
which was made in the tobacco taxes, in May, 
1882, the company paid for stamps, in a single 
year, §645,601.33. And who must not be 
amazed at the statement in view of the fact 
that thirty-five years ago, and prior thereto, 
tlie whole revenue of the State Government 
was only about eighty thousand dollars! Kany 



one had predicted at that time that the 3'oung 
men and women, and many who had reached 
middle life, would live to see the day when a 
manufacturing company on North Carolina soil, 
to be located at a place which then had no 
name, would pay taxes to the United States 
Government dght times greater than the State 
tax; he might have escaped arrest and confine- 
ment as a harmless lunatic, but on no other 
grounds. 

The flourishing town of Durham, now con- 
taining 4,000 industrious irdiabita!its, owes its 
existence to the Blackwell-Durham Tobacco 
Company. It is true that similar and dissimi- 
lar industries have grown up all around it,l)nt 
they all owe their success to the world-wide 
renown achieved by this great establishment.* 

In 1882 Mr. Blackwell sold his entire inter- 
est in the company; and in January, 1883, the 
purchasers obtained a charter under the laws 
of the State. The authorized capital is one mil- 
lion; and a half million was paid in at the time. 
Mr. .Julian S. Carr became the President of the 
company, and a principal share-holder ; Mr. M. 
E. McDowell, Vice-President, and Mr. Jno. A. 
McDowell,Secretary; Sam'l H.Austin, jr.,Treas- 
urer. 

By genuine goodness of heart and afi'ability 
of manners, by integrity and liberality Mr. 
Carr has endeared himself to all classes of the 
people; to rich and poor; to those to whom he 
employs, and to those with whom he deals, 
and has social intercourse. He takes an active 
part in the benevolent movements of the day, 
is a firm and efficient supporter of religion, and 

*Since tlip Author of tliese Reminiscences wrote liis 
aketcli of "Durlijini," the county of Durliam lins been 
erected by an act of tlic Lcf^islatuic, dated Fcliiiiary 
38tli, 1881. And one of flic luiiss! ihosmtohs coiiiities 
of tlie State owes its nauic and sudden >:i(>\vtli to the 
enterprise inaugurated by W. T. BlackweU and Com- 
pany. 

Whether the County should be established or not 
■was left to a vote of the iicoplc embraced in the terri- 
tory. The election was lield on tlie 3iid 'I'liMisday in 
A])iil and the Justices of the Peace met on the Isl Mon- 
day in May. The act of the Legislature authorizing 
this action was ratified February 38th, 1881. 



364 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



has been made a trustee of the University and 
member of the Executive Committee, and 
trustee of Trinity College. He is also President 
of the Board of Trustees of the Methodist Fe- 
male Seminary at Durham; and doubtless its 
best patron; President of the Board of Trustees, 
Greensboro Female College, Greensboro. He 
is Vice-President of the Durham Cotton Man- 
ufacturing Company, and holds the same rela- 
tion to the companies organized for the manu- 
facture of wool and of wooden wares. He is 
Vice-President of the North Carolina State 
Exposition, and a member of the Executive 
Committee of the National Tobacco Associa- 
tion.* 

Mr. Carr was married, in 1873, to Miss Nan- 
nie Graham Parish, daughter of the late Col. 
D. C. Parish, a gentleman of high standing and 
for a number of years mayor of the new and 
thriving town of Durham. 

*In politics Mr. Carr is a Democrat. He was a dele- 
sate to the late Dciiiuriatir National Convention at 
Chicago, and wa.s honoieil by the State Delegation 
with tne position on the Committee of Resolutions, or 
" Platform." 



He is still a young man, but has already at- 
tained to a high place in the regards of the 
people. In spite of his^manifold duties as the 
head of a great manufacturing establishment, 
he has found time to store his mind with a 
knowledge of literature, and to keep abreast of 
current events in the political world. If his 
ambition should lead in that direction, he is 
destined to fill a still higher place in the public 
eye, and to applj' his remarkable talents for 
business to the business of the people. 

Note. — The heartfelt tribute to the memory 
of Chief-Justice Thomas RutBn, so long a resi- 
dent of this County, will be found in Ala- 
mance County, page 3. That of Governor 
William A. Graham, also a resident of Hills- 
boro', will be found in Lincoln County, page 
232. 

Two more illustrous characters cannot be 
found; the glory of our race, the inheritance 
of our State, their fameprevaded the civilized 
world. 




-^Vi^'* 



[gilf5EE^IMd 



PASQUOTANK COUNTY. 



365 



CHAPTER XLIII. 



PASQUOTANK COUNTY. 



Connected with memories of the County is 
the name of John L. Baily, born August 13th, 
1795; died June 30th, 1877 late one of the 
Judges of the Superior Courts of the State ; 
wlio was tlie son of Gabriel Baily and born 
ill Pasquotank Count}'. He was educated at 
Cliapel Ilill, and studied law with Governor 
Iredell, at Edenton. In 1824 he represented 
this County m the House of Commons and was 
elected to the Senate in 1827 and 1828; he was 
elected one of the Judges of the Superior Courts 
ill 1836, which position he filled with honor 
to himself and the great satisfaction of the 
countr}'. He resigned in 1863. As a Judge he 
was patient, impartial, kind and learned; as a 
citizen, just and loyal; as a friend, sincere and 
genial. Preferring the bracing climate of Bun- 
combe County, even to that of his native Coun- 
ty, he removed to Asheville some years ago, 
where he died. His amiable wife, daughter of 
Thomas Brownrigg, of Chowan County, had 
died a few years before him. lie was the father 
of Thomas B. Baily and Wm. II. Baily, Esqs., 
of Charlotte, as also of Mrs. Caine. 

William Biddle Shepard, born 1799 ; died 
1832; resided and represented this County. He 
was born in New Berne; the son of William 
Shepard, who was the father of a family noted 
family for their talents and eloquence. He 
married Mary, daughter of John Blount, by 
whom he had ten children, viz: 

I. Ann, married Ebenezer Pettigrew; H. 
John, who first married Maria Long, second, 

Gamble; IH Wm. Biddle; IV. Mary, 

married John II. Bryan; V. Frederick Blount, 
VI. Hannah, single; VU. Penelope,8ingle; VHI. 



(Jharles, in Congress, who married first, Jones, 
second, Donnel; IX. Richard; X. James B. 

William, the subject of our present sketch, 
was the second son. and was educated at the 
University, where he stood high for scholar- 
ship, but he never graduated because of an un- 
fortunate difRculty which occured at the time; 
be studied law and practiced with success; his 
first entrance into public life was as a member 
of the twenty first Congress (1829-31) and he 
served till 1837 when he declined a re-election. 
He was a member of the State Legislature for 
several sessions, from 1838 to 1850, and was 
very popular from his decided state-rights 
opinions, and the ability and firmness with 
which he maintained them. 

He died in Elizabeth City, in 1852 ; he was 
twice married, first to Miss Cazenove, of Alex- 
andria, and second to Miss Collins, of Edenton. 

George W Brooks, was born March 16, 1821 
in this Count}' ; his father, Wm. C. Brooks, 
was an eminent merchant of Ehzabeth City, 
who came from Gates County. His ancestors 
were amongst earliest settlers in the Albemarle 
region of the State and emigrated from Vir 
ginia. Branches of the same family are still 
in Virginia and at one time were one of the 
leading families of Essex and the adjacent 
Counties. 

His mother's maiden name was Catha- 
rine B. Davis, of Pasquotank. She first mar- 
ried Captain Hugh Knox. After the death 
of Captain Knox, she married Mr. Brooks, 
and so was the mother of Judge Brooks. 
Her ancestors were also amongst the earliest 
settlers in Pasquotank County and were 



366 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



prominent in tlieir Conntj% many of them 
filling important positions in the Legislatm-e of 
the State and the local posts of trust at home. 

Judge Brooks was mostly educated at Bel- 
videre in Perquimans County, North Carolina. 
The Society of Friends in that section, as early 
as the year 1834, had founded an Academy at 
that place, which from the foundation to tlie 
present, has taken high rank amongst the best 
schools of the country. At the school many 
of the men now prominent in Eastern Nortli 
Carolina were educated and some, distin- 
guished for practical worth, in other States. 

In 1844 he was licensed to practice law in 
the County Courts of the State and in 1846 was 
admitted as an attorney in the Superior Courts. 

From his first entrance at the har he was 
successful. The numerous friends of his father, 
made so by his kindness, rectitude and fidel- 
ity, flocked to the support of the son, and 
gave him at once a start in life. His first 
appearance was not flattering. He was slow 
and almost painfully awkward from eml.>arrass- 
ment and diffidence ; l)ut still, amidst the 
tribulation which a young lawyer endures at 
first 111 the presence of a critical audence, he dis- 
played a power of endurance and pertinacity, 
that was at once recognized as the talisman of 
success. He was penniless when he came to the 
Bar, and in 1861 at the beginning of the war he 
had accumulated a large estate, which was ad- 
mitted by all to have been justly and lionora- 
ably acquired. 

At the beginning of the war he owned a 
large number of slaves, all of them purchased 
by him and nearly all purchased at their own 
request to save them from the hands of the 
negro-buyer. For some years before 1861, he 
predicted their emancipation and often when 
^asked to purchase a negro he refused upon tlie 
ground, that the tenure of ownership was in 
the near future to end. 

His arguments upon this subject were dis- 



tasteful to public sentiment and grew to be 
the subject of harsh criticism amongst the 
leading democrats of his region ; many of 
his personal and warmest friends frequently 
remonstrated with him, against his utterance 
of opinions so widely at variance with the 
wishes and convictions of the public. 

He made no political speeches and no haran- 
gues to the public ; but he claimed the, right 
to express his private opinion upon public 
matters, and he never yielded that right to 
public clamor or private remonstrance. In 
1852 he consented to represent his native 
County in the Legislature of the State. He 
only consented to prevent a division in the 
Whig Party in his county. He served with 
perfect acceptability to his constituents one 
term, but positively refused to accept a re- 
nomination. He has always refused to mingle 
in the strife of politics. 

He was a firm adherent of the Whig Party 
up to the civil war. During that war he was an 
avowed LTnion man; though his conduct was 
calm and quiet, and showed his actions to be 
the result of conviction, produced by reflection 
rather than mere sentiment, the result of the 
passions of the hour. 

During the whole civil war he was the same, 
— true to his conviction of the ultimate tri- 
umph of the Federal Government, yet kind to 
opponents and always ready to succor the dis- 
tress of Federal or Southern sufferers. 

In August 1865, he was appointed Judge of 
District Court for the District of North Car- 
olina, and his nomination was confirmed by 
tlie United States Senate in January 1866. 
In 1866 he was elected a delagate to the Con- 
vention which met to frame a Constitution for 
North Carolina. He stood high in that body, 
but with the close of that Convention his re- 
lation with the public ceased except as a judge. 

The business in the federal Courts of North 
Carolina before the war was nominal. The 



PASQUOTANK COUNTY. 



367 



terms of the Circuit Courts rarely coiisumefl a 
week, and a few liours sufficed to dispose of 
the dockets of the District Courts. 

Since the war the Circuit Courts have usually 
continued for several weeks at each term and 
the labor of the judges has been severe and 
constant. Hundreds of cases have been tried 
in open court at each term, and the busi- 
ness at chambers has been quite as laborious 
as in the court room. The district courts have 
also been crowded since 1867 with cases in 
bankruptcy, besides a large accession of other 
questions upon the Revenue Laws of the United 
States and questions of private right. 

No judge performed more labor since 18G6 
than Judge Brooks; and in the discharge of 
his duties he won and retained the highest re- 
spect of the Bar of North Carolina, for learn- 
ing, for courtesy and practical good sense. His 
decisions are rarely questioned and the people 
regarded him as an honor to the bench. 

Besides the ordinary business of the Court 
in which he presided, he was called upon to 
determine questions under the recent amend- 
ments to the Constitution of the United States 
at a time of intense excitement, when there 
was serious alarm felt lest a fearful strife should 
break forth, growing out of the points upon 
he was called to adjudicate. 

In the year 1870, Governor Holden declared 
several Counties of North Carolina in a state 
of insurrection and sent troops who arrested 
and held in custody a number of citizens of 
those Counties. These sued out writs of ha- 
beas corpus from Chief-Justice Pearson, of tlie 
State Court. The writs were issued, but by 
direction of the Governor the prisoners were 
not returned. An act of the Legislature of 
North Carolina had been passed, empowering 
the Governor upon good cause to declare any 
County in insurrection and to employ the 
miltia force to repress such insurrection. 



When the Governor refused the prisoners 
in obedience to the writs issued by Chief-Jus- 
tice Pearson, that Judge declared that he had 
no power to proceed and that the power of the 
judiciary was exhausted. The prisoners still 
remained in military custody. 

Immediately they procured writs from Judge 
Brooks, returnable before him at Salisbury in 
August, 1870. The questions arising upon 
these proceedings were of the gravest kind, 
involving the construction of the 14th amend- 
ment to the Constitution of the United States 
and the act of February fifth, 1867, passed in 
pursuance thereof. The prisoners were sup- 
posed to be Democrats, seeking relief at the 
hands of the federal government from the 
wrongs of their own State officers; the coun- 
sel for the prisoners, all leading Democrats, 
filed argument upon argument to convince the 
Court that the Federal arm ought to interfere. 
The Judge was easy to convince; he had com- 
mon sense, the text of the Constitution, the 
written statute and the bias of a life-time on 
his side. He extended the ^gis of the Fed- 
eral Constitution over the citizen of the Uni- 
ted States and proclaimed to eternity that the 
United States is a nation charged to vindicate 
the wrongs of the subject in every corner of 
its domain and armed with power to resist the 
tyranny of any or either of the several States. 
He granted the writ of habeas corpus and 
extended the federal jurisdiction to the case 
The prisoners exulted in their liberty and a 
shout of triumph went up from the people and 
the press over the result. The Judge enjoyed 
an ovation such as seldom honors the bench, 
and at the time, no honor would have been too 
great for the State to lay at his feet. 

The decision referred to, although it did 
present at the time only a local aspect, is, in 
fact, a national one. and may one day form the 
basis of an opinion of as wide notoriety as the 
Dred Scott case. It in fact ranks with it in 



368 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



interest, and like it must form the departure 
for olaslung- political creeds hereafter. 

Judge Brooks married Margaret, daughter 
of James Costin, of Gates County, on June 20, 
1850, and he had five children: Three sons, 
William, George and James, and two daugh- 
ters; Margaret and Sally. lie died at his home 
in Elizabeth City on January 6th, 1882, amid 
the regrets of the Country at the loss of so 
pure and good a man. 

Gen. James Green Martin, born 1819, died 
October 1878, was a native of this county. 
He was educated at the United States Mili- 
tary Academy and graduated June 30th, 1840, 
in the same class with Sherman, Thomas and 
others. He was assigned to the Artillery and 
performed the varied duties of that service, 
at home and abroad with credit. He was en- 
gaged in the war with Mexico; and was sever- 
ely wounded at the battle of Cherubusco, on 
the August 20th, 1847, from which he lost 
his right arm. He was brevetted Major "for 
gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle 
of Contrereas and Cherubusco." On the com- 
mencement of the civil war, he was stationed 
at Fort Riley. He promptly resigned his com- 
mission in the United States Army, and tend- 
ered his services to his native State. The 
Governor appointed him Adjutant General of 
the State, a mo.st important position, and well 
did he fill it, for it was unc.er his provident 
care that the troops of the State were or- 
ganized, equipped and amply provided for. 
It was his suggestion that the "blockade run- 
nino;" ships were first employed to bring cloth- 
ing and supplies from Europe for the troops and 
the people. In 1862 when he had accom- 
plished his duties as Adjutant General, he was 
commissioned Brigadier General and labored 
faithfully, zealously and gallantly to the close 
of the war; which found him at Asheville. 
Pleased with the advantages of climate, and 



the salubrity of this section, he resolved to 
make it his home; here he remained, till his 
death. He was the law partner of Hon. John 
L. Baily, whose genial and generous temper 
was so germain to that of Gen. Martin. He 
was twice married. By his first wife. Miss 
Reed of New Castle, Delaware, he had four 
children. His second wife was the daughter 
of the late Hon. Charles King, who was the 
son of Rufus King. 

John Pool* is a native of Pasquotank County, 
born June 16, 1826, educated at the Univer- 
sity at which he graduated in 1847. Studied 
law and practiced it successfully. Elected to 
the State Senate in 1856 and again in 1865. 
He was a member of the State Convention in 
1865 and was the Whig candidate for Gover- 
nor in 1858, but was defeated by Governor 
Ellis. 

He was elected Senator in Congress in 1868 
and served till March, 1873. 

Mr. Pool's course in public life has been 
marked b}' a strict adherence to his views of 
right; never pandering to party or persons to 
secure popularity. This devotion to duty has 
doubtless, while it secured him friends, pro- 
duced some political enemies. He has retired 
from the arena of politics and devotes his time 
to the duties of his pi'ofession. 

No further seek his merits to disclose, 

Or draw his frailties froui their quiet abode. 

He has been twice married; first to Miss 
Sawyer, by whom he has one daughter [Mrs. 
Mills;] and second to Mary, daughter of Dr. 
A. W. Mebane, by whom he has a sob and two 
daughters. 

Luciau D. Starke, long a resident of Eliza- 
beth City, was raised in Suffolk, Virginia. 
His native ability is excelled by his cultivated 



*Mr. Pool died in Washingtou City on August 16th, 

1884. 



PERQUIMANS COUNTY. 



369 



iiuiniiers. He edited "the Pioneer," a dem- Port. lie entered tlie iirmy duriiii^ the Civil 
ocratie paper at Elizabeth City, with much War, Eerviiig on the Stall' of the late lamented 
ability, and was for a time Collector of the Col. William F. Martin. 



^^'^^^^^.5^^;^^:^^7<^ 



PERQUIMANS COUNTY. 



John Harvey is a name that should ever be 
cherished in the early annals of our history. 
He was a prominent leader in the Assembly, 
and was for a long time Speaker in the House 
and was Moderator of that band of heroes 
w'ho met at New Berne m 1774, in open defi- 
ance to the Royal Governor as advocates of 
liberty and independence. Unfortunately, he 
died before independence was secured; but 
his name and his elFcrts are entitled to our re- 
spect and _ofi-atitude. His name is still, pre- 
served by many families in this region, and 
his patriotism duly remembered. 

Josiah T. Granburj^ was long a useful and 
honorable citizen of this Coun^-y. He was 
distinguished for his success as a farmer — one 
ot the most extensive in this fertile section of 
the State. But his means and fortunes were 
wrecked by the vicissitudes of the civil war, 
and his active spirit sunk under its calamities. 
In his viewsof statenianshiphe was a devoted 
admirer of the tenets of Jetferson and Jack- 
son; so strong and fixed were these opinions 
that they tinged his whole life. 

His only child married Lucius J. Johnson, 
who shared with Mr. Granbury his political 
preferences, his high intellectual acquirements 
and his devotion to duty. " Mr. Johnson," says 
Moore, " was of that stock of men which made 



the upper portion of Chowan celebrated for a 
century past, fc>r its patriotism and intelli- 
gence." He was greatly beloved as a man, and 
respected as a faithful and able advocate. He 
died, Major of the 17th N. C. State Troops, 
with his face to the foe in the last battle of 
Kinston in March 1865. 

J. W. Albertson is a native of this county; 
of Quaker parentage, born September 9, 1826. 
Educated at Belvidere Academy and at the 
Friends' Boarding School in Guilford County. 
He studied law and was licensed to practice in 
1849. Elected to the Legislature in 1852. In 
1856 he became a Democrat on principle. 
Elected Solicitor in 1868, and was so accepta- 
ble and faithful that he was appointed Judge 
of the Superior Court in April, 1872. 

On the resignation of Richard C. Badirer, in 
1878, he was appointed by the President Dis- 
trict Attorney for the eastern district of North 
Carolina, which position he discharged with 
credit to himself and satisfaction to his coun- 
try. 

William H. Bagley, is a native of Perquimans 
county, born July 5th, 1833, son of Col. Willis H. 
Bagley, long the Sheriff of this county, a pop- 
ular and useful citizen. lie was liberally ed- 
ucated under John Kimberly, at the Hertford 
Academy. For a time he was editor of the 



370 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Sentinel in Elizabeth City; studied law and 
wa8 licensed in 1859. Although opposed to 
secession,yet when the State actually embarked 
in the war, he felt it to he his duty to share 
her fortunes, and so entered the Confederate 
service as a private, but was soon made a First 
Lieutenant in the Eighth Regiment N. C. 
Troops. He was in the battle of Roanoke Is- 
land, where he was taken prisoner. After his 
exchange he was appointed Captain of his com- 
pany, and subsequently promoted to be Major 
of the 66th Regiment where he served on the 
coast defenses in North and South Carolina, 
and Georgia, until his resignation in 1864. 
He hud been elected to the Senate, from the 
first Senatorial District, composed of the co- 



unties of Perquimans and Pasquotank in Aug. 
1862, and was re-elected in 1864. In Jui^^ 1865 
he was appointed by President Johnson Super- 
intendent of the Mint at Charlotte; but being 
unable to take the test oath he was prevented 
from filling that position. In December of that 
year he was Private Secretary of Gov. Worth; 
at the close of which service he was elected 
Clerk of the Supreme Court of the State, which 
elevated position he n jw holds. He is a prom- 
inent member of the order of Odd Fellows 
and has been M. W. Grand Master, and held 
the highest honor of the order in his State. 
He married (March 1st 1866,) Adelaide, daugh- 
ter of Gov. Worth, for whose biography see 
Randolph County. 



->'^b^V^^^^:7^^ 



PERSON COUNTY. 



General Henry Atkinson, of the U. S. Army, 
born 18-Q2, died 1842, was a native of this coun- 
ty. He was appointed a Captain in the 3rd 
Regiment of Infantry, 1808; Colonel of 45th 
Infantry, 1814, and a Brigadier-General 1820. 
He was a gallant and active officer and com- 
manded the Western Army at the defeat of the 
Sioux Indians, and took their celebrated Chief, 
Black Hawk, prisoner near Bad Axe River, 2d 
August, 1832. 

He died at Jetierson Barracks, Missouri, 14th 
June, 1842. Ilis brother, Richard Atkinson, 
was a Member of the Legislature fro;n Person 
County, from 1807 to 1820, except 1815-'16. 
Like his distinguished brother, he was of mili- 
tary tastes, and was Colonel of a North Caro- 
lina Regiment in the war with the Creek In- 



dians, in 1815-'16. He died in Person County 
on 3rd December, 1821.* 

Edwin Godwin Reade, son of Robert and 
Judith A. Reade, was born November 19, 1812, 
at Mt. Tirzah, in Person County, in which 
county he has always resided. His father died 
while he was a child, and his early advantages 
were few. 

His mother's means were limited, but she 
was a wise, christian woman and guided her 
sons, of whom she had three, with much care. 

Edwin was liberally educated by Rev. Alex- 
ander Wilson, D.D. Studied law under Benja- 
min Sumner; obtained his license to practice in 
1835, and practiced with profit and honor. In 



'Dictionary of Am, Biography by Thomas S. Drake, 
Boston, 1872. 



PERSON COUNTY. 



371 



1855 he was elected a Member of the 
(34tli) Congress. He declined a re-election, 
and determined to retire from public life. 

In 1861 he was prevailed upon by friends of 
the Union to be a candidate for a seat in the 
convention to oppose the secession of the State. 
He was elected by a large majority, but the 
convention was defeated by a popular vote. 
When another convention was soon after call- 
ed, and wlien it was apparent tliat tlie State 
would secede, he was not a candidate. After 
Secession was accomplished by a vote of the con- 
vention, he cast his lot with his State. Judge 
Reade was elected to the Confederate States 
Senate, and served therein during the war. 

In December, 18G3,in his absence, and with- 
out his active solicitation, he was elected by 
the legislature a judge of the Supreme Court. 

At the close of the war in 1865 he was ap- 
pointed a judge in the Provisional Govern- 
ment. 

In the fall of 1865 he was unanimously 
elected to the state convention, called to form 
a constitution, and was chosen President of 
that body by acclamation. 

The legislature that met in Dec. 1865 elect- 
ed him one of the Justices of the Supreme 
Court. In 1868, under the new government, 
he was nominated by buth parties and elected 
by nearly a unanimous vote to the office of 
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; his 
term of office expired in 1878. Ue returned 
to his practice in Roxboro, where he resides. 

He was married December, 1836, Emily A.L. 
Moore, daughter of Phillips Moore. 

He was always a Whig and as opposed to 
secession has been a Unionist. 

He is a clear, chaste and forcible writer, and 
was distinguished as an acute lawyer, and an 
eloquent and persuasive advocate and public 
speaker, lie has been a member of the Pres- 
byterian church from his youth and is now a 
ruling elder. He has discharged ably and well 



the duties of all the positions which he has 
ever occupied. 

There lived near Roxboro, a Scotchman 
named James Williamson. His first wife was 
a daughter of Dempsey .Moore. Of this mar- 
riage was born John Gustavus Adolphus Wil- 
liamson, one of the most prominent sons of Per- 
son, a lawyer by profession, and an eminent 
statesman; represented his county in the House 
of Commons in 1823, was afterwards Consul to 
Venzucla and later appointed Chargt; d'Affaires 
at Caraccas. 

His second wife was Susan Paine, daughter 
of Major Paine, who lived at Paine's "Ornery." 
Of tliis ir.arriage were born three sons, Robert, 
James and Alexander; and four daughters, 
Mary,Parthenia, Annie and Madrid [named for 
the Capital of Spain.] 

Mary married Mr. Donaho, who died in Mil- 
ton. Parthenia married Judge Dick, father of 
the present Judge R. P. Dick. She is still liv- 
ing in Greensboro'. Susan married a brother 
of Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin, formerly of 
Hillsboro'. Madrid married a young lawyer by 
the name of Jones, and moved to Tennessee. 

Dr. Robert Williamson, the oldest son of his 
second wife, was a prominent physician in Rock- 
ingham County, where he he died about the 
year 1843. James M., second son by same mar- 
riage, moved to Tennessee, and followed the 
law, represented this County in the State Leg- 
islature, 1834. 

Alexander, the third son by the same mar- 
riage, was a successful merchant in Memphis, 
left a large estate. 

The fiist we learn of the Barnett family is 
that, .John Barnett, of Scotch-Irish descent, 
came to America and settled in Pennsylvania. 
His son John married Miss Carrie of that 
State. He lived at Bailey's Bridge, on the line 
of Person and Halifax counties. This was then 
the famous place* to settle questions of honor 
by the pistol. Immediately upon the Virginia 



372 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



and North Carolina line the officers of the law 
in either State could be evaded by passing from 
one State to the other. It was here that Judge 
Cameron once vindicated the code. 

John Barnett was summoned to cut out a 
direct road from Halifax C. H., in Virginia, to 
to Hillsboro'. Commencing at Halifax he came 
on by Adam's Creek. At this fqrd he was re- 
minded by the red land of that in Pennsylva- 
nia. And fancying a similarity in its fertility he 
immediately went to the land-office and "took 
up" a large number of acres of land located 
here. This land fell into the hands of John 
W. Williams, as the heir or executor of one 
Towler. 

A brother-in-law of this John Barnett, 
named Currie, also settled upon these lands, 
now occupied by J. M. Barnett, Esq., who also 
owned the Towler place. Thus we trace the 
Currie family of Caswell County. 

Richard Stanford, was a Member of Congress 
from 1797 to 1816 continuously, nearly twenty 
years. He died in Washington City, in April, 
1816, during the session of Congress, and lies 
buried in the Congressional Cemetery. He was 
a prominent politician of his day, and was the 
confidential friend of the distinguished John 
Randolph of Roanoke. Mr. Stanford's unex- 
pired term was filled by Hon. Samuel Dickens, 
who often represented Person in the State Leg- 
islature, he removed in 1820 to West Tennes- 
see, which was then called the Chickasaw pur- 
chase; he died there many years ago, full of 
wealth and the good will of his countrymen. 
Hon. James Cochran, (the maternal grandfather 
of James Cochran Dobbin,) was a native of Per- 
son, and a Member of Congress from 1809 to 
1813; he lies buried at Lea's Chapel, five miles 
west of Roxboro'. 

Hon. Robert Vanhook was a native of Per- 
son, he served in both branches of the State 
Legislature and was elected twenty-two times, 
from 1807 to 1834, the last year he had no op- 



position, and died before the convening of the 
Legislature. Major Isham Ed\yards [father of 
Col. L. C. Edwards,] was elected to fill the va- 
cancy. Mr. Vanhook was a politician of the 
Jefl:ersoniaii school, he was not a great man 
mentally, though highly gifted in procuring the 
good will of the people and retaining it. 

Hon. Thomas McGhee, [father of Montford 
McGhee, Esq.,] was a wealthy farmer onllyco, 
and served five sessions in the State Legislature 
[lower branch] 1826-'29-'30-'31-'33, and was 
Governor's council during the administrations 
of Dudley and Morehead and was many years 
president of the bank at Milton. 

His son, Montford McGhee, born in this 
county, on December 4, 1822, was educated at 
the University; graduated in 1841, in the same 
class with Thos. L. Avery, R. R. Bridgers, Wm. 
J. Clarke, John W. Ellis, John F. Hoke, Charles 
and Samuel F. Phillips. He studied law with 
Judge Butler, and spent some time at Harvard 
College. He removed to Caswell County, and 
was a delegate to the Convention in 186.5, and 
as Representative in 1862 and 1866. Elected 
to the Legislature in 1879, and since continued 
to 1882 with great acceptability. He has 
attained high distinction as a writer, and his 
eulogy on Governor Graham ranks him with 
the most polished writers of the State. 

He is at present a prominent member of the 
Legislature and of the bar. Highly esteemed by 
his friends and his associates as a gentleman and 
a scholar. He has recently been appointed by 
the State Board of Agriculture, Commissioner 
of Agriculture, succeeding Col. L. L. Polk, 
[1880.] 

He married a daughter of Judge Badger in 
18.54. 

John W. Cunningham, resides in this Coun- 
ty. He was born in Petersburg, Virginia on 
Feb. 6th, 1820; educated at Bingham Acad- 
emy, and at the University, where he grad- 
uated in 1840, in the same class with David A. 



PITT COUNTY. 



373 



Barnes, Tod K. Caldwell, C. C. Graham. Lucius Govrs. Ellis juid Clark, and member of the 

I. Johnston, Wm. Johnston, 0. H. Prince, Will- Convention of ISTo. These manifestations of 

iam M. Shipp, Calvin A. Wiley and others. ... ,. , , , . 

, , , ,,<,,. ,r.rr^ .. ,^ public conndenco and reaiard.evmce the proper 

He was elected to the Senate in 1852- 4- b ' 

and 8 ; was a member of the Convention 1861, appreciation of Mr. Cunningham's integrity and 

(scccfsion.) Keelected to the Senate in 1864, ability. He married xVliss Sue Somerville of 

'66-'72 and 1876. Councillor of State under Warrenton. 



><mmM^ 



CHAPTER XLIV. 



PITT COUNTY. 



Dr. Robert Williams of Pitt County, was dis- 
tinguished in the Revolutionary War, as a de- 
voted Patriot, a skilful Surgeon and able Phy- 
sician. He served as surgeon during the whole 
war, and after the war was over he devoted 
his services to his extensive practice. He was 
selected by the people to fill many positions of 
honor and trust. He was a member of the 
Convention that met at Hillsboro, July 21st, 
1788, to consider the Federal Constitution; 
and was repeatedly elected to the Legislature 
of the State for nearly thirty years, [from 
1786 to 1814.] He was also a member of the 
Convention of 1835, that met at Raleigh to re- 
vise the State Constitution. 

He died in Pitt County on November 12, 
1842, aged 83, much esteemed and much re- 
gretted. 

Byran Grimes, Major-General C. S. A., born 

Nov. 2, 1828; died Aug 14, 1880. 

" He was not born to shame; 

Upon his blow .slianie was ashamed to sit, 

For it was a ihione where Honor raitrht be crownerl 

Sole monarch of the universal earth." 



The tragic death of General Grimes, and the 
assassin-like mode by which it was accom- 
plished, produced a thrill of sorrow through- 
out the State, and added interest to the exalt- 
ed traits that adorned his character. He was 
born, lived, and died in Pitt County. 

There are few counties in North Carolina 
whose early record is more distinguished by 
devotion to liberty than tlie county of Pitt_ 
Its inhabitants, as early as July, 1775, under 
the ties of religion, honor and regard for pos- 
terity, resolved to execute the measures of 
the General Congress, then sitting at Phil- 
adelphia, and to oyipose the execution of the 
arbitrary and illegal acts of the British Parlia- 
ment." These resolutions were signed by John 
Simpson, chairman, and ninety-two others. 
Among these signers was the great-grand 
father of General Grimes. His grand -father 
[William] was a leading and influential pat- 
riot, and represented Pitt ('ounty in 1793 and 
'94, the date of hie death. His father, whose 



374 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



patronymic he bore,wasamost upright, honest, 
and enterprising farmer, and raised his sons to 
that useful and honorabie avocation. On these 
sons he bestowed every advantage that wealth 
and education could present. General Grimes 
was born November 2d, J828; and graduated 
at the University of North Carolina in 1848, 
in the same class with Victor Clay Barnnger, 
[now a judge in Egypt,] Oliver H. Dockery, 
[in Congress 1867, '68, '69, '71,] Seaton Gales, 
late Document Clerk to the House of Rep- 
resentatives; Willie P. Mangum, Jr., [now 
Consul of the United States in China,] Judge 
Oliver P. Mears, and others. Averse to polit- 
ical excitement and public position, he embraced 
the pursuit of agriculture, and was disting- 
uished for his success and enterprise in a sec- 
tion of the State distinguished for its fertility 
and prolific productions. lie, however, in the 
exciting times of 1861, was a member of the 
convention at Raleigh that seceded from the 
Union. Witii his characteristic sincerity he sus- 
tained his opinions and convictions of duty by 
his deeds. He entered the Confederate service, 
and was appointed by Governor Ellis, major of 
the 4th Regiment of North Carolina State 
Troops, commanded by George B. Anderson as 
colonel, and John H. Young as lieutenant-colo- 
nel. He served throughout the whole war. 
He was among the first to enter tbe field and 
was the last to quit it. Such was his gallantry 
and devotion to the cause that he was distin- 
guished in every prominent battle in Northern 
Virginia. He was with LeeatSharpsburg and 
Gettysburg, and was severely wounded at 
South Mountain. For his gallantry he was 
promoted through the several grades of service 
and attained the position of Senior Major- 
General of Stonewall Jackson's corps. In these 
fearful ordeals his brave spirit had never quail- 
ed, and he gallantly led his troops in the des- 
perate and furious strife. Like Henry, of Nav- 
arre, at Ivry,he was ever "foremost in the fray," 



and, like Henry, urged his troops to combat. 

"Press where you see my white plume shine amidst 

tlie ranks o( war, 

Audbeyouroriflanime to-day tlie helmet of Navarre." 

This poetic idea was realized by General 
Grimes, for his division made the last charge 
Appomattox. The history of that last effort 
of the Lost Cause tells us that General Lee, 
seeing the last gallant and fruitless chargd 
asked "What troops are those?" When told 
that it was a North Carolina division, his 
placid face brightened and he exclaimed, 
"God bless North Carolina! She is the first and 
last in every charge." 

I add, "God bless Pitt County!" Her son, 
Henry "Wyatt, was the first ottering on the 
altar of his country at Bethel in 1861, and her 
son, Grimes, led the last charge at Appomattox. 
Pitt, glorious Pitt, the alpha and omega of the 
civil war! 

The war ended, General Grimes returned to 
his home and to its peaceful pursuits. But 
his active and useful career was soon to be ter- 
minated by a tragic end. On Saturday evening, 
the 14th, of August, 1880, General Grimes 
was returning from Washington to his home 
in his buggy. A lad, about twelve years of 
age, named Bryan Sattherwaite, was with 
him. When about two miles from his resi- 
dence, near Bear Creek, about six o'clock in 
the evening, ho was fired upon by some mis- 
creant in ambush and killed. His death oc- 
curred in a few moments after the fatal shot 
was fired. Thus perished one of the purest 
and best men of the State. 

Prominent in his character was his devoted 
patriotism, his modest and decided conduct, 
his devotion to truth, and his abhorrence of 
an}' kind of artifice or intrigue. Decided, 
honest and firm in his opinions, he expressed 
them with dignity, firmness and courtesy. His 
gallantly in the field was only excelled by his 
kindness to and scrupulous regard for his troops. 



PITT COUNTY. 



375 



"Ilislife '.VIS /Miilr, anil fli(> cli'iiuMitM 
S" mixed ill liim, tli:it Natiiie iiii^'lit sfuiiil ii|) 
All I s ly to all tlie wdi-IiI, TIuk iv is a mnn " 

General Grimes was the ready and devoted 
friend of every movement to advance the well- 
fare and prosperity of his State. lie was the 
steady and consistent advocate of all inipmve- 
inonts and of eliicition. lie was the constant 
friend and [)atron of luis Alma Mater, in so 
nuich so, that one of the literary societies (the 
IMiilaiithropic) has procured his portrait, ex- 
ecuted by that faithful artist, Wm. Garl 
Browne, to whose s^enius and talent our State 
is deeply indebted for the preservation of the 
features of so many of her distinguished sons. 
The following letter to .Mr. Browne, post- 
marked on the same day he was killed, is prob- 
ably the last letter that General Grimes ever 
wrote. 

" W.-vsHixuTON, N. C, Aw/ust 12, 1880. 

W. G.\RL Browne, Esq., 

" Wa.shin</ton C'iti/, IJ. C. 
" My De.vr Sir -. Your letter torwarded 
through Mr. Cowper to hand. When the por- 
trait is completed, please put it in a suitable 
frame and write in paint colors and small let- 
ters on the liack of the canvas, "Bryan Grimes, 
Major-General Provisional Army Confederate 
States," also 3'our own name as artist. Have 
it boxed and addressed to the Philanthropic 
Society, Chapel Hill, N. C, cai'e of Messrs. 
James Pender, C. B. Aycock and Locke 
Craige, committee. Prepay the frefght by ex- 
press, at same time notify the gentlemen that 
you have, by my request, shipped the box to 
their address. Send original portraits back to 
Kaleigh, care of Pulaski Cowper, and send 
your bill for it all to me. I will not insult 
you by asking if the portrait is well done, for 
T know otherwise it could not come from your 
hand. 

Very trul}' yours, 

Bryan Grimes." 



(Postmarked 14th August, 1880, the day he 
was killed.) 

The perpetrator of his foid as-iassination 
was never convicted; the alleged cause was 
that General Grimes became an important 
witness in some criminal matter, and the par- 
ti(^s took this means to [irevcnt his testimony 
from lieing giveti. 

General Grimes was twice married; first to 
Miss Bettie Davis, and second to .Miss Char- 
lotte Bryan, daughter of the late Hon. .John 
H. Bryan, (member of Congress 1825-27,) and 
leaver a large family to deplore his untimely 
fate. 

In Moore's "History of North Caroliiui" is 
the following tribute to General Grimes: " In 
the disastrous, final retreat there were many 
brave deeds done by the troops of North Caro- 
lina. Especially did Major-General Bryan 
Grin^es and Brigadier General William K. Cox 
distinguish themselves. General Grimes had 
won his way to the proud position he then held 
amid the few immortals, surviving the many 
glorious conflicts waged by the Army of North- 
ern Virginia. His bravery and devotion were 
supervised by an intelligent and scrupulous re- 
gard for his command, and no officer rendered 
fuller or more patriotic duty to the Southern 
cause." General Grimes furnished the histo- 
rian with a most interesting sketch of the clos- 
ing scenes of the conflict in Virginia. From 
this narrative I make a number of extracts : 
"About 9 o'clock," saj's General Grimes, "I 
heard the roar of artillery in our front, and in 
consequence of information received, I had ray 
command aroused in time, and passed through 
the town of Appomattox Court House before 
daylight, where, on the opposite side of the 
town, I found the enemy in my front. Throw- 
ing out skirmishers and forming a line of bat- 
tle, I reconnoitred and satisfied myself as to 
their position, aud awaited the arrival of Gen- 



376 



WHEELER'S KEMINISCENCES. 



eral Gordi)ii for instrnctioiis, who, awhile he- 
fore day, aeeonipaiiied I)}' General Fhz Lee, 
came to nij position, when we held a council 
of war. General Gordon was of the opinion 
that the troops in our front were cavah-y, and 
that General Fitz Lee should attack. Fitz Lee 
thought that they were infantry, and that 
Gordon should attack. The}' diseus-ied the mat- 
ter so long that I became impatient, and said 
it was the duty of some one to attack, and 
that too immediately; and I felt satisfied tliat 
they could be driven from the cross-roads oc- 
cupied by them, which was the route it was 
desirable our wagon train should pursue, anj 
that I would undertake it. Whereupon Gor- 
don said: "Well drive them off;" I replied, "I 
cannot do so with my division alone, but re- 
quire assistance." He then said, "You can 
take the other \wo divisions of the corps." 
About this time it was becoming sufficiently 
light to make the surrounding localities visible. 
"I then rode down and invited General 
Walker, who commanded a division on m}- 
left composed principally of Virginians to ride 
with me, showed him the positioti of the en- 
emy, and explained to him my views and plan 
of attack. He agreed with nie as to its ad- 
visability. * * * The enemy, observing me 
placing these troops in [KisitidU, opened upon 
me with four pieces of artillery. I then gave 
the signal to advance; at the same time Fitz 
Lee charged those posted at the cross-roads, 
when my skirmishers attacked the breast- 
works, which were taken without nnichlosson 
my pai't; also capturing sevei'al pieces of ar- 
tillery and a large numlxn- of prisoners, I at 
the same time moving the division up to the 
support of the skirmishers oi crhdoit. by lu'ig- 
ades, driving the enemy in confusion for three- 
quarters of a mile beyond a range of hills cover- 
ed with oak under-growtlu * * * I t'nen sent 
anorticer to General Gordon announcing our 
success and that the Lynchl)urg road was open 



for the escape of the wagons, and that I awaited 
ordei's. Thereupon 1 received an order to 
withdraw, whi.-h I declined to do, su[ip,)sing 
that General Gordon did not uiulorstaiid the 
commanding position which my troops occu- 
pied, but he continued to send me orders to 
the same effect which I still disregarded being 
under the impression that he did not compre- 
hend our favorable location, until finally I re 
ceived a message from him with an additional 
one as coming fVom General Lee ti) fall back. 
* * * As my tn.)ops approached their position 
of the morning, I rode up to General Gordon 
and asked where I should form line of battle. 
He replied, " Anywhere you choose." 

"Struck by tne strangeness of the repl^', I 
asked an e.xplanation, whereupon he informed 
me that we would be surrendered. I expressed 
very forcibly my dissent at being surre idered 
and indignantly u.ibraided him for not giving 
me notice of such an intention, as I could have 
es^-aped with my division, and joined General 
Jo. Johnston, then in North Carolina; further- 
more, that I should then inform my men of 
the purpose to surrender, and wh:)m3>ever 
desired to escape that calamity could go 
with mc, and galloped off to carry this idea 
into effect. Before reaching my troops, how- 
ever, General Gordon overto.ik me, and [fac- 
ing his hand on my shoulder, asked me if I was 
going to desert the army and tarnish my own 
honor as asoldier; that it would be a retlection 
upon General Lee and an indelible disgrace to 
me that, I, an ofhcer of rank, should escape 
under a flag of truce which was pending. I 
was in a dilemma and knew not what to do, 
but finally concluded to say nothing to my 
troops on the subject. * * * We were then 
beyond the creek at Appomattox Court House, 
and stacked arms amid the bitter tears of bron- 
zed veterans, regretting the necessity for cap- 
tulation." 

Dr. Richard H. Lewis, the most distinguith- 



PITT COUNTY. 



377 



(uH-nlisl :ui(l iuirist in Xnrtli ('arDliiKi, was 
l>nni oil tlic ISth of Febmaiy, 1850, iu I'itt 
Couiitv; the son of K i eh lud Henry Lewis, ot" 
Htlgeconibe, wlio was the son of Erwiii Lewis, 
of tliat County, wliose father, Erwin Le\vis, 
moved to Edgeeombe from Brnnswiek County, 
\'irginia, and wasa deseendant of Henry Lewis 
nne of the throe brothers who came to \'ii-jjinia 
from Engl;ind in KjO'), and who settled in 
l5runswiek,Cliarles settling in Augusta County, 
and John on the James Kivor. 

lie entered the Freshman elass at the Uni- 
versity at Chapel Hill in July 1806, and re- 
mained there until the republicans broke it up 
in 18(58, having completed his sophomore year. 
I le obtained his first distinction the second ses- 
sion of the Freshman, and during the wh">le 
Sophomore 3'eai'. From Chapel Hill he went 
to the I'niversity of Virginia, and there re- 
mained for two years, the last in the study of 
medicine. The first was devoted chiefly to 
the study of belles lettres, and he received a 
diplonui in Moral Philosophy and French. He 
entered the Medical Department of the Uni- 
vcreity of Maryland, in Baltimore, and grad- 
uated there in the following spring, March 



1871. After graduation lu; was apiiointcd as- 
sisitant physician of the [University Hospital 
and the following year was elected Resident 
l^h^^siciau. Devoting hiiuself exclusively to 
one branch of tlie profession — namely, disea.ses 
of the eye and ear, he became fitted for it by- 
taking a course under Prof. J. J. Chisolm of 
Baltimore, and afterwards at the Koyal Lon- 
don ()[ihthalmic Hospital, Moorsfield, Lon- 
don. He first settled in Savannah, in the 
spring of 1875, and was elected Professor of Dis- 
eases of the Eye and Ear, in the Savannah 
Medical College. 

Married to Miss Cornelia V. Battle, daugh- 
ter of Hon. Kemp P. Battle, on February 13th, 
1877, he gave up a successful pi'actice in Savan- 
nali and returned to North Carolina to settle. 
His license to practice in this State was obtained 
from the State Board of Medical E.xaminers 
and he joined the State Medical Society at 
Salem in the following May. At the meeting 
of the Society in Wilmington in May 1880, he 
lie' was elected a member of the State Board 
of Medical Examiners, Dr. Hicks vie, of Gran- 
ville, resigned. 



RANDOLPH COUNTY. 



Jonathan Worth, son of Dr. David Worth, 
was born in (luilford Count}', N. C, Novcmlier 
18th, 1802. He died in 1809. He received a 
fair English education, at the neighboring "old 
field schools," being much indebted to William 
Reynolds for the .solid training he there receiv- 
ed. At the age of 18 years ho was sent to the 
academy at Greensboro', where he remained for 
two and a half vears. His conduct there was 



nuvrked for his diligence and proficiency in his 
studies. His father being unable to continue 
him longer at the academy, he took charge of 
a school, near the re.sidenceof Hon. A. D. Mur- 
pliey, in Orange County, and commenced read- 
ing law under the direction of that learned 
and distinguished lawyer. On April 20th, 1824, 
he married Martitia Daniel, a niece of Judge 
Murphey,and in January, 1825, he obtained his 



878 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



license to practice law. Soon afterwards lie ^or Cons^ress, Mr. Worth charging that certain 

settled at Ashehoro', Randolph County, and political acts of his opponent indicated, on his 

commenced the practice of his profession, part, a meditated defection from the support 

Owing to extreme ditRdence and the total ab- of Mr. Clay. Mr. Worth was defeated, 

senceof anything like oratorical display, others lie again applied himself diligently to the 

not more, (and perhaps less,) learned, took the practice of his profession, with success, until 

lead of him in practice. Notwithstanding his in 1845, when a convention of delegates from 

great need of professional gains, at this peiiod, the Counties composing his Congressional dis- 

he has been often heard to remark, that he trict nonunated him for Congress. He accepted 

would rather lose a fee than make a speech, the nomination and entered the tield, but was 

After lingering at the bar for several years, defeated by his competitor. Gen. Alfred Dock- 

with few clients, he determined as a means of ery. 

overcoming this diffidence, to become a candi- After this he devoted himself assidiously to 

date for the Legislature, hoping the canvass to the practice of his profession until 1858, 

might give him more assurance. He was elec- ^vhen he was elected to the State Senate from 

ted (18.30,) ahead of his competitors. The ne.xt Randolph and Alamance Counties. In the 

year, (1831,) he was again a candidate and re- Session of 1 858^.59, he introduced resolutions 

elected. At this session, he distinguished him- raising a Joint Select Committee to investigate 

self by the introduction of resolutions denounc. the management of the N C. Railroad, of 

ing nullification, which, after an able but which Committee he was made Chairman, 

stormy debate, in which he participated, passed His report upon this subject, and the debates 

the House by a large majority. After this tei-m which grew out of it, were, by far, the most 

in the Legislaturehe seems to have withdrawn important topics before that Legislature; and 

from politics and devoted himself to his profes- a controversy, through the newspapers, resulted 

8ion,a8 wefind him busy at the courts in his cir- between Mr. Worth and .Mr. C. F. Fisher, the 

cult, and surrounded by clients. This atten- the President of the Road, the severity of 

tion to his profession brought such success and ^^'''ic"'' ^^'"« *^"ly surpassed by the ability dis- 

pecuniary ease, as that he was again induced P'ayed. It is believed that good to the State 

by his friends, to becon,e a candidate for the ^^-i^ the result of this investigation and con- 

Legislature in 1840, on the Harrison ticket, troversy, an.l it cannot be unjust to his lament- 
and was elected to the Senate l)y an over- 
whelming majority. 

At the session of 1840, the leading legisla- 
tive measure was the putting in operation of 
a system of Public Schools. He was made 
Chairman of the .Joint Committee on Educa- 
tion and, as such, drew up and reported a bill 
which passed both Houses, all the prominent 
^jrovisions of which remained unchanged until 
the system of Public Schools was broken up 
by the civil war. 

He was always an admirer of Henry Clay; 
and, in 1841, he opposed the Hon. A. Rencher 



ed competitor, to say that Mr. Worth, through- 
out the contest, more than met the expect- 
ation of his friends. 

.Mr. Worth was re-elected to the Senate in 
1860-61. This period is made memorable by 
the secession of the Southern States from tiie 
Union. Having always disbelieved in the 
doctrine of secession, .Mr. Worth was among 
the foremost and the most active in resisting 
a disruption of the Union, and in endeavoring 
to prevent his own State from throwing her- 
self into the vortex of revolution. In the Leg- 
islature, he voted against submitting the ques- 



PITT COUNTY. 



379 



tioii of calling a conveution to the [leople, and 
the Legislature deciding against liini, lie ad- 
dressed a circular letter to his constituents ad- 
vising them to vote against the convetition as 
tiie surest way to defeat secession. His advice 
was heeded, not only 1)\- his own constituents, 
hut hy tlie people of the State. Suhsequently, 
however. a convention was called and the ord- 
inance of secession passed. Mr. Worth declined 
to he a candidate for this conveution. With 
the other })roniinent Union men of tlie South, 
after secession was accomplished, he gave his 
adhesion to the </i,/(^('/o government, and acted 
in good faith towards it. 

In 18(J2-(;3, he was elected to tlie lower 
House of the Legislature, and at the session 
of 1862 was elected Puhlic Treasurer of the 
State, over lion. D. W. Courts, the popular in- 
cumbent of that office. He was re-electe<^l 
without opposition, in 1864, and held the pos- 
ition until the State government was over- 
thrown hy the Federal forws in 1865, 

In the sanie year he was appointed to the 
sanie'position under the provisional government 
organized by President Johnson ; hut resigned, 
in a short time, and became a candidate for 
Governor against Provisional Governor Hol- 
den, 

•Mr. Worth was elected b}' a large majority, 
and entered upon the discharge of E.xecutive 
duties on the discontinuance of the Provision- 
al government, which took place Decemljer 
2Sth, 1865. 

He was re-elected Governor in 1866, by an 
iucre.ised majority, defeating, in turn, his old 
com[ietitor for Congress, Gen. Alfred Dockery. 
He continued in the Executive office until 
July, lo68, when the then government was 
superseded by that organized under the Recon- 
struction Acts of Congress— surrendering the 
position, under a protest, denying the consti- 
tutionality of the.se acts of Congress, and the 
legality of his removal. 



The following eloijueut and able [protest of 
Governor Worth is preserved to show the 
high liandod cour.se of the " powers that be," 
at this time and the supremacy of the military 
over the civil government: 

State of Noitli Caroliiiii, 

Kxecutivo Depiirtiiicnt. 
Hai.kkjei, July 1st, 1888. 
Gov. W. \V. HoMeii, 

Kuli-iffli, N. (.;. 

Sir; Yesterday iiiontiiift I was verbally notilliMl by 
Cliief Justice Pear.soii, that, in obedience to a tele- 
Kraiii troiii CiMi. ("auby, he woald, to-day, at 10 A. M., 
iidiiiiiii.sler Ici you Ilii- oath leijuired preliiuinnry to 
yoiu ciileriiiij; upon I hi' disc liai ;;c of the duties of 
Ciril (iariTitor n( theStiitf; and thai, thereupon, you 
would diiiiaiid possession of my ollice. 

1 intimated to ibi' .Induce my opinion that such i)ro- 
cecdiM.i.'uas premature, even iimler theieconstiuetion 
le^'islation of t'oii'tress, and that I should probably 
decline to Nuricniler the otiiee to you. 

.\t sundown, yesterday »'veuius:, 1 received from 
Col William-', Coinuiandaut of this military post, an 
extract from the General Order, No. 120, of (general 
t'anby, as follows; 

" Headquarters 2ud Military District. 
Ch.\klkston, S. C, June 30th, 18(58. 
General Order, ) 
No. 120. S 

(Extract.) 

"To facilitate tlie organization of the new State 
governmoiits, the following appointments are made: 
To be Governor of North; Caroliaii, VV. W. Holdeu, 
elect, (■(■(•? Jonathan Worth removed; to beLieutenant 
Goveruor of North Carolina, Tod R. Caldwell, Lieu- 
tenant liovernor elect, to fill an original vacancy — to 
take ettect July 1st, 18G8, on the meeting of the Gen- 
eral Assembly of North Carolina". 

I do not recognize the validity of the late election 
under which you, and those co-operating with you, 
claim to be invested with the civil government of the 
Sta'e. You have no evidence of your election, save a 
certiticate of a Major-General of the United States 
Anny. 

I regard all of you as, in eft'ect, appointees of the 
military power of the United States, and not as " de- 
riving your powers from the consent of those you 
claim to govern." Knowing, liowever, that you are 
backed by military force here, which I could not re- 
sist if 1 would, I do not deem it necessary to offer a 
fntle opposition, but vacate the office, without the 
ceremony of actual eviction, offering nofurtlier oppo- 
sition than this my protest. 

1 would submit to actual expulsion, in order to 
bring before tlii' Sni)renie Court of the United States 
tlie nuestion as to llie coLKtitiifionality ot the legisla- 
tion under which yuii claim to be the riglUful Govern- 
or of the State, if the past action ol that tribunal fur- 
nished any hope of a speedy trial. 1 surrender the 
otfice to you under what I consider military duress, 
without sloi)piiig, as the occasion wouUl well justify, 
to comment upon the singular coincidence, that the 
present State (government is surrendered «*• irillioutle- 
(jdliti/, to liiin, whose ow?i otlicial sanction, but three 
years ago, declared it rtilid 

I am, very respectfully, 

JONATHAN WORTH, 
Governor of North Carolina. 



3 80 



WHEELER'S REMrNISt'EN( ES. 



He continned to reside at tlic city of Raleigh 
until his death, which occurred September 5th, 
1869, in the 67th year of his age. 

In the space allotted to the distinguished 
sons of the Oitl North State in this volume, it 
is impossible to do justice to so long, eventful 
and well-spent a life. 

Gov. Worth was a good lawyer, a faithful 
legislator, an expert financial officer, and an 
able governor. In nothing that he ever did 
was there any attempt at display, and ho made 
no speeches "for Buncombe." Indeed, he was 
thoroughly pnictk-ul, and most remarkable for 
the accuracy of his judgment ami the sound- 
ness of his conclusions; which, alter all, is the 
nearest approach to the perfection of human 
wisdom. The State may have produced more 
brilliant sons, but none of sounder judgment 
or who, from their stand-point, labored with 
an eye more single to her liest interests. It 
was his fortune to adnnnister the aflairs of the 
State amid a period of delicacy, danger and 
excitement. But such were the purity of his 
motives and the fidelity of his conduct that 
during his " administration as Governor not a 
single instance occurred in the State when a 
Sheriff had to summon either civil or military 
aid to execute the process of the law." Be- 
ginning life without fortune, but industrious, 
practical, prudent, honest, receiving from his 
native State the noblest reward she had to be- 
stow, liis success and example may well be 
pointed to the young men of the State for en- 
couragement and imitation. 

The characteristics which marked liis public 
coiuluct, governed him in his private relatioivs. 
Tt> these may be added intense affection for 
his family and friends, to whom he was kind 
and indulgent, and for whoni he could not do 
enough. He niarried (1824) Martita iJaniel, 
a niece of Judge Murphey, whom he left a wid- 
ow with six children, one son and five daugh- 
ters. He lived to see allot his children mar- 



lied. One of his daughters married .Maj. Wil- 
liam II. Baglcy, Clerk of the Supreme Court. 
and his only son, David G. Wcu'th, is now the 
most prominent commission merchant in the 
city of Wilmington. 

Col. Andrew Balfour was a resident of this 
County. He was a native of Scotland, and 
came to this country in 1772, and settled, first 
at New Port, R. I Among those whose lives 
were sacrificed to the cause of freedom, says 
Caruthers, in liis admiral)lo little work;* and 
whose patriiitie services deserve to be remem- 
bered, was Andrew Balfour. The first notice 
we have of him, in North Carolina, is a letter 
to his wife, dated Salisbury, July, 1774; that 
he had bought a plantation in Randolph coun- 
ty, at the headwaters of the Uharee. When 
the Revolutionary war came, he determined 
to join the defenders of his adcpted Country, 
and was appointed Colonel of the County, and 
became active and prominent. He was elected 
a member of the Legislature (the first after 
Randolph County was created), in 1780. In 
the fall of that year he and Jacob Shepherd, 
who was a prominent Whig, were captured by 
a party t>f Tories from the Peedee, but were 
rescued by Captain Childs, from Montgomery. 
One of the victims, Shepherd, left the neigli- 
l»orhood, but Balfour remained only, to meet 
an untimely fate. A narrative of Judge .Mur- 
phey fui-nislu'd forthe Uni. Mag., by Gov.Swaim 
gives an account of this most bloody affair: 
" In one of his predatorv excursions, he (Fan- 
ning) went on Sunday, the 9th of March, 1782,^ 
to the house of Andrew Balfour, which he had 
plundered three years l)efore. One of Bal- 
four's neighbors (Cole), rode at full-speed to 

*Kevoliitioiiary Incidents, &c., by Kev. E. W, Ciir 
uthers, PliiUi., 1854, p. 397. 



RANDDLPII COirS^TY, 



381 



Balfour's lioiiso, and wariu'd liiia nt" I lie daiigiT. 
Balfour had hardly irot out of his house, before 
he saw Fan iiiug galloping up. lie ran, l)ut one 
of Fanning's part^' (named Authrey) fired at 
him and broke his arm. lie returned to his 
house and entered it; his daughter and sister 
clung to him iu despair. Fanning and his 
troop immediateU' entered, tore the women 
away with violence, and threw them on the 
tloor, and held them under their feet I ill they 
had shot Balfour. As he fell Fanning shot 
him through the head, and he died instantly. 
An indictment Wiis found against Fanning, 
at the Superior Court at Ilillsboro', for this 
murder, but he was ne\er aiiiirehended." 

A sketch of this desperado (Kanniiiir) is re- 
corded on page 11± 

His sister and her aunt Margaret went to Sal- 
isbury to reside; Mrs. Balfour, who had not 
ci-me from Rhode Island as yet to join her 
husband, with her two little children, now 
came to this State and joined them ; their mis- 
fortunes met with cordial sympathy from the 
kind people of that place. In a few ycai's an 
arrangement was made, by the intluence of 
(Jen. Steele, to appoint her post-mistress, the 
j)rofits of which yielded a comfortable support. 
The duties of this position she discliai'ged 
with fidelity and s itisfactiou for many years 
His daughter, Tibby, married John Troy, and 
liad John Balfour Troy (in Legislature Iroia 
Randolph in 1827), and Rachel, who nuirrieil 
Lewis Beard, now of Mississippi. 

Col. Balfour's son, Andrew, married Mar\-, 
daughter of John Ilenly, who was a member 
of the Society of Friends, and had nine children 
^-ali of whom removed west, except Eliza, 
wife of Col. Drake, of Asheboro'. 

The third and onl\- remaining child of Col. 
Balfour, Margaret, married Hudson Hughs, of 
S disbury, one of wh >se daughters married 
Samuel Reeves. 



Herman Ilusliands, who resided for a long 
time on Sandy Creek, in this County wascon- 
siiicuous in the Regulation troubles. (See page 
1-) 

He was a native of Pennsylvania and is said 
to have been a relative of Benjamin Franklin. 
He was a man of indomitable firmness, great 
shrewdness, and of strong luitive intellect. 
He enjoyed the confidence of the people, who 
often elected him to the Legislature before 
the Revolution. But his independent course 
rendered him obnoxious to the friends of 
Royalty. 

I extract from the Journals of the House of 
As.sembly at New Berne: " 20 Dec, 1770. On 
motion the House resolved itself into a Com- 
mittee of the Whole, to take into considera- 
tion the conduct of Herman Husbands, a mem- 
ber of this Hou.se." 

After some time spent therein the Chairman 
reported: 

"1. That Herman Husbands is one of the 
Regulators and principal mover in the late se- 
ditions — and is unworthy of a seat in this 
House, and that he be immediately expelled. 
This resolution was agreed to by the House 
and whereupon Husbands ap])eared at tlie bar 
of the House, and the Speaker pronounced the 
said sentence."- -C'Olonial Doc. 174. 

The same day the following restlution was 
l)assed : -'Thonuis Pearson is charged by Mr. Mc- 
Knight as guilty of extortion and usury, and 
unworthy of a seat in this House. Maurice 
Moore and Mr. Locke, and others appointed a 
committee to enquire into the facts." 

" — 25 Jan, Resolved that Richard Hender- 
son, who ajipeared as prosecutor of several 
charges against Thomas Pearson, pay all costs" 

— " 31 Jan. Hu.sbands arrested by order of 
Gov. Tryon for a libel and juit in the Xew 
Berne jail. — Ih. 175. 

After the battle of Alamance (lU .May 1771) 



382 



"WHEELER'S EEMINISCENCES. 



he retreated to Marylaiul, and thence to Penn- 
sylvania. 

In a letter in the Rolls office, in London, 
from President Ilassell. dated 9th of Aui^ust, 
1771, is this extract. 

"In a letter I received by express from Governor 
Eden, ot Maryland, dated 9tli ult , lie liad received in- 
formation tliat IIci iiian Husbands, with eifflit or ten 
of ins associafts wcii' there, and he could not arnst 
iiim, ashe couhi not identity him. I answereil liy tlie 
pame express, and sent a yoiuif; man wlio could swear 
to the i(lentity of Hiisliailds; I scut also a copy of a 

F reclamation ottVi luir lar^'c rewards for takin.i^ them, 
wrote also to President .Nelson, of Virginia, and 
President Hamilton, of Pennsylvania, requesting 
them to aid in Husbands' ai)piehen8iou." Col. Doc. 178. 

A reward was c ffered for him by Gov. Tryon. 
He was the read}' and determined opponent 
of illegal oppression. He was concerned with 
Gallatin and Breckenridge in the whisky insur- 
rections in 1794, apprehended and taken to 
Philadelphia. By the influence of Dr. David 
Caldwell, who happened to be im Philadelphia 



at the time, Dr. Rush and others, he was re- 
leased, and died on his return home. 

Hon. John Long was horn in Loudon County 
Va., but long a resident of Randolph County, 
He was a man of uiiljlemished reputation, of 
strong native intellect, and of much public 
spirit. He was Senator from Randolph in the 
Legislature in 1814-15; and elected a member 
of 17th Congress, (1821-23,) and re-elected 
to 19th and 20th (1825) Congresses. His death 
was the result of a singular accident. He was in 
feeble health for some time, and on the day pre- 
vious to his death, he walked out on his farm; 
whilst attempting to climb a fence, he fell, the 
top rail falling upon him. He was enabled by 
great exertion to walk back to his house, but 
died on the next day. He left several child- 
ren. 



->'^t^^5>^^tV^^^:><^ 



CHAPTER XLV. 



RICHMOND AND ROCKINGHAM COUNTIES 



Alfred Dockery,bt)rn December 11, 1797, died 
I)ecember3, 1873, in Richmond County; he was 
burn within a mile of the residence at which he 
lived and died. His father, Thos. Dockery, 
was a poor man. He reared a large famil}' of 
children, but one of whom is now living, Dr. 
Henry Dockery, ot Hernando, Mississippi. 
Thos. Dockery was unable to give his children, 
even at that early day, the simplest elements 
of an education. Alfred was the eldest of the 
children, and the heavy burden of providing 
the means of subsistence for his younger bro- 



thers and sisters devolved on him. Hence, his 
education fn early life was entirely neglected, 
and he was often heai'd to say tliat he had never 
attended school for three months consecutively 
in his Hfe. Li 1823 he married Sallie Turner, 
of Anson County, with whom he lived in un- 
interrupted felicity until his death, which oc- 
curred December 3d, 1873, leaving seven child- 
ren surviving him. General Dockery, as he 
was familiarly called, began life on a small 
scale as a farmer, and by industry and energy 
amassed quite a handsome estate. He lost much 



KICIIMOND COUNTY. 



m?, 



of this by the hvtc wiir, l>ut hy unconquoriihle 
energy he retrieved his fortunes, and died \h->s- 
sessed of a fine property. 

General Dockery made his first appearance 
in public life as a member of the House of Com- 
mons from the Cou'ity of Riehmtrnd, in 1822. 
He was then twenty-five years of age. Hav- 
ing devoted some thirteen years to laying the 
foundations of his fortune, during wiiicii time 
he had made much progress in the acquisition 
of useful knowledge, he consented to serve the 
people of Richmond in the Convention of 1835, 
which was called to remodel the old Constitu- 
tion ado|)ted by the Congress at Halifax in 
1776. In this body, of which lie was an in- 
dustrious and faithful member, he was governed 
by liberal and generous views, and no doubt 
gathered rich lessons of knowledge and exper- 
ience from such men, his associates, as Gaston 
Macoii, Toomer, Seawell, Meares,. Edwards and 
others. The AVhig party, which was formed in 
1833, carried the elections in North Carolina 
in 1836. A strong Whig influence, based on 
a demand for a general reform in federal aflairs 
and for a system of internal improvements by 
the State government, swept the old Jackson 
Democratic party from power, and Edward B. 
Dudley, of New Hanover, was elected Gov- 
ernor. General Dockery was elected to the 
Senate of the State Legislature from Richmond, 
in 1836, as a Whig, and he continued to serve 
the County in the Senate up to 1844 inclusive, 
making a continuous service of ten years in 
that body. In 1845 he was an independent 
Whig candidate for Congress in the Randolph 
District, against the regular nominee, Hon. 
Jonathan AVortli, and was elected liy more 
than nine hundred majority. In 1847 he de- 
clined a re-election; but, in 1851, impelled hy 
a strong love for the Union, which he believed 
to be in peril, he boldly bore the Whig Union 
flag against the organized power of secession 
led by Hon. Green W. Caldwell, of Mecklen- 



burg, and after one of the most animated can- 
vasses that ever occurred in the State, he was 
elected to Congress b}' twelve hundred ma- 
jority. At the peril of his life in this canvass, 
(for his District ran along the Soutli (^arolina 
line,) he boldly proclaimed everywhei'e his un- 
dying attachment to the Union, even declar- 
ing tliat, if elected, he "would vote men and 
money to whip South Carolina back into the 
Union, if she attempted to secede." The excite- 
ment was intense, and ho was in (constant 
personal danger, yet nothing could deter him 
from a stern and fearless performance of duty. 
In 1854 he was the Whig candidate for Gov- 
ernor of the State against Governor Bragg, 
and was defeated by only about 2,000 majority. 
The State, which had gone Whig in 1836 by 
6,000 majority, in 1840 13,000, in 1842 by 5,000 
in 1844 by 3,000, in 1846 by 8,000, began to 
pass into the hands of the Democrats in 1848, 
the Whig majority that year being only 875, 
on account of the strength with the people of 
the Free Suffrage issue broached by Governor 
Reid. In 1850 the State went Democratic by 
nearly 3,000 majority, and in 1852 by nearly 
6,000. It was under these circumstances, with 
this large majority against him, that General 
Dockery took the field as the Whig candidate. 
The exhibition of mental power and physical 
endurance on the part of both candidatcji, 
Bragg and Dockery, mark this as ^/if campaign 
of campaigns in this State. 

The people of Western North Carolina cher- 
ish his memory with much aftection. They owe 
no small debt of gratitude to the man who did 
so much in ]854 to coerce the reluctant Democ- 
racy of the east and centre into a more active 
support of internal improvements, without 
which the Western portion of the State are shut 
in from the world and deprived of the means 
and advantages which are indispensible to their 
progress and prosperity. 



381 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Greiiei-iil Doekery was ahvaj-s a Union Whig. 

He deplored the di.S3>hition of that grand old 

party, which he regarded as the strongest link 

in the chain which held the States together. 

With Washington, Hamilton, Webster and 

©lay, he held the Union to be iudissoUible. 

He, of coui'se, profoundly deprecated secession, 

and faithfully and earnestly warned the people 

to the last moment of the awful, far-reaching 

calamities which must tiow from it; yet, when 

the issue was joined in battle Iietweeu the two 

sections, his sympathies were with his native 

South, and he gave without a murmur si.x sons 

to the army, one of whom, John Morehead 

Doekery, a noble youth, fell a victim to camp 

disease. After the war, never having lost his 

ingrained conviction of the neeessit3' of one 

great common government for all the States 
- "^ _ ... ' 

he earnestly advised reconciliation and har- 

mon3^, and lived to see the Union reconstruct- 
ed on the basis of the equal rights of all, with 
no star on its ensign "erased or polluted," and 
destined, as he fondly hoped, to endure for all 
time. After the war his participation in pub- 
lic affairs was not so active or constant as it 
had previously been, yet such was the confi- 
dence reposed in his judgment and patriotism 
by his fellow-citizens of the County of Rich- 
mond, that in 18*jo they elected him unani- 
mously to the State Convention called under 
the Pro.isional Government then m operation. 
The duties of this position he discharged 
with his accustomed intelligence and honesty; 
and in 186(3, much against liis wish, he was 
nominated by the original Union men of the 
State for the office of Governor. There was 
no prospect whatever of his election. He de- 
clined to canvass in the then unsettled condi- 
tion of the country, as he could not perceive 
that any good would result from a canvass. 
The vote he received would have been doubled 
if he had taken the field and addressed the 
people in the different sections of the State. 



He evinced on this occasion his usual disregard 
of self when a high public duty was to be per- 
formed, first, in consenting to the use of his 
name when his defeat was known to be inev- 
itable, and secondly, in endorsing the so-called 
Howard amendment, under which he was him- 
self with many of his Union friends, debarred 
from office. 

Under the new State government General 
Doekery occupied for a time the position of 
President of the Board of Directors of the 
State Penitentiary. 

Much of the success of the Board in its man- 
agement of the affairs of the Penitentiary, is 
due to his prudence, honesty, firmness and 
strong common sense. 

General Doekery was a zealous member of 
the Baptist Church, and was deservedly influ- 
ential in its Conventions and Associations, and 
was for many years a trustee of Wake Forest 
College. His benevolence was proverbial. 
The poor and needy of all races always found 
in him a friend. No one really in need of 
help was ever turned away empty from his 
door. His contributions during his lifetime to 
the churches and to different institutions of 
learning, aggregate a large sum. 

Oliver H. Dockeiy, son of the above, was 
born on August 12th, 1830, reared and re- 
sides in Richmond County. He has been care- 
fully educated; graduated at the University in 
1848, in the same class with Victor C. Barrin- 
ger, Seaton Gales, Strange, and others; he then 
read law, but never practiced it. He was 
elected a member of the Legislature 1858 and 
1859, and an elector on the Bell and Everett 
ticket in 1860, and made a gallant but unsuc- 
cessful canvass; under the force of circum- 
stances he was for a time a captain in the Con- 
federate service, but soon took a decided 
stand for the re-establishment of the national 
government, and the re-construction of the 
State. He was elected to fill an unexpired 



RICHMOND COUNTY. 



385 



term in tlio40tl. Congress, (18tJ7) over Thomas 
C. Fuller, and re-elected to the 41st Con- 
gress, 1809-71. lie was a candidate for the 
next Congress, but was defeated by A. M. 
Waddell. 

Col. Dockery has been twice married; his 
present wife is a daughter of the late Judge 
Settle, and sister of Judge Settle, of the U. S. 
District Court in Florida. 

He was the Republican candidate for Con- 
gress in 1882, before the people of the State at 
large, and was defeated by Judge Risden T. 
Bennett, by a small majority. 

Gov. Joseph Roswell Hawley is a native of 
Richmond County; born Oct. 31st, 1826; re- 
moved to Connecticut in 1837; graduated at 
Hamilton College, New York in 1847; read law 
and was editor of the " Hartford Evcnhyj 
Press," iu 1857; entered the army in 1861 as 
Captain in the 1st Reg. Connecticut Volunteers; 
attained the rank of Brigadier, and was brev- 
etted Major-General. In 1866 was elected 
Governor of Connecticut; President of the Na- 
tional Republican Convention in 1868, and 
was elected a member of the 42nd Congress, 
(1873,) and re-elected to the 43rd and 46th 
Congresses. He was made President of the 
Centennial Commission in 1876. 

Walter Leak Steele, was born April 18th, 
1823, at Steele's Mills on Little River in the 
northwestern part of Richmond County. His 
father was Thomas Steele, who was a Member 
of the House of Commons, and his mother was 
Judith Mosely Leak. His paternal grand- 
father came to this country from England 
near Carlisle, in the army of Lord Coruwallis 
and surrendered at Yorktown. He settled 
first iu Granville, where he was married and 
thence removed, successively to Montgomerj' 
and Richmond; in the latter County he died. 
His maternal grandfather was Walter Leak, 
who was born in Buckingham County, Va., but 



removed with his fatlu'r to Anson ('iiimty,a 
few 3-oars pi-ior to the war of the Revolution 
and settled on the Peedee I'ivcr. He was a 
rebel soldier in that wai-. The subject of this 
sketch, after attending Ihc ordinary country 
schools, until he was fourteen years old, went 
to the Preparatory Department, at Randolph 
Macon College, then located at Boydton, Ya. 
After entering college and remaining but part 
of a session, he left and matriculated at Wake 
Forest College. Ho remained there but one 
session, and in January 1840, entered the 
Freshman class at f'hapel Hill, at which place 
he graduated in June 1S43, with the second 
distinction; liut for what he thought a slight 
violation of college law, but which the Faculty 
viewed, no doubt properly, in a diti'erent light 
causing his exodus from the Institution, he 
would have graduated in 1843. Three months 
after leaving college he was married to Harriet 
A. Crawford the youngest daughter of Thomas 
Crawford of Paris, Tennessee. 

In 1846, after a bitter personal contest, he was 
elected to the House of Commons from the 
County of Richmond, re-elected in 1848 and 
1850. In 1852 he was Senator from Richmond 
and Robeson In 1854, was again a member 
of the House. In 1856, having determined to 
support Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency, re- 
garding the contest as solely between the 
Democrats and the Republicans, which latter 
party had absorbed the Whig Part^^, at the 
North. He was a candidate for the Senate, 
and defeated by Gen. Alfred Dockery. In 
1858, he was again a candidate, and elected. 
In 1861, he was the Principal Secretary of the 
Convention which passed the ordinance of se- 
cession, or separation, as it is called in the jour- 
nals of that body. He was for a short time in 
the army, as a private in the 3d Regt. of State 
troops, but never in any engagement. He of- 
fered to raise a cavalry company, but the tender 
was refused by Gen. Holmes. His wife hav- 



386 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



ing died, leaving a family of small ciiildren, he 
was again married in 18G4, to Mary J. Little 
of Anson County, a daughter of hie cousin, 
Thomas S. Little. 

In 1868, he "took the stump," in opposition 
to "the Reconstruction Acts," deeming them a 
flagrant violation of the Constitution. In 1872 
he was on the Greeley electoral ticket, for the 
6th District, canvassing it in company with 
Judge Thos. S. Ashe, who was then the Dem- 
ocratic candidate for Congress. 

In 1852, while a member of the Senate, he 
was elected by the Legislature one of the 
Trustees of the University, and continued as 
such until a change in the Constitution, by 
Act of Congress, when he was displaced by 
Gov. Holden. The Constitution having been 
amended, he was again elected in 1872, and 
took an active part in resuscitating the Insti- 
tution, and is now a memlier of the Board. 

In 1876 he was elected a member of the 
House of Representatives of the U. S. for the 
term beginning March 4th, 1877, and re-elected 
in 1879, without opposition. In 1878, he de- 
livered the address before the Alumni Asso- 
ciation of the University, at the annual Com- 
mencement. During this Congress he was a 
member of the committees on Agriculture and 
Revolutionary Pensions and on Railway and Ca- 
nals. His course was quiet and modest, seldom 
participating in debates. lie made two some- 
what elaborate speeches, one on " silver cur- 
rency " and the other upon "taxation." He is a 
free-trader, so far as it is practicable, believing 
that" Peter ought not to be robbed for Paul's 
benefit." He is a strict constructionist, and be- 
lieves that, "that is the best Government which 
governs the least." He regards the Consti- 
tution as the only bond of union, thinks it the 
Supreme Law, as are all acts passed in pursu- 
ance of it. He regards the Government as one 
of limited powers and all those powers are enu- 
merated in the Constitution &nt\ " exprinsio unius, 



est cxditsio alterius." Even when a State ii 
inhibited the use of a power, the United States 
do not have it, uiilese it is granted. 

Alfred .Moore Scales was born Novemlier 26, 
1827, at Ingleside, the old homestead, in this 
county. He is the son of Dr. Robert H. Scales, 
who married Jane W. Bethell. His grand- 
father, Nathaniel Scales, was for several years 
a member of the Legislature, his wife was 
named Annie Allen. The matei'nal grand- 
father was General William Bethell, also a 
member of the Legislature, his wife was 
named Mary Watt. Beyond this little is 
known of his ancestors. There is a tradition 
in the family handed down from father to son 
which says that the first Scales who came to 
this country was quite a youth, not more than 
twelve years of age; that he come from Eng- 
land, and not until after the ship had lost 
sight of land was he found in the cabin. The 
captain of the vessel was much enraged and 
threatened to throw him overboard. The lit- 
tle fellow was not intimidated, but entreated 
the captain not to molest him and that upon 
his arrival in America he might sell him to pay 
his pa.s8age money, and he would stand by the 
contract. To this the captain agreed, and so 
on their arrival in America he was sold. His 
master proved to be an unfeeling, hard-hearted 
man, who fed him badly, clothed him slightly, 
and worked him hard. But the lad was active, 
industrious and faithful. He attracted the at- 
tention of a humane man in the neighborhood, 
who saw the sufferings of the youth, and 
kindly furnished him with warm clothing, for 
which young Scales paid him when he became 
of age, as he had promised. He fulfilled his 
contract to serve until he became twenty-one, 
and the first money he made for himself was 
used to pay for the clothing so kiiidly furnished 
by the neighl^or. From this boy the Scales 
family in Rockingham had its origin, such an 
ancestor is certainlj' more creditable than the 



RICHMOND COUNTY. 



387 



pi-( 



ul, aristocratic 



.loo.l, 



That lias crept tliroiii.'h scoiuidn-ls ever since the 
tlood." 

Dr. Scales, tlie father of General Scales, liad 
seven sons and three dauijjhters. Every son 
was in the civil war, except one "who was dis- 
ahled, three sons and one son-in law died of 
wounds and diseases incurred and contracted 
in the war. 

General Scales was educated at the Caldwell 
Listitute and fitted to enter the junior class at 
college. 

Then he entered at Chapel Hill in 184G, hut 
only remained for one session. He sought em- 
ployment, and was placed in charge of a free 
school with the pay of $15 per month, and be- 
fore the first month ended was offered double 
the amount to continue the school as a subscrip- 
tion school, with the promise of an increase of 
salary. The ofter was accepted and at the end 
of the year, the salary was again increased. 
He was then made tutor in the Caldwell Insti- 
tute, hut resigned after one year's service to 
begin the study of law with Judge Settle, af- 
terward with Judge Battle, and so he paid his 
own way until he was located in the practice 
of his profession. He was made County So- 
licitor in 1852 and as such M'as most acceptable 
to the people and the bar. He became a mem- 
ber of the House of Commons for 1852-53, and 
stood as candidate for Congress in the District 
in 1854, which had always given the Whigs a 
majority of at least one thousand. His com- 
petitor, Col. R. C. Puryear, was very popular 
and an able man. He had already served one 
term in Congress, but his majority was veiy 
much decreased by General Scales. In 1854 
General Scales was again sent to the Legisla- 
ture, where he served as Chairman of the Com- 
mittee on Finance. He was nominated for 
Congress by acclamation in 1857 against his 
former competitor and was elected to the 35th 
Congress by a nuijority of seven hundred. Af- 



ter two vears service he was unanimously fe- 
iiominated and canvassed the District against 
General Jas. M. Leach. The contest was ex- 
citing — their friends were well-satisfied with 
the champions chosen. The District was Whig 
in sentiment and General Leach received a 
majority of the suffrage. 

He was made Clerk and Master of the Court 
of Ecjuity of Rockingham County in 1858, and 
this he held until the civil war began. 

lie was nominated with Governor D. S. 
Reid on the ticket in favor of the Convention 
of 1860, opposed by Dr. E. T. Brodnax and 
Thomas Settle. The discussion was made by 
Settle and Scales, as Governor Reid was in 
Washington City, serving on the Peace Con- 
ference. General Scales did not favor immed- 
iate secession; several States had already sev- 
ered their relations with the General Govern- 
ment, and he took the ground that a conven- 
tion was necessar}' to place our State in a con- 
dition to act as she might deem best, and she 
could only be heard by her convention. He 
wished to save the Union of the States; if 
this failed, then we should not hesitate to de- 
clare our intentions and act with the other 
Southern States, and share one common fate. 
The opponents made the contest a question of 
union or dissolution, and when the contest be- 
gan at least two-thirds of the people were 
against any convention. They had only one 
week in which to discuss the points, and Scales 
was beaten b}- only 150 majority. 

In 1861 he was one of the electors of the 
State at Large on the Breckenridge and Lane 
ticket. In this, as in every othev act of his 
political career, he evinced his firm, undeviat- 
ing devotion to democratic principles, — which 
can be said of very few in these times of pol- 
itical tergiversation. Many, it is true, have 
since joined the Democratic ranks, but General 
Scales is one of the original panel, not a tales- 
man or time-server in any sense. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Shortly after this Mr. Lincohi issued his call 
for troops. A convention was called and Gen- 
eral Scales was pnt forward as a candidate but 
he dechned, saying: " That every man who was 
alile should go to the field and that there might 
he perfect unanimity at home, he advised the 
election of Dr. Brodnax and Governor Reid, 
since their age would prevent their service in 
the iield. 

Gen. Scales volunteered at the beginning of 
the war as a private, but was at once elected 
Captain of his company. lie was subsequently 
promoted to be Colonel, and then to be Brig- 
adier-General. He was in the battle of Will- 
iamsburg, those around Richmond, the battle 
of Fredericksburg (in which Gen. Pender was 
wounded and Gen. Scales, as senior Colonel 
took command of the brigade.) He was also 
in the battle of Chancellorsville, where he was 
severely wounded, and for his gallantry and 
coolness on that iield received a high tribute 
from the gallant General Pender. He took 
part in the battle of Gettysburg and was again 
severly wounded and again received the en- 
comiums of his division commander, General 
Pender, who died from wounds received in 
that battle. In the same ambulance they 
were borne to Staunton, Va. He was in the 
battles from Orange C. II. to Petersburg, and 
in many skirmishes. Ilereturnei to his pro- 
fession when the civil war had ended, and was 
a candidate for the convention called to change 
our State Constitution, and was elected, but 
the convention was not ordei'ed by a majority 



of the people. In 1872 he was prominently 
urged to make the canvass for the Governor- 
ship, but was compelled to decline, because of 
his disabilities. He was elected a member of 
the 44tb, 4.5th, 4Gth, and 47th Congresses, 
(1874 to 1881.) In the two last named he has 
served as chairman on Indian Affairs. 

We have thus given a faithful detail of the 
services of General Scales. The advice of the 
Roman philosopher to the historian, is that it 
is not lawful to extol too much, because some 
future act may mar the record, but we sin- 
cerely say that a more sincere, patriotic and 
pure public man does not exist in this or any 
other country. No one doubts where to find 
him; he is in the foremost van, when his coun- 
try, or her interests, or honor is at stake. Cau- 
tious and courteous, he is calm and considerate 
in council, and when resolved is as firm and 
devoted in action. No one has a firmer seat 
in the affections of his constituents, or could 
command greater respect of his colleagues in 
Congress, and when he speaks is listened to with 
proper respect. His reports on various im- 
portant questions are valuable state-papers, 
showing eminent ability, research and the 
early training of a judicial mind 

[He was re-elected to the 48th Congress, 
receiving 12,532 votes to 9,932 votes for Win- 
ston, lilteral. 

At the election held Novemljer 4th, 1884, 
General Scales was elected Governor of the 
State, receiving 143,249 votes against Dr. Tyre 
Yorke'8 123,010, a majoity of 20,239.]— £ti 



-^^^:^^^^^^^^)<^ 



ROCKINGHAM COUNTY. 



389 



ROCKINGHAM COUNTY. 



Hon. Thomas Settle, sen'r. born 1791; died 
1857; was bora in this County. He was distin- 
giiishoil for bis ability as a statesman and as a 
judge, and esteemed for his virtues, learning, 
and deportment. He entered public life as a 
member of the House of Commons from 
Rockingham in 1816 and in 1817 succeeded 
Bartlett Yancey as Representative in the 15th 
Congress, and was re-elected to the Itith Con- 
gres (1819-21,) when he declined re-election. 
He was succeeded by Romulus M. Saunders. 
In 182(i he was again returned to the Legisla- 
ture, and re-elected in 1827-28. During the 
latter years he was Speaker of the House. 
His course as a member of the Legislature was 
marked by patriotism, consistency, and dignity. 
When the iievy crusade of party was directed 
against the banker's institutions of the State, 
led by the unscrupulous energy of Robert Pot- 
ter, the bill was carried by one vote to prose- 
cute and crush the banks, as Speaker, Judge 
Settle voted with the minorit \' and prevented 
its passage. 

In 1832 he was elected one of the Judges 
of the Supreme Court, which elevated 
position he held for nearly a quarter of a cen- 
tury with great satisfaction to the country 
and credit to himself. Increasing 3'ears caus- 
ed his resignation. His health, from the labor 
of a long life, failed, and, universally lamented, 
he died in August, 1857. 

He married Heni'ietta, the daughter of Az- 
ariah, and the sister of Hon. Calvin Graves. 

We give a correct genealogy of this family 
from reliable and authentic sources. It is sel- 
dom that a family less numerous can show 
more distinguished members. In this table 



there are the names of two Senators in U. S- 
Congress, and four members in the House of 
Representatives, three judges, a governor, and 
a formidable aspirant for the Presidency, be- 
sides others distinguished for their ability in- 
tegrity and virtues. 

(For the genealogy of the Settle family, see 
after sketch of Gov. Reid,page 391.) 

Thomas Settle jr., son of the above, whose 
sketch has just been presented, was born Jan. 
23rd, 1831. 

He was liberally educated, and graduated at 
the University in 1850, in the same class with 
John Manning, W. C. Kerr, and others. He 
read law with Judge Pearson, and was licensed 
to practice in 185-1. During the administration 
of Gov. Reid, who had married his sister, he 
was for a time the private secretary of the 
Governor. 

This was his first entrance on the storms- 
sea of political life, which was germane to his 
tastes, and in which he has had a prosperous 
voyage. He was elected a member of the 
Legislature, from 1854 to 1859; the latter year 
he was chosen Speaker of the House. He was 
one of the Electors in 1856, and cast with 
others the vote of the State for Mr. Buchanan. 

In 1860 he advocated the claims of Stephen 
A. Douglas, for- the Presidency. How far 
personal preferences iniluenced his judgment 
(for they were closely connected by marriage), 
is not known, but doubtless the matchless 
genius and brilliant eloquence of this distin- 
guished statesman greatlj"^ moved his support- 
ers. 

In February 1861, he was the candidate of 
the Union party for a seat in the Convention, 



390 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



and he was triuiiiphaiitlj elected over an active 
and able opposition. But the Convention, de- 
feated by the popular vote, never met. Al- 
though a Union man, and opposed to the doc- 
trine of secession, yet when the war actually 
commenced, he joined his fortunes with those of 
his State and entered the army as Captain of a 
company in the 3rd Reg. of Volunteers to 
serve for twelve months. Upon the expiration 
of his term of erdistment, Mr. Settle returned 
from the army, and was elected Solicitor of 
tlie 4th Judicial Circuit and won much praise 
by the vigorous and faithful performance of his 
duty. He was elected in 1865amemlier of the 
(Ilolden) convention, held at Raleigh, October 
12th, 1865, and in the same year to lie a Sen- 
ator in the Legislature, of which liods' he was 
chosen Speaker. A rare instance in the his- 
toiy of the State, where the same person so 
young was honored with the Speakership of 
each House. He took an active and promin- 
ent part in the convention in devising manner 
to reconstruct tlie liroken down walls of our 
political Zion. Li April, 1868, he was elected 
one of the judges of the Supreme Court of the 
State. This elevated position he held until 
1871, when on February 18th, of that year, he 
was commissioned Envoy Exti'aordinary and 
Minister Pleni[iotentiary to Peru. He was also 
rresident of the National Convention that 
nominated Grant. After a short residence 
abroad, he returned home, and in 1872 he was 
iioniinated as a candidate for Congress, in the 
Fifth Congressional District, opposing General 
James M. Leach. This was a'contest involving 
fierce and frequent contests, but General Leach 
was elected by 268 majority. Leach received 
10,735, Settle 10,487. ' 

He was re-ajipointed one of the Associate 
Justices of the Supreme Court of the State, 
whicli beheld until he was nominated as the 
Republican candidate for Governor in 1876, 
and was defeat «d by Governer Vance, by more 



than 13,000 votes; Vance receiving 123,307 
votes, and Settle 110,178. This closed Judge 
Settle's career for the present in our State, as 
he was appointed Judge of the United States 
District Court for the northern district of Flori- 
da, Jan. 30th, 1877, and now resides at Jack- 
sonville, in that State. Judge »Settle married 
(as the genealogical diagram shows) Mary, 
daughter of Tyre Glenn, and has many chil- 
dren to inherit his genial disposition and many 
kind qualities. 

David Settle Reid is a native of this County 
the son of Reuben Reid; born April 13th, 1813. 
He was educated in the schools of the County 
and studied law. But he was more distin- 
guished as a faithful and frank statesman than 
as a lawyer. Bold and intrepid, he often led 
where the timid doubt, and when success had 
followed his eftbrts all conceded the sagacity 
and justice of his plans. Ilisiirst appearance 
in public life was in 1835, as Senator from 
Rockingham County. Such was the wisdom 
of his course, that he was continuously re-elec- 
ted by the people until 1840. He was then 
elected a member of the 28th Congress (1843- 
45), and re-elected to the 29th Congress (1845- 
47). In 1848 he was nominated for Governor 
by the Democratic State Convention, without 
his knowledge or consent. The opposition had 
triumphed and was jubilant over victory won 
in a hundred fields, and defeat seemed to be 
the certain prospect of the Democrats. The 
opposition was well-organized and their leader 
Charles Manly, able, genial and popular. 

But Mr. Reid felt it to be his duty to at- 
tempt what his friends felt certain he could 
accomplish. He did make a gallant canvass, 
and so reduced the majority, that their 
leaders felt and knew, as the English at Guil- 
ford, that "such another victory would ruin 
them." At the next convention, although he 
had written a decided letter that under no 
circumstances could he be again a candidate, he 



KOCKINCTTAM (^OUNTY, 



391 



was nominated and elected Governor ol' tlie 
State. 

In 1858 he was elected to tlie Senate ct' the 
United States, and served continuously until 
18:>!i. 

The great lever whit'h moved tiio incuhusof 
the Whig party, used by Governor Reid, was 
the question of free suffrage. It may be tiiat 
Governor Reid and his many friends may see, 
and that too not in the far future, that they 
couunitted a blunder. 

Governor Reid was keenlj' alive to the great 
troubles then aiiproacbing. lie had been long 
in Congress, anil most observant of the affairs 
of the nation. lie felt that tlie ship of state, 
i)uilt by our fathers, and wliieb was freighted 
with all our hopes and happiness, was drifting on 
a lee-shore, and in peril lie would have bad 
this bitter cup to have [lassed from him, and 
with this hope, he was a delegate with the 
sage and the wise of our country to the "Peace 
Congress," at Washington in the year of 1861. 
But futile were its etforts. The storm had 
arisen,aiid no human power could avert its fury 
Yet Governor Ueid viewed wi h calm phil- 
osophy and resignation these sad occurrences 
and though priviledgecl by age from going to 
the tield, still he contributed by his counsels in 
the Confederate Congress, to urge such meas- 
ures as would enure to the benefit of his coun- 
try. 

Since the war he has remained at his home 
attending to his family, his farm and his prac- 
tice. 

There are few men in tlie State who enjoy 
more of the respect, regard, and the affection 
of the people than Governor Reid, for unatlec- 
ted simplicity of character, stern integrity, 
and unsullied purity of life. The most promi- 
nent trait ill the character of Governor Reid 
is the consistency and uniformity of his politi- 
cal career. Cautious and circumspect in form- 
ing his opinions, and when once formed, his 



tirniiicss and ability in maintaining them. No 
one who knows him. or who has observed hia 
long, successful ami i)rilliant career, can ever 
doubt where to liiid him - the unwavering sup- 
porter of popular rights and democratic |irin- 
cipl«s. 

lie married, as wilJ be seen by the genealog- 
ical diagram, Henrietta, daughter of Judge 
Thomas Settle, sen'i-. 

Josiali and .lohn Settle, twn brotlicrs, came 
from Kngland. .lohn Settle located in Vir- 
ginia. Josiah Settle located in what is iiovt 
called Rockingham county, 2\'oitli Carolina. 
lie was the father of David Settle, who mar- 
ried Rhoda -Mullins, and had issue: I Thomas, 
born 1789. He entered public life as a mem- 
ber of the House of Cunimons in ]81(J; was 
elected in 1817 and 1819 a member of Con- 
gress, when he declined re-election. Apiieaicd 
again in pulilic life in 1820 as a member of tlic 
House of t'ommona, and was re-elected in 
1827-28. The last year he was Si^eaker of the 
House. In 1882 elected Judge of the Suiier- 
ior Court. .Married Henrietta Graves; died 
1857. To whom were born: 1. Thomas, born 
1831. Elected to Legislature in 1854-55-of], 
during the last two years was S^Deaker of the 
House. Elected to the Senate and made 
President of the Senate in 18t!5-()6. Elected 
Solicitor of the Fourth Judicial Circuit in 1859, 
held this position for nine years with the ex- 
ception of one ycai', when be was in the Con- 
federate army. Klected Judge; Associate 
Judge of the Supreme ( ourt of N. C. in 18tJ8. 
Apjiointed Envoy Extraordinary and .Minister 
Plenipotentiary to Peru 1871:; resigned in 
the spring of 1872. Was appointed Associate 
Justice of the Supreme Court of N. C. in the 
fall of 1872 by Gov. Caldwell. 

Resigned in 1876 to accept the Republican 
nomination for Governor; was appointed Dis- 
trict Judge of Federal Court for northern dis- 
trict of Florida in 1877, by President Grant. 



392 



WIIEELEK'S REMINISCENCES. 



Married Mary (Tlenn; had (a) Nettie, (h) 
Mary, (c) Thomas, (d) Douglas, (e) Elizabeth, 
(f) Caroline, (g) David, (h) Florida, (i) 
Julia. 

2. David, born 1841; elected to Legislatur* 
1870-72. 3. Henrietta, married David Settl* 
Reid, and had Thomas Settle Reid and Reuben 
David Reid. 4. Caroline, married Hugh K. 
Reid. 5. Fanny, married let to John W. 
Covington, and had Fanny and Nettie, 2nd to 
O. II. Dockery, and had Olivei- and Carrie 
May. 

II Josiah, III Benjamin, Legislature 1831- 
34; IV Elizabeth, married Reuben Reid and 
had David Settle Reid, born 1813; in the Leg- 
islature 1835-40; Congress 1843-47; Governor 
1850-ti4; before his second term as Governor 
expired was elected U. S. Senator 1854-5f>. 

V Maiy married Robert Martin and had 
Martha Drenen Martin, who married Stephen 
A. Douglas, born 1814 in Vermont, Judge in 
Illinois 1841; Congress 1843; Senator 1847; 
died 18(il. They had Robert and Stephen A; 
VI Lucinda, married John W. Ellington; VII 
Matilda, married James Patrick; VIII Frances, 
married John Dilworth, had Andrew Dilworth 
at one time comptroller of the State of Missis- 
sippi. 

John Henry I)illard, one of the Associate 
Justices of the Supreme Court, is a native of 
Rockingham county, and not having the [)leas- 
ure of an intimate acquaintance, we adopt a 
well-written sketch giving the dates of his life 
and 8ervices,.from the RnLi.c/h Oiscrro', which is 
perhaps more acceptable than any sketch we 
could prepare. 

He was born near Leaksville in Rockingham 
county in 182.5. He was a student at the Uni- 
versity of JNorth Carolina, and after complet- 
ing his sophomore year went to William and 
Mary College, Virginia, where he graduated 
with high distinction. He was admitted to 
practice law in North Carolina at the age of 21; 



moved to Patrick county, Virginia, and was 
elected Commonwealth's Attorney, which 
otHce he filled with high credit to himself for 
several years. He married Anna J., diaughter 
of the late Col. Martin, of Henry county, Vir- 
ginia After a few years he returned to the 
county of Rockingham, North Carolina, and 
devoted himself to the practice of his profes- 
sion with great diligence and success. He was 
elected County Attorney of Rockingham, and 
served in that capacity for several years,, and 
was always noted for the accuracy with which 
his bills of indictments were framed, so much 
BO that his "forms," passing into the hands of 
other prosecuting attorneys, have been used 
with unvarying success by them. Having been 
appointed Clerk and Master in Equity, he be- 
came, at an early age, enamored of and de- 
voted to Equity Jurisprudence, in which, in 
the after years of his practice he has become 
pre-eminently distinguished. 

At the commencement of the late war, he- 
was elected Captain of a companj' of volunteers 
from his native county, and served the Con- 
federacy with fidelity in the 45th Regiment of 
N. C. Troops. At the close of the war, he re- 
sumed the practice of his profession with the 
greatest zeal and diligence, and with renewed 
success and ability, that he attained such emi- 
nence, both at the Bar of the Circuit and Su- 
preme Court, as to merit from the late Chief 
Justice Pearson the compliment of being the 
ablest equity lawyer in North Carolina. 

He removed from Rockingham county to 
Greensboro in 1868 and associated himself in 
the practice of law with Col. Thomas Ruffin, 
of Orange, then a resident of Greensboro, and 
Col. John A. Gilmer, of Greensboro the style 
of the firm being Dillard, Ruffin & Gilmer. 

Since the death of Chief .Justice Pearson, in 
connection with Judge Dick, he has established 
and conducted with success a law school in the 
city of Greensboro, at the same time maintain- 



KOCKINGIIAM COUNTY. 



393 



ini^a large aiuUucrative praotit'C iiitlic several atUKiU of Mississippi. ITaniiltoii, his second son 
counties in the 7th and Stli Judicial Districts, was graduated at the University oi Miss- 
Mr. Dillard is a man of imposing personal issippi 1853, read law at Jackson in the law 
appearance, great simplicity and geniality of office of his relative, Hon. (>. O. Glenn, 
manner, and remarkably courteous, especially then Attorney General, and one of the most 



to the younger members of the legal profes- 
sion, who always receive from him the hearti- 
est sympathy and encouragement and enter- 
tain for him a respect and admiration ainonnt- 
ing often to the warmest affection, lie has 
always been decidedin his political views, and 
a faithful member of the Democratic juirty, 
though never a partisan nor an aspirant for 
political preferment. 

^Ir. DiUard is an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church at Greensboro, and a gentleman of un- 
impeachable character and incorruptable integ- 
rity, devoted to the institutions of the State, 
and ardently attached to every enterprise that 
tends to the moral and material growth and 
prosperity of North Carolina. 

llamilton Henderson Chalmers; at present 



brilliant orators in the State. He resided for 
a short time in New Orleans, and there stud- 
ied the civil law and was admitted to the bar. 
On the outbreak of the civil war he returned 
to Miss., and during the war served upon the 
statr of bis brother. Gen. J. R. Chalmers, and 
of Gen. P. 15. Starke Settling in Hernando, 
.Miss., at the close of hostilities, he devoted 
iiitnself with great vigor to the practice of hi* 
profession and rose rapidly to its front rank. 
He was au ardent and active participant in the 
politics of the period, and though seeking no 
office became a prominent leader in the Demo- 
cratic party of the State. Upon the accession 
t)fthe Democracy to the control of the State 
in 1875, in obedience to the almost unanimouB 
wish of the bar of his section, lie was appointed 



Associate Justice (1878) of the Supreme Court to his present seat upon the Suiireme bench at 

the early age of forty, being, with the e.xcep- 
tion of Judge Starkey, the youngest man who 
ever occupied the position in .Miss. Judge 
Chalmers married Emily H. Erwin, daughter 
of Sidney Erwin and Caroline Carson, his wife, 
of Burke County, North Carolina, and is thus 
by marriage connected with two of the most 



of Mississippi, was born in Rockingham County, 
N. C, Oct. 15tli, 1835. He is the son of Joseph 
W. Chalmers, and Fanny Henderson his wife, 
a niece of Chief Justice Leonard Henderson. 
Joseph W. Chalmers resided in Halifax County, 
Va., but Hamilton was born at the residence 
of his maternal grandfather in North Carolina. 



Shortly after his birth, the father removed prominent and extensive families of AVest- 



with his family from Virginia, first to Tenn- 
essee, and subsequently to Holly Springs, Miss., 
where Hamilton grew to manhood. Joseph 
W. Chalmers, soon became one of the fore- 
most lawyers of his adopted State, and was 
successively Chancellor and elected State Sen- 
ator, being the successor in the Senate of Hon. 
Robt. J. Walker, upon the accession of the lat- 
ter to the Secretary-ship of the Treasury. Sen- 
ator Chalmers died at the early age of forty- 
eix years, and was cut off in a career which 
bade fair to make his name illustrious in the 



ern North Carolina. His older brother, Ji-s. 
R. Chalmers was a general officer of great dis- 
tinction in the Confederate army and is now 
(1878) a prominent and influential member 
of Congress from Mississippi. 

[On Jan. 4tb, 1885, Judge Chalmers died, at 
Jackson, Miss. — Ed.] 

James R. Dodge died at the residence of bia 
daughter, Mrs. Chalmers Glenn, in Rocking- 
ham County, on the night of February 24th, 
1880. He was bright and cheerful to the last, 
and though in good health and spirits, for the 



394 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



ast few years he liiid always expressed himself 
as only waiting for his Master's call. His quiet, 
peaceful death was certainly in accord with the 
proverh that had l)een his guide through life. 
'^Keep iniiocency, and cleave to the thing that 
is right, and that will give a man peace at 
last." 

The following sketch of his life is in a great 
measure gleaned from a manuscript written 
by himself only three months before his death, 
and given to his wife to keep for the benefit of 
his children and grand-children. It was, of 
course, never intended for publication, but 
a part of it is co[iied by permission, feeling it 
would be of great interest and that, as he says 
it '•may aid the young by showing that energy 
and strict integrity will after many vicissi- 
tudes, lead to a peaceful old age, and if joined to 
christian faith, may lead to something better." 
"I fear," snys he, "I have not profited much by 
his advice, (all that my excellent father, after 
his misfortunes, had to give,) except in one 
thing: 'be striclii/ honest,' and in this respect, I 
am now, in 7iu/ old wje, nvl/ini/ to fnvc thr morhV 

Mr. Dodge was born October 27th, 1795, in 
-lohnstowii, a village on the Mohawk, in the 
State of New York, famous as the residence 
of Sir William Johnson, the former Governor 
of all the Indian tribes in the North. Full of 
life and vivacity, and fond of all field sports, 
he received a good Academic education, and 
althougb his father vvishe<l him to iiuish at 
Union C<illege, his great desire was to see un- 
discovered lands, and to join Western expedi- 
tions. When he was seventeen years old the 
war of 1812 began, and as his father was a 
Brigadier-General, and in command at Sack- 
ott's Harbor, he was with him as an aid. Full 
of glee and perfectly happy, he there saw com- 
pany and sights that he enjoyed; Commodore 
Chauncey and Captain Woolsey of the Navy, 
and Col. McComb, afterwards commander-in- 
chief of the army, were guests at his father's 



table. This life suited him so well that after 
their discharge and the return of his father to 
Albany, where he then lived, he joined as a vol- 
unteer in a company called "the Alban}^ In- 
dependent Volunteers," Capt. Judson, and they 
marched to Brooklyn Heights, to meet Gen. 
Packenham, and remained there until Gen. 
Packenham changed his course for New Orleans, 
where he met Gen. Jackson and defeat. 

After peace he became a clerk in his uncle's 
store, in New Yoi'k city, and passed some years 
in his family. Enjoying the most refined so- 
ciety, with a promise and prospect of getting^ 
into business through hisuncde's aid, he yet be- 
lieved he could achieve a more splendid success 
in the South, and embarked in the brig John, in 
October 1817, for Charleston, S. C.,recomended 
in the best letters from New York that the 
city could afford. When off the coast of Vir- 
ginia they encountered a most terriffic storm 
which kept all hands and the passengers at the 
pumps for thirty-six hours, and the}' finally put 
in at Norfolk, Va. Here he met an old friend, 
Hiram Paulding, afterwards an Admiral, then 
a midshipman on tlie Macedonian, which was 
dismantled and partially wrecked in the same 
storm. "While" (I quote his own words,) "in 
Norfolk during the repairing of the brig, I 
made an excursion to Petersburg, Va., to see 
something of Southern life. But my fate was 
sealed, for better or worse; the brig John was 
condemned, my Charleston trip and hopes 
destroyed, and I made a speculation, the cause 
of all my future misery and happiness. After 
struggling for two j-ears, ruin came, and in the 
year 1820, still full of hope and armed with 
the kindest letters ftom all who had known 
me in PcterslMirg, and also with a license to 
practice law in Virginia,given me, I fear, more 
of favor than desert, like Christian in the Pil- 
grim's Progress did his sins, I strapped on my 
back my now debt of many thousand*, Jumped 
into the stage, then our only conveyance, and 



KK()CKIX(HiAM COT NT V 



?,9[: 



laiuKMl in the streets of Raleii;li, tint kimwint;; 
otic huiiiaii lieiiig in North Carolina, ami not 
havinij fifty doUars. But Rufiin ami otluMs to 
whom my letters were directed, gathei'ed 
around me. That noble court, Taylor, Hend- 
erson and Hall, repeated my license. Badjjer, 
Archibald Henderson and Gaston honored me 
with a friendship that lasted durint:: 1 heir lives. 
The\' are now no more, and wiMi .Manl\- and 
Guion, and a nund)er more known afterwards, 
now,although of different denominations, all fill 
christian graves. Soon collections that had been 
given me in Petersburg, brought me to old 
Stokes, and at the County court at German ton , I 
found the same reception from John Morehead, 
Thos. Settle, Augustine H. Shepperd, Nicholas 
L. Williams, and others, now all gone except 
the last He was my fate; througli him I be- 
came acquainted with liis niece, then a small 
girl, but of a family famous for excellent wives. 
Her uncle Lewis Williams was in Congress 
with luy uncle William Irving, of New York, 
and in process of time she became my wife." 
Mr. Dodge was a member of the Episcopal 
churcli, and as a delegate to the Episcopal 
Convention that elected him, voted for Bishop 
Ravenscroft. During liis life lie filled numv 



places of honnr and trust, as Solicitor of the 
Suj^erior Court for the liincolnton district; for 
twelve or fourteen years Clerk of the Legis- 
lature; and also for many years Clerk of the 
Supreme Court in Morganton. He was mar- 
ried to Miss Susan "Williamson May '24th, 
182fNand resided in Wilkesboro' for eight years. 
After he was elected Solicitor he removed to 
Lincolnton. where he resided four years. He 
was succeeded by his old friend Hamilton C. 
Jones, as Solicitor; and "then, upon consulta- 
tion with my sympathizing and truly pious 
wife, we retired to the banks of the Yadkin, 
our cottage and farm. She managed at home, 
and I labored night and day at Court, at Ra- 
leigh and at Morganton. At home we were al- 
waj's happy; care or troul>le never entered our 
door, and these yeais were far the happiest of 
my life. After many years of toil had passed, I 
well remember the look of my old friend Rufiin, 
then Chief Justice, when I handed to my old 
friend Jacob Ramsour $700.00, which was the 
last del)t I owed on earth. He was paid, and 
it is still the last." 

"The moral of this sketch is, persevere and 
do not look back, and our apparent misfortunes- 
may be blessings in disguise." 



-^^i^i^^'^i^f^^^ 



ROWAN COUNTY. 



In a dispatch from the Royal Governor, Ar- 
t hur Dobbs, now on file in tlie Rolls Office, Lon- 
don, dated 1754, the population of Rowan 
County is stated to be l,4in whites and 54 
blacks. He states: 

" Salisbury, then ju.st laid out, had seven or 
eight log houses. We have fixed on a place for 
* fort, (called Fort Uobbs,) on Third Creek 
ivhere it falls into the Yadkin." Col. Docs. 125 



Judge Murphey, (Uni. Mag. 293,) states: 
" The first settlers of Rowan, near Salisbury, 
before 1751, were Paul Biffle and John White- 
sides, on Grant's Creek to the north; John 
Dunn, John Gardiner, Alexander Douglas, oi 
Crane Creek to the south ;Matthew Locke,Frai 
cis Locke, John Brandon, Alexander Cathey 
and James Graham on the west. James Car 
ter and Hugh Foster owned the land uiion 



^96 



WIIEKLER'S REMINISCENCES. 



/ 



(y\. 



which the town was built. Elias Brock aiul 
John Whitesides I)nilt the first court-house." 

This commences the record of tliis veneralile 
County,'- ah urbe eonclitii.." From tliat time and 
througli all the trials of the revolution to the 
present da^' the people of Rowan have Ijeen 
distinijuished for their patriotism and devotion 
to liberty. They were decided in opposition t(i 
the illegal exactions of the crown officers, which 
produced on the ResTulation troubles; the jour- 
nal of tiieir Committee of Safety (from 1774 to 
1776,) proves their sturdy resistance to wn-ong 
and their ardent support of justice. This journal 
has been preserved and{irinted. (Wiieeler II, 
3(50.) 

Prominent among the names of this commit- 
tee is the name of Hugh Montgomery; he was 
a native of Ireland. At an early age he fell in 
love with a Miss .Moore, who was of noble birtli. 
This was strongly opposed by her friends,but the 
attachment was reciprocated — and she was con- 
veyed secretly on board of a ship, where she met 
her lover, and was married; the youthful p:iir 
escaped in safety to America. He was himself of 
a goodly stock, a near relative of General Rich- 
ard Montgomery, who fell in the battle of Que- 
bec, (Dec. 1775). lie settled tirst in I'enn.syl- 
vania and afterward removed to Salisltury, 
North Carolina. He was constant and active 
an promoting the cause of independence and 
was one of the most fixed and forward of the 
daring spirits of that day. Among whom were 
Griffith Rutherford, John Brevard, Matthew 
Locke, John Louis Beard, William Sharp, .Max 
well Chambers, Wm. Kennon, Geo. Henry Bar- 
ringer, John Nesbit and Charles McDowell.* 

By his enterprise and industry he amassed 
a handsome fortune. He died at Salisbury 
Dec. 23d, 1779, leaving one son and seven 
daughters. His son, Hugh . i utgomery jj-. 

Mr. M was A proniiuniil member of tlie Provincial 
Coagre.ss from Kow;ni, t,,,, met, iit llillsuu o' August 
8l8t, 1775. Aut,usi 



married Miss Parnell of Virginia, and by her 
he had several/children; one of whom Lemuel 
P. Mimtgomery was Col. of the 39th Regiment 
U. S. Infan,try. He fell in the battle of the 
Horse-Shoe March 27th, 1814, in the 25th year 
of his age', the first to mount the breast-works 
and wa^pierced by a ball through the head. 

Tlie eldest daughter married Dr Anthony 

/ -J 

Newipau, who settled in Nashville, and whose 
son, Lemuel Daniel Newman, was born in North 
Carolina, then moved to Georgia; was a Lieu- 
tenant in the 4tli Regiment U.S. army and com- 
manded the Georgia vjolunteers in the action 
with the Florida Indians, distinguished himself 
in an atack on the Creek Indians in Autossee 
Towns in Dec. 1813, and was severely wounded 
at Camp Defiance Jan., 1814. He was a member 
of Congress from Georgia, from 1831 to 1833. 
He died in Walker County, Georgia, in 1851. 

The second daughter married Mr. Stewart, 
who settled in Greensboro', Tenne.ssee, where 
his family now reside. 

The third daughter married Mr. Blake, 
whose graud3(Mi, James Blake, distinguished 
himself in the war with Mexico under General 
Taylor. 

The fourth daughter married Captain Edwin 
Ingram, of Richmond County, who entered the 
army of the Revolution as a private and rose to 
the rank of captain. He was "the Marion" of 
the State, daring and active in the cause. He 
was tendered on account of his services and 
losses, five hundred pounds by the General 
Assembly of North Carolina which he declined 
to accept. He was the grandfather of Maj. San- 
ders .M. Ingram, of Richmond, who behaved so 
gallantly under Taylor and Scott in Mexico. 

The fifth daughter, married Colonel David 
Campbell, distinguished at the battle of King's 
Mountain; he moved to Tennessee and estab- 
lished Campbell Station. Several of his sons 
were distinguished in the Indian wars, under 
Jackson and Harrison; especially William B. 



UOWAN COUNTY 



3:)7 



Cainpl)ell, wlio was born in Tennessee. He 
WHS Attorney General of the State, served in 
the Cherokee and Creek wars; elected to Con- 
>;ress from Tennessee, from 1837 to 1843. lie 
was Colonel of the 1st Regt. of Tennessee Vol- 
iinteer.s in the Mexican war, and distiiif^uished 
himself at the battles of Monterey, National 
Bridge and Cerro Gordo. From 1850 to '53^ 
he was elected Governor of the State of Tenn- 
essee, and in 1857 waff chosen by a unaninions 
vote of the Legislature, Judge of the Circuit 
Court. In 1862 he was appointed by Lincoln 
a Brigadier-General in the Union army, which 
his health caused him to decline. At the close 
the war he was again elected a member of 
39th Congress, (1865-'67,) and died at Leb- 
anon, Tennessee, Aug. 19th, 1867. 

The sixth daugliter married General James 
Wellborn, of Wilkes County, whose eldest 
daughter married Newton Cannon, Governor 
of Tennessee (for sketch of whom see page 189.) 
The seventh daughter married Montford 
Stokes, who was Governor of North Carolina, 
(for sketch of whom see Wilkes County.) 

Connected with Kowan and her disting- 
uished personages is the name of Elizabeth 
Steele. It was at her house in Salisbury on 
':he evening of February 1st, 1781, that "the 
'''abius of America,"General Nathaniel Greene 
arrived, after a hard day's ride through the 
vain, alone, fatigued, hungry, penniless and 
down-hearted; as he expressed himself to Dr. 
lieikd who had charge of ihe sick and wounded 
prisoners at this place. Mrs. Steele heard this, 
ind the fire of patriotism was augmented by 
':he deep sympath}', wliich is ever the promi- 
lent feeling in a true v.-oman's heart. Hardly 
had the General seated himself at a well-spread 
table, before a eheerful fire, when Mrs. Steele 
3ntered, and I'eminded her distinguished guest 
that she had overheard his desponding remarks, 
she drew from under her apron two small bags 



of s[ie(ie, her earnings for years. "Take them" 
she Said "for you will want them, and I can do 
without them." '-Nevei'" says his biographer, 
"did relief couie at a more needed moment." 
The hoi'o i-csumod that night his dangerous 
journey, for the Hritisb ai'uiy under Lord 
Cornwallis, had that day cro.ssod the Catawba 
and Wins advancing oti' Salisbury.. This scene 
has booii made the subject of both painting and 
sculpture. On the wall hung a picture of 
(ileorge the 3d,which had been sent as a present 
from England to Mrs, Steele, by some friends 
at Court Filled with the painful memoriea 
of the sufferings of his country, and of the 
blood that even that day had been spilled in 
its defence by the myrmidons of power, Gen- 
eral Greene took the picture from the wall and 
wrote on its back "Oh George, hide thy face 
and mourn," and replaced it with its face to 
the wall. 

Mrs. Steele died in 1790. She was twice 
m;irried. By her first husband she had a daugh- 
ter, who married Kev. Sanmel McCorkle; by 
her second husband, ( William Steele, )8he had 
General John Steele (born Nov. 1st, 1764, died 
Aug. 14th, iai-27)vvho was born in Salisbury. 
lie was educated as a merchant, but as soon 
as he arrived at manhood he devoted himself 
to agriculture and politics. 

In 1787 and 1788, he was elected a member 
of the Legisliiture from the borough of Salis- 
bury. In the- latter year he was also a mem- 
ber of the Convention at Hillsboro,(July 21st, 
1788,) to consider the Constitution of the 
United States, and with Davie, Iredell, John- 
ston and others made active but fruitless ettbrts 
for its adoption. His course on this occasion 
did not affect his popularity, for the next year 
he was elected a mend^er of the first Congress 
of the United States (1789-91) and was re- 
elected to the next Congress, (1791-93.) In 
1794 he was again elected a member of the 
Legislature, and re-elected in 1795. On July 1st 



898 



WHEELP]R'S EEMINISCEXCES. 



was elected to the House in November 1876, by 
1006 majority. 

[At the election held November 4th, 1884, 
he was elected to the House of Representa- 
tives from the seventh Congressional District, 
receiving 14,262 votes, against 10,851 for Mr. 
Ramsay. — £</.] 

William Kennon appears among the leading 
patriots of the County. We regret that the 
records of the County give so little informa- 
tion as to his life and services. 

The proceedings of the Committee of Safety 
for Rowan County, of which he was often chair- 
man prove his vigilance and activity in the 
<;ause of independence. He was a member of the 
Provincial Congress, which, in opposition to 
the Royal Government, met at New Berne in 
August 1774, and also in the same place in 1775. 
He was one of the Convention or Committee, 
.that met at Charlotte on May 20, 1775. The 
memorial of John Dunn shows that he, (with 
Adlai Osborne,SamuelSpencer, and Mr. Willis, 
Kennon's brother-in-law, )were active in appre- 
hending said Dunn and expatriating him. He 
resided in Salisbury and was an attorney. 

Dunn, as shown by his memorial was a man 
of al)ility, and of character, but of mistaken 
views. Murphey tells us " that he was a native 
of Ireland, and in consequence of some private 
feud, suddenly left his native land, and came 
to America, where he settled on Reid's Creek, 
and married Mary Reid. He followed, for a 
livelihood, teaching and shoe-making. He stud- 
ieil law and removed to Salisbury where he 



1796, he was appointed by General Washing- 
ton first Comptroller of the Treasury, which 
he held throughout the remainder of Washing- 
ton's administration, all of Adams', and re- 
signed in 1802, in opposition to the wishes of 
Mr. Jefferson. In 1806, he was again in the 
Legislature, and that year succeeded Gen. 
Davie as Commissioner to adjust the bound- 
aries between North and South Carolina. This 
delicate, protracted and difficult negotiation 
was managed by him with singular address 
and abihty. In 1811-12 and 13, he was again 
■elected to the Legislature and in 1811 was 
Speaker of the House. On Aug. 14th, 1812, 
he was again elected, and on that day he died. 
From the varied and important positions 
held by General Steele from his early man- 
hood, to the day of his death is seen the warm 
attachment and contidonce of his countrymen 
for him, and their high appreciation of his ser- 
vices and aliility. 

He married in 1783, Mary Nesfreid, who 
survived him many years, by whom lie had (I) 
Ann, who married Jesse A. Pearson; (II) Mar- 
garet who married Dr. Stephen L. Farrand; 
(III) Eliza, who married Col. Robert Mac- 
Namara. 

A daughter nf Dr. Fcrrand, married to A. 
Henderson, recently died. Their son, John S. 
Henderson has entered the theatre of public 
life,enjoying the contidence and hopes of a large 
circle of admiring friends. He is quite young; 
being born June 6tli, 1846. He has been liber- 
ally educated, at Dr. Wilson's Academy and 
the University. At the age of eighteen he practiced with much success. He was the Col- 



entered the army as a private in company B, 
10th North Carolina Regiment and served as 
a private to the close. He was elected as the 
^conservative candidate to the Cotistitutional 
Convention of 1871, though the Convention 
was not held. He was elected to the Conven- 
tion of 1875, and took a leading position. He 



onel of the Rowan iMilitia, and in 1771 march- 
ed to Hillsboro' to protect the Court against the 
intimidations of the Regulators.* 

Afterthe war was over, Dunn returned to Sal- 
isbury where he ended his days, and lies buried 

•See Uiii. Mug. I. 204. 



/ 



^ ROWAN 

/' 

within three miles of thaL^lace. lie left two 
danshters, one of whom married a son of .lohn 
Louis Board, of whom John Beard of Fh>rida 
is a son. The other dangliter married Mr. Kishor 
wlio wasthe mother of the Hon. Charles Fisher, 
of wliom we sliali soon hear. 

Jolin II. Steele, (born 1792, died 18(35), was 
horn in North Carolina, a relative of General 
Steele. He was Governor of the State of 
New Hampshire in 1844 to 1846, and died at 
Petersboro', New Hampshire, July 2, 1805. We 
know but little beyond this, and the fact that 
while onr State has jjiven Senators and Gover- 
nors to the south and southwest, she has also 
ojiven Governors totwoof the Yankee States — 
Joseph R. Hawle}', of Connecticut and John H. 
Steele, of New Hampshire. 

Griffith Rutherford was long a resident of 
Rnwan, lived in the Locke settlement and was 
distinguished in the Indian and Revolutionary 
wars for his valor and enterprise. 

lie was a native of Ireland and first appears 
in North Carolina history as a memlier of the 
Legislature from Rowan in 1775, at New Berne. 
He served as Senator, and was re-elected, with 
some interuiiseions, till 1786. His first essay 
in arms was in 1776, when he commanded an 
army of 2400 men, raised to subdue "the 
Overhill Cherokee Indians;" this he did most 
completely and with great slaughter. He was 
an active member of the Committee of Safety 
and on April 22, 1776, was appointed one of 
the six Brigadier-Generals by the Provincial 
Congress at Halifax. He commanded his bri- 
gade at the ill-fated battle of Camden, (Aug. 
1780,) where he was taken prisoner. He wsis 
sent to C;harleston,and from thence to Augus- 
tine with Col. Elijah Isaacs, taken also at Cam- 
den; Lieut. Col. Stephen Moore and Col. Hen- 
derson; on June 22, 1781, they were exchanged. 
He again took the field, and took command at 
Wilmington, when that phiee was evacuated 



COUNTY 



390 



by the British. After the war was over he re- 
moved to Tennessee and served in the Councils 
of that State. 

His name is preserved both m North Caro- 
lina and Tennessee, by calling counties after 
him, and we regret that so little is known of his 
services and character.* 

Blanche, daughter of Gereral Rutherford, 
married a son of General Matthew Locke 

The Locke family was once a large, influen- 
tial and patriotic family in Rowan. The first 
of this race came from Ireland to America in 
the 17th century, and settled in Lancaster, 
['ennsylvania. From thence, three brothers: 
Matthew, Francis and George, came to North 
Carolina. Matthew and Francis settled in liow- 
au and George in Iredell Count}-. 

General Matthew Locke, (boi-n in 1730. died 
1801,) washy nature energetic, public spirited 
and popular. The determined foe to every torm 
of oppresion, fraud or peculation. In the excite- 
ment as to illegal fees exacted by the Crown offi- 
cers and wrung from an oppressed people, he was 
their friend and adviser. He was in 1771 
with Herman Husbands appointed by the peo- 
ple to receive the fees due the sheriti" ami 
Clerk of the Court. He was elected in 1776 
a meml)er of the Provincial Congress at Hali- 
fax, and to the .same body in Nov. 1776, which 
formed our first State Constitution. He was 
continued a member of the Legislature under 
the Constitution in 1777 to 1792. He was 
elected a Brigadier-General of State troops. 
In 1793 he was elected a member of 3rd, 4th 
and 5th Congre.sses, 1795 to 1799, and was suc- 
ceeded by Archibald Henderson. He died Sep- 
tember 7, 1801. He married Mary, daughter 
of Richard Brandon, a name distinguished in 
the annalsof those troubled times, for devotion 
to popular rights and the cause of freedom, and 
left a family of thirteen cliildren, eight sons 

*A listoItlieprisoncr.ssiMit to St. Ausrustincis found 
ill Johnson's Traditions of tlie Kevoliition, 81S. 



400 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENSES. 



and five daughters. Four of liis sons were at 
one time in tlie Revolutionary army; among 
them was: 

George Locke, who contended bravely and 
fell in the cause of his country. He was active 
in harrassing the advance of the Britisli arniy, 
under (.'or-iwallis. in 1780. 

While the British were encamped at Char- 
"lotte, Col. Wm. R. Davie ordered Capt. John 
Brandon, and Lieut. Joseph Graham, with 
twenty -five men to reconnoitre their camp; 
when they marched within fifty yards of their 
lines, Brandon proposed to advance and de- 
liver a voUej', which they did. Tarleton's troop 
gave chase and pursued the Americans; when 
Graham, Locke and others had seen that their 
capture was imminent they turned oft" from the 
main road; Graham was sabred, and left for 
dead; Locke was killed and Brandon owed his 
life to the fleetness of hie horse, and was chased 
at full speed to Davie's camp. Tliisstatement 
of this melancholy aftair is from a son of Col. 
Brandon, (A. W.,) whose father had narrated 
the facts to him. 

Another son of Gen. Matthew Locke, John, 
married Blatiche, the daughter of Gen. Grif- 
fith Rutherford; another son married Marga- 
ret, daughter of Caleb Phifer; and a daughter 
of Gen. Locke married Martin Phifer. Another 
daughter, Ann, married Andrew Beard, of 
Burke County, and anothei', Jane, married 
Gen. Robt. Weakly, of Tennessee. 

The following is a copy of the inscription of 

the head -stone over his grave in the graveyard 

of Thyatira church: 

"111 Mriiioiy 
of 
Matthew Locke, Esq., 
Died Till iSf]it., 1^01; ag<(l 71. 
A iiioiiioter i>f civilization, a Legislator and n patri- 
otic friend ot liis country; in his jirivate character a 
a tender liusliand, an atiectionate parent, and an in- 
dulgent master, ever a friend to the poor; and attentive 
to his luippiness in that state, where we eonteniphite 
his existence, leaving memorv to retain him here." 

Col. Francis Locke, a brother of Gen. Mat- 
thew Locke, though not a statesman as was 



his distinguished brother, was a true and tried 
soldier in the perilous period of our revolution- 
ary struggles. He commanded a detachment of 
men in the revolution, and on the 22d of June 
1780, attacked at Rainsour's Mill, near the 
present town of Lincolnton, a superior^force of 
Tories under the command of Cols. Bryan and 
Moore, and routed them with great slaughter. 
A full account of this battle from the pen of 
General Graham may be found in the history 
of North Carolina. [Wheeler II, 227.] 

^He married (the sister of Gen. Matthew 
Locke's wife,) the daughter of Richard Bran- 
don, and left four sons and three daughters. 
Among them were, (I) John, who was a Major 
in the Revolutionary war, died April 1833, 
aged eighty-two years. (II.) Francis, born in 
Rowan County 1766, appointed Judge Dec. 
1803; resigned 1818; elected Senator in Con- 
gress, 1816, and resigned without taking hia 
.seat as Senator; Presidential Elector 1809. 
Died, (unmarried,) in 1823. 

Hon. Spruce McCay, was born, lived and 
died in Rowan County. He was educated by 
the Rev. David Caldwell; studied law, and 
arose to eminence and usefulness. He was ap- 
pointed Judge of the Superior Courts in 1790, 
and died in 1808. 

He married i^'anny, daughter of Richard Hen- 
derson. \JVilliam S. McCay was the only son 
of this union. 

James Martin, was the son of Col. James 
Martin and resided for many years in Salis- 
bury. He graduated at the University in 1806, 
in the same class with Judge John A. Cameron^ 
Durant Hatch and others. He read law and 
soon attained such rank in the profession that 
in 1826 he was elected one of the Judges of 
the Superior Courts. He resigned in 1835. He 
married Miss Alexander, and removed to Mo- 
bile, Alabama, where he died. 

George Mumford represented this County in 



1U)WA\ COUNTY. 



401 



IS 10 anil ill isll, and tliis district in ContrresB 
ill 1S17. Ilo attc'iiile<l a hall at \Vasiiin,ii;ton 
City in tiie (load of winter; tlie i'X[H)siire 
liroui^lit on diptheiia, and Doceinber 31, 1S15, 
it terminated his life, lie was succeeded by 
Hon. Charles Fisher. 

Tiie in-o^enitor of tiie Pears m family was 
l\ii-]iiii(iii(l I'earson, horn 1770, died 1819, who 
was a native of Dinwiddle Count}', Virginia, 
and came, when only nineteen years old, to 
Xortli Carolina and settled in the forks of the 
Yadkin. 

When the Revolutionary war came on, he 
joined the arm\' and was appointed a Lieu- 
tenant in Captain Bryan's Compati}'; the 
first muster that occurred after the Declaration 
of Independence. Pearson requested some of 
his men to load their guns. Bryan came ou 
the ground and ordered those men into ranks. 
I'earson declined, and tendered his resignation 
to Br3-an, who immediately ordered his arrest, 
which was resisted. They then came to a par- 
ley, and as Bryan advocated the cause of the 
Loyalists, and Pearson the rights of the people, 
it was finally agreed by all parties, that on a 
day fixed, the question between the opinions 
should be settled by a fair fist fight, and which- 
ever whipped, the company should be com- 
manded by the victor. The}' met, they fought, 
the lieutenant was conquered; so the "Fork ' 
company was for liberty, and Bryan's party on 
Dutchman's Creek, was for the King. This 
circumstance was narrated to me by Chief- 
Justice Pearson, and shows by what slight 
circumstances, events of magnitude are often 
influenced. Captain Pearsun and his company 
did good service in harrassing the advance of 
Cornwallis' columns, and was at the passage of 
the Catawaba on July 1, 1781, when General 
Davidson was killed. He was a successful plan- 
ter and an enterprising merchant. He died in 
1819, leaving one daughter, Betsy, who mar- 
ired Judge John Stokes, a Colonel in the Rev- 



olutionary war; severely wounded at Hiiford's 
defeat, where ho lost, an arm. He was ap- 
pointed United States District Judge in North 
Carolina by General Washington. He vasthe 
I) rother of Governor Mont ford Stokes. Stoke 
('otinty was called in honor of iiim. He died 
in Fayetteville, October, 1790. 

Jesse A. Pearson, the son of Richmond, rep- 
resented this County in the House of Commons 
in 1808, '9,-'14 and '15. He commanded a regi- 
ment in 1814, in General Graham's brigade, and 
moved against the Cherokee nation, to repress 
their hostilities; afterwards he was electedMaj- 
or-General of the militia of the State. He was a 
soldier,"sudden and quick in quarrel;"he fouglit 
a duel with General Montford Stokes, near 
Salisbury, in which Gen. Stokes was wounded. 

He married first a daughter of General Steele, 
and secotid Mrs. Wilson, whose daughter, by a 
former husband, married Archibald G Carter, 
of Davie County. He died in 1823 and left no 
issue. 

Joseph Pearson, also a son of Richmond, was 
a native of Rowan County. He was a lawyer 
by profession and a politician. He represented 
the borough of Salisbury in 1804 and '5 and 
this District in the 11th, 12th and 13th Cong- 
resses,1809-'15. Like his brothers he was ready 
to make good his words by his acts. About 
1811, whilst in Congress, he fought a duel on 
political grounds, with Hon. John J. Jackson, 
of Virginia. He died in Salisbury on Oct. 27th, 
1834. He was thrice married, first to Miss 
McLinn; second Miss Ellen Brent; and third 
Miss Worthington of Georgetown, D. C. 

Richmond Pearson, son of Richmond, and 
brotlier to the above was active and enterpris- 
ing, but never in public life. He was devoted to 
agriculture and the internal improvements of 
the State. He, with George Fisher, in a boat, 
passed the falls of the Yadkin. 

By his second marriage he left: 

I. Sarah, who married Isaac Crooni. 



402 WHEELER'S ^llEMINISCENCES. 

II. Eliza, who married W. G. Bentley of erenx boiny his eoiiipetitor, in 1S48 lie was elo- 
Bladeii; vated to the Supremo Court Bench, (to till 

III. liichinond M. [8ee sketch holow.) the vacancy occasioned by the death of Judj;e 

IV. Giles, who died 1847. . Daniel,) Robert Strany-o and Wm. II. Battle 

V. John Stokes Pearson, who married Miss were his opponent.s. 

Beatti^f Bladen County in 1848. In 1858 on the death of Chief Justice I^ashhe 

Richtnond M. rcarsi)n,(I)orn -June 1805, died was appointed his successor. In 18(j5 he was a 

1878,) Chief Justice of the Supreme C'ourt of candidate for the Constitutional Convention 

the State, was a son of the last named and the held that yoar,aiid was defeated by .\Ir. Ilaynes, 

grandson of the progenitor of the family; he but the same year was (under the new Consti- 

bore the patronimic of both. His early educa- tutiou,) a^i^ain elected Judge of the Supreme 

tion was conducted by John Mii.shat of States- Court ; and by his associates, (Justices Battle 

ville and at Washington city under the care of and Reade,) again a})pointed Chief Justice, 

his uncle Joseph Pearson. Ho graduated at the In 18G8 upon a I'oorgauization of this Court, 

University m 1823, in the same class with Dan- ho v/as by the people elected Chief-Justice, 

iel W. Courts, Robert B. Gilliam, Isaac Hall and being nominated on lioth tickets, and this 

others. He studied law with Judge iieiider- elevated and responsible position he held until 

son, and was licensed to practice in 182G. He his death Jamiary 5th, 1878; his life ended in 

entered p)ublic life as a member from Rowan paralysis of the brain, at Winston, as he was 

in the Plouse of Commons m 18211, and con- going to Raleigh to attend the January term 

tinuecl until 1832; with David F. Caldwell, of the Supreme Court. 

Thos. G. Polk and Charles Fisher, as colleagues. He married first Miss Williams, daughter of 
We pause to admire the distinguished delega- Col. John Williams, by whtmi he left several 
tion then representaing this County and Bor- cliildren, and second Mrs. Bynum, relict of 
ough, rarely equalled and never excelled. Pi'e- Gen. John Gray Bynum, ?u:t; McDowell, daugh- 
senting Speakers to both houses,(ii'i 1830,)Cald- tor of Capt. Charles McDowell of Burke Coun- 
well in the Senate, and Fisher in the House. ty. We have sketched in an accurate manner 
In 1835, he was a candidate for Congress, the public services of Judge Pearson in chrono- 
His opponents were Abram Reneher and Burton logical order. As a Judge he was uncjuestionably 
Craige. Mr. Rencher was a State-rights Demo- one of the ablest of his day. Judge McKoy 
crat, Mr. Craige a nullifying southern states- M'ho presided at a meeting of the Bar in Ra- 
man ami Mr. Pearson an old line Whig, or loigh, on tlio occasion of Judge Pearson's death. 
Federalist. The address of Mr. Pearson, to the stated : "As perhaps the great connnon-law law- 
freemen of the 9tli Congres.sional district, was jqv of his age and time,I would say in my opin- 
a powerful document, an early demonstration ion nogreater has ever lived. His loss will be felt 
of his acute reasoning powers for which he be- and deeply deplored by those long accustomed 
came so distinguished. Ho wasopposed tonulli- to look for the productions of hisbrain and pen 
lication as a doctrine dangerous to the exist- to illumine their journey through the mazes and 
ence of the government. Mr. Reneher was elect- labyrinths heretofore marked by no guide save 
ed;Mr. Pearson accepted his defeat with that principle, and no beacon save the hghts of legal- 
calmness which was characteristic of his nature, lore. 

In 183G Mr. Pearson was elected one of the ''He taught the young to reason, and when 

Judges of the Suiierioi' Courts, Thomas P. Dev- once a conclusion was arrived at by the stu 



KOWAX COirXTV 



403 



(lent, it was siu'li a I'oiiclii.sioii as satisliod (lie 
im-csti^^'atiiii;: iiiiiid in its soarcli of truili; and 
did li nor to tlie teai-lior wlio [ilannod ami led 
tlie yonni;- mind alonir tlie cliannel of patirnt 
tliouii'lit and tiiorou,ii:h invcsti,<.'ution. Aitliontjli 
it was nr.t in\' fortune, said Joseph .\1oKo\', to 
iiavc availed myself of his ndmirahle tniinini^, 
vet as often as I met in aririiniont tliose mental 
athletes, trained hy his master hand, I have le- 
i^retted that fate which denied to me similar 
advantages." 

For many years Judge Pearson held at his 
home, at Richmond Hill, a law-school, where 
hundreds of young men have been trained, 
who now adorn the profession. 

lUusti-ious as is his fame as a Judge, yet it 
is due to the integrity of history to say, that 
his course, to the minds of many, in the excit- 
ing and troubled scenes of 1871, shows more of 
thepartizan than the patriot, and it was not 
passed unnoticed by the representatives of the 
people. His course in virtually denying the 
great writ of right, the habeas corpas, in the 
cases of Moore and Kerr, was the subject of 
much complaint, and tarnished the judicial er- 
mine, that should always be worn pure, un- 
stained and without reproach.* 

Charles Fisher, (born 1789, and died 1849,) 
was born in Rowan County. His father re- 
moved from Shenandoah County, Virginia, be- 
fore the Revolution, and served as a Captain 
in that war. lie was educated by Rev. J)r. 
John Rojjinson, of Poplar Tent, Cabarrus 
Couuty, and by the Rev. Dr. .McPheeters, of 
Raleigh; then read law, but never practiced. 

lie entered public life as a Senator, in the 
Legislature of 1818. The next year he Avas 
elected over Dr. W. Jones, a member of the 
1.5th Congress, to fill the vacancy occasioned 
by the death of Hon. Geo. Mumford, and was 



*See pages 110 and 367 as to opinion of Judge Pearaon, 
in the Kerr case. 



re-elected to the ne.\l ,1(11 h, ( IS|!I- 21) C-mgress 
over II>!i. .lohii Long, when he declined a re- 
elertioa. He was suciM'ed.'d by llenrv W . ('in- 
ner. He determined to ajiply binisi-lf to his 
[trivate business and the care of his young and 
increasing family, iiut the people elected him 
in 1822, to the House of ('onimons, and with 
few interruptions, he was re-elected till IS.Ki; 
in IS.JI he was <-hos(Mi Speaker. II'' was a 
memhcr ot tin; CJonvcntioii of IS;];'), to amend 
the C>)iist,itiition of the State This, as has 
been often before observed, was the ablest body 
ever as3erni)led in the State, and amid the ga- 
laxy of talent there displayed, Mr. Fisher shone 
conspicuous. ''Primal Inter jares." His efi'orts 
on religious toleration, freculom of suffrage, 
popular rights, and other subjects were much 
approved and marked him as an astute states- 
man. He was one of the committee who 
drafted the Constitution, and was one of the 
most useful and active members of the Conven- 
tion. In 1839, he was again brought forward 
as a candidate for Congi'ess; liis paity was in a 
hopeless minority, the opposition was active 
and the candidate Dr. Pleasant Henderson was 
exceedingly popular. Mr. Fisher was elected 
by 183 votes. After serving this Congress, 
(the 26th,) he declined being a candidate. 

In 1845, while absent from the State, he was 
nominated again for Congress. At first he re- 
fused to he a candidate on account of his pri- 
vate affaii's, as the district was then repre- 
sented by a popular man( Hon. D. M. Barringer,) 
and the Whig party predominated. Mr. Fisher 
against his wishes and interests, was neverthe- 
less persuaded to be a candidate. He entered 
into this canvass, as he did everything else, 
with determination, zeal and activity. Mr. B. 
was elected by 27 votes. This was the only 
election in which Mr.Fisher was ever defeated 
before the people. 

He was tlie choice of his party in 1846, as 
Governor of the State, but by a letter to the 



404 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Cdnvention, (ho lieing al)seiit from the State,) 
he informed them that he was forced h_v his 
his private atfairs to docline. This dedinatit.)!! 
produced great ooiifusiiin. Gi-een W. Cahlwell 
was then nominated, but he declined, and 
James B. Shepard was nominated by the Cen- 
tral Committee, and defeated. Mr. Fisher's 
private business forced him to frequent visits 
to the West. On his return from one of these 
trips he was taken ill at Hillsboro',Scott County, 
Mississippi, where after an illness of ten days 
he died on May 7th, 1849. 

He married Christiana.the daughter of Lewis 
Beard, by whom he had several children, one 
of tliem, Charles F. , was Senator in the Legis- 
lature HI 1854, and President of the Central 
Railn)ad. In 1861 he was appointed Colonel 
of the 6th Regiment North Carolina Troops and 
marched to Virginia. He fell July 21st, 1861, 
in the battle of Mannassas. No purer ottering 
was made in the cause of his country ,thaii this 
excellent and gallant man. A letter from Gen. 
Thos L. Clingman to Col. S. D. Pool, published 
in "Our Living and Our Dead," dated at Ashe- 
ville, 1878, describes his heroic death: "Colonel 
Fisher moved his regiment by the flank, into 
the pines. About sixty yards from the woods 
Rickett's battery was stationed; Colonel Fisher 
did not see the battery until he had passed it. 
Captain Isaac Avery's company was just oppo- 
site the battery. Finding themselves in this 
dangerous proximity, they flred into the bat- 
tery at only sixty yards distance, this fire killed 
most of the cannoneers and their horses. The 
men ran down on them and finished the sur- 
vivors with their muskets and bowie knives. 
Immediately after this. Colonel Fisher liaving 
passed the battery, received a ball which [icne- 
t rated his brain and he fell dead about thirty 
yards to therearof the battery they had taken. 
Captain Avery stated to me that while he was 
for a moment, on one of the captured pieces, he 
saw Colonel Fisher, who had moved forward 



to reconnoitre, waving his rifle aliove his head 
triumphantly. There was a regiment, they 
thought from Alabama, about two hundred 
yards to their rear, which continued to fire 
upon them — it was this fire that killed young 
Mangum and several others. Many think it 
probable that Colonel Fisher was thus killed. 
His regiment had advanced so far to the front 
and was on the ground so lately occupied by 
the enemy in heavy force, that the mistake 
was natural. 

"The services of Colonel Fisher and his regi- 
ment cannot be overestinuited on this occasion. 
Neither then, nor at any time since, have I 
doubted that this movement saved the day to 
the Confederacy." 

Colonel Fisher was of indomitable energy, 
of enthusiastic temperament, brave and bold as 
a lion, and gentle and as pure as a woman. A 
more gallant and chivalric knight never 
couched a lance, or wore a sword. His pure 
and unselfish character, his irreproachable life 
his high sense of honor, his devotion to hig 
duty, his manly courage tempered by a gentle- 
ness and courtesy, as rare as it was winning, 
was seen and felt by all who knew hiin. 
He fell at his post of duty, in a cause in which^ 
afterwards many thousands ottered up their 
lives; but never was there a nobler or purer 
spirit, than Charles F. Fisher. lie died, as his 
brave spirit would have desired had he had the 
choice; on the field of victory, happy in the 
purity and l>rilliancy of his life and in the cir- 
cumstances of his death. He could say as 
Cicero of Agricola. '-Tu vero felix ! non vitoe 
tantum claritate, sed etiam opportunitate mor- 
tis." 

History informs us, in the early part of 
this century a great battle was fought on the 
banks of the Danube. A determined charge 
on ihe Austrian centre gained the 'victory for 
France. The courage and example of one sol- 
dier, who tliere fell, contributed to the success 



ROWAN COUNTY. 



4i)i 



iif the clmrgo. Ever since at the parades of 
his battalion, the name of Latour d' Auvergne 
was first called; when the oldest Sergeant step- 
ped to the front and presenting arms, answered 
"Died on the field of honor." When in Spirit- 
Land, beyond the grave, where the shades of 
the gallant dead assendile, when the gloi-ious 
roll-call is made, and the name of Fisher is 
reached, it will be for the majestic spirit of a 
Jackson, ora Lee to advance and pronounce the 
proudest eulogy of our race. "Died on the 
field of duty."* 

Colonel Fisher married a daughter of Hon. 
David F. Caldwell, by whom he hadhislovttly 
a!id accomplished daughter. Miss Frances C. 
Kisher, author of many interesting works, 
among them"Valarie Aylmer,"" Morton House" 
and others, under the nom de plume of Chris- 
tian Reid. Of her first work, which has placed 
her high among the writers of fiction in this 
country, Mr. Leon of the Mobile Register says: 
" Before Cooper, Si nmis, Hawthorne and other 
pens had made light literature respectable, pro- 
duction of home works of fiction had dwindled 
into a mere farce. Since tlie war, novels by 
.American authors that have attracted atten- 
tion can be counted ou the fingers of one hand. 
Three of these are of Southern birth. One of 
these is "Valarie Avlmer." No work has called 
forth more general and more honest criticism 
and the result has been highly favorable. The 
style is pure, clear and free from affectation 
and pedantry, which gives promise of a vigor 
that can but grow into a brilliant future. 

"This work is one of graceful and pleasant 
description not without rare strength in char- 
acter outlining, but with the promise of 
powerful shading in society picturing." 

The A'ei« York Evening Post, reviews that 
book: " Valarie Aylmer is undeniably quite 
charming and as a literary work is worthy of 
praise. 

• Gen. Richard Taylor on Jackson. 



"Christian Rcid, the pseudonvinous author, 
sliows on every jiaiic a wide acquaintance 
with literature, not that encyclopedic ped- 
antry which is so manifested liy certain nov- 
elists, and ranges fmni Talmud to Tenny- 
.*)ii, but an easy familiarity with the best au- 
thors, and a love for all they have in them, 
pure and lovely and of good report. No reader 
of" Valarie Aylmer" will lay down the book 
without sharing in our own desire to hoar from 
Christian Reid iigain." 

John W. Ellis, (born 1820; died 18G1,) late 
Governor of North Carolina, son of Anderson 
Ellis, was a native of Rowan County, of that 
portion now known as Davidson County. His 
early education was conducted by Robert Alli- 
son, at Beattie's Ford; continued at Randolph 
Macon, and finished at the University, where 
he graduated in 1841, in the same class with 
Thos. L.Avery, R. R. Bridgers, Robert Burton, 
Wm. J. Clark, Wra. F. Dancy, John F. Hoke, 
V. Mc. Bee, Montford McGehee, Richmond 
N. Pearson, Charles I'hillips, Saml. F. Phillips, 
Thos. Ruffin,Jas. G. Shepherd, Robert Strange 
jr., Jas. F. Taylor and others. A large class 
and distinguished in after life for their abil- 
ity and usefulness. He read law under Judge 
Pearson and was admitted to the bar in 1842; 
when he opened a law office in Salisbury; and 
there he practised with great success. 

In 1844 he was elected a member of the 
House of Commons from Rowan, with Hon. 
Nathaniel Boyden, and Maj. John B. Lord as 
colleagues, ( with a constituency opposed to his 
political views, as were his distinguished asso- 
ciates.) This proved the early and just appre- 
ciation on the part of the people of his worth 
and of their confidence in his character as a 
statesman; he was re-elected in 1846; and in 
1848. His course in the Legislature was mark- 
ed by candor, liberality and philanthropy. To 
his political opponents he was tolerant and can- 
did, and his liberal support of the internal 



401) 



WHEELEK'S REMTNISCEXCES. 



iniprovenient.s of t)ie State, in sin)[iiii'tiiio; the 
Central anil other rail roads in tlie country; 
and his support of the hill whicii ho ofiered for 
the erection of an Asylum for the Insane (on 
the memorial of that "White Winged Messen- 
ger of Mercy," Miss Dix,) will perpetuate his 
philanthropy '' to the last syllable of recorded 
time" So highly were his services appreciated 
that at this session(1848)he was elected one of 
the Judges of the Superior Courts of the State. 
Among the yfiungest men (iicingonly 28,)ever 
elected in the State, to so high a position. Plis 
career as Judge received the approiiation of the 
bar and the press, and the country justified the 
wisdom of this selection. 

As a Judge he was quick to perceive, prompt 
to decide and tirm to act. Patient and polite, 
genial in private intercourse and easy of access 
without hauteur or levity, he bore his higli 
honors to tlie satisfaction ot the whole people 
of the State, and was so universally esteemed 
that iu 1S5S, he was elected the Governor of 
the State, by the people by more than 16,000 
votes over the eloquent and gifted, McRae. 

lie was re-clocted Governor, by a large ma- 
jority over lion. -Inhn Pool. His administra- 
tion fell u[ion troubled times. The civil war 
was inaiiguiate(l,and he,as Governoi', was called 
upon by the President to furni.sb troojis t(^ 
carry it on. This he promptly refused. 

On 15th of April, 1861, the President issued 
his |iroclamatio!i for seventy five thousand men 
"inordoi-to siqipress combinations opposed to 
thego. crnineMt and to cause the law to lie duly 
execiiiedjto suppi'ess wrongs already committed 
to re[)o.ssess the foils, places and property which 
have been seized from the Union; orders more 
particularly to Ite'sent thn.mgh t!ie WarDept." 

To t'lis ({o.criior Ellis, replied on the same 
date:' Your (lcspat(h is received and if genuine, 
whi'li its extra.ordin.ary character leads me to 
dt'ubr, I have to say in reply that I regard 
the levy of troops made b}' the administration 



a usui'pation of power. I can be no party to 
this wicked violation of the laws of tlie coun- 
try, and to this war upon tlie liberties of a 
free peo[)le. You can get no troops from North 
Carolina. 

"I will reply more in detail when your call 
is received by mail." 

The health of Governor Ellis, never robust, 
under the pressure of these fearful events so 
rapidly accumulating, completely gave way, 
and he died July 1861, at the White Sidjihur 
Springs, amid the regret of his friends and to 
the great loss of the State. 

(tov. Ellis had been twice married, first to a 
daugliter of Col. Philo White, in 1843; and 
second to Miss Daves of New Berne. 

Nathaniel Boyden (born 1795, died 1873,)was 
long a resident and a representative of Rowan. 
He was a native of Massachusetts, educated at 
the Williams College and graduated in 1821, 
and at Union College, Schenectady ,N'ew Y^ork. 
He came the next year to North Carolina, and 
took up his abode in Guilford Comity. He had 
studied law before he came south, and ob- 
tained his license in this State to practice in 
1823 and removed to Stokes County near Ger- 
mantown where he resided till 1832, teaching 
school, when he removed to Surry Countv, 
whicli he represented in 1838 and 1840. In 
1842 he removed to SalislMuy where he resided 
until his death. He represented Rowan in the 
Senate 1844, and in 1847 was elected a mem- 
ber of the 30th Congress. In 1865 he was a 
member of the State Convention. In 1868 he 
was elected to the 40th Congress, and in 1871 
one of the Associate Justices of the Supremo 
Coui't of the State, this elevated position he 
held until his death, which occurred at Salis- 
bury on Nov. oth, 1873. 

Judge Boyden was possessed of a st ong and 
well balanced mind, highly cultivated and ot 
an oxtraor<linary memory. Ilis professional ca- 



liOWAN COUNTY. 



407 



reoi' was markeil liy untiriiiLC iii<liistry, recti- 
tude of depdi-tiueut and scru[)ulona fidelity to 
his oliciits, witli stroiiiT moral couraii'e that was 
ready for the diseharae of any duty devolv- 
inic up;)u him, and a thorough knowlcdi^e id' 
Ins profession. These ■ ssential elenient.s ciowned 
liis life with snecoss. During liis residence in 
Stokes he married liutli, dauiJ-hter of IIu.i;h 
Martin Esq., by wh^ni he had several ehild- 
ren, aiid iu Dec. lS-t5 he niirried Jane, relict 
<d" Dr .Mitchell, and the daughter of the late 
Archibald Ilendersnn of Salisbury, whose char- 
acter and lit'e has bemi already sketched. (See 
page LSI.) 

Burton Craige (born ISil, dieii 1875,) was 
a native of Rowan County, the sou of David 
Craige. He was educated by Kev. .Jonathan 
Otis Freeman, and at the University, where 
he graduated in 1829. He studied law, and 
in 1832 entered the Legislature as a member 
trom the Borough of Salisbury, and also in 1834 > 
he was elected to the 33th, 34th, SSth and 
3(5th Congresses (1853 to '60.) He was a mem- 
ber of the State Convention of the 20th of 
May 1861, and introduced the ordinance of Se- 
cession, which passed unanimously. He was 
a member of the Confederate Congress, and a 
heart}' .sympathizer in the Southern cause. 

.Members of Ci)nfederate Congress: 

1801. George Davis, William T. l)ortch,(Sen- 
iite.) Wra.N.H.Smith,Thomas KnUin of Wayne, 
T. D. McDowell, A. W. Venable, John M. 
Morehead, R. C Puryear, Burton Ciaige, A 
T. Davidson. 

1864. Wm. A.Graham, Wni. T. Dortcli, (Sen- 
ate.) Wm. N. H. Smith, R. R. Bridgers,Thos. 
C. Fuller, James .M. Leach, J. T. Leach, of 
Johnston, Josiah Tinnier, John A. Gilmer, Jas. 
G. Ramsey, Burgess S. Gaither and Geo. \V. 
Logan. 

Mr. Craige was a man of warm feelings, and 
generous impulses, of high sense of honor, and 



at tinies rash, impulsive and impetuous. He 
died at Concord^ Cabarrus County, on Dec. 
30th, 1875. 

Mr. Craige married Fli/.abet h, daughter of 
Col. .faines Krwiii of Uurkc '"ounty. by whrtni 
hf hud several children; among them Kerr 
('raige, who represented Rowan iu 1.S72, and 
is now a i)racticing lawyer in Salisbury. 

Hamilton C. Jones, (born 17118,) ri>sidcd for 
miuiy years and died in this County lie was a 
native of Greenville, Va.; libei'ally educated. 
He graduated at the (Iniversity of N(n-tb Car- 
olina m the same class in ISIS, with Bi-sliop 
Green, Roliert Donaldson, Robert II. .Morri- 
son, Wm. D. Mosely, James K. Polk, Hugh 
Waddell, and others. He read law with 
Judge Gaston at New Berne, and after being 
admitted to the bar, settled at Salisbury, where 
he practiced with success. He entereil [lub- 
lic life as a membci- i'r.i-.n IJowan in 1827, and 
was re-elected in 18-JS, and iu 1838 and 1840, 
In the latter year he wa,s elected Solicitor of 
this Judicial District, and re-elected in 1844, 
He was a faithfuland active otlicer. From his 
pen originated the annisiug articles on Cousin 
Sally Dillard, and otiier proijuetions. He was 
considered a genial companion, full of wit. 
All his efforts in the Legislature weve enlight- 
ened by his e.Kquisite genius and biunor. 

Francis E. Shober reside-; in Salisltury, but 
is a native of Salem, where he was born, .March 
15, 1S31. He was educated at a .Moravian 
sjttlement, and at the University where he 
gi'aduated in 1851, in the same class with Da- 
vid Miller Carter, Bartholomew Fuller, Benj. 
S. Hedrick, Rufus L. Patterson, and others. 
He studied law, and w is licensed in 1853. 
Wiien the dark days of ISiJl came, Mr. Shober 
opposed sece.ssion, and in 18;i2 was elected tj 
tlui Legislature as a C.niservative a^d re- 
elected in 1864. He was elected a nie:ubcr of 



408 WIIEELE Irs KKMIXTSCKXCKS. 

Congress (lSij;)-71,) und re-elected to the and his piety, as his Icvvely tiaughtcr I's for ?ier 

next Congi'ess. winning, manners and her vh-tues. 

At the opening of 4(3th Congress, he was This, fanulj is well known in North ("arolina, 

elected Acting Secretary of Senate, wljiclt p<^ distin-guisli.-d for talent, industry and integrity, 

sition he now holds. Gotleih, (in Legislature 1S06,-'08,) estah- 

Mr Shober married May Wheat, daughter lished at Salem the iirst i)aper manufactory in 

of Rev. Dr. Wheat, who is as distinguished in North Carolina; and Emanuel, who often re[ire- 

literary and religious society, for his learning- sented Stokes County from 1819 to 18i8. 



CHAPTER XLVII. 
RUTHERFORD COUNTY. 

John I'axton. resided for H long {ime'in this ill-fated l.attleof Monoilgehala, (July 9, _755.) 

Coimtv. lie was a native of Virgini;»,an(t re- lie afterward removed to Lincoln, (then Tryon 

m n-ed to this State, and settled at Morganton. C(vnuty,)and settled on Seipe's Creek,ahout ten 

Here he became a merchant, but was not sue- niileseafst of Lincoln. About this time,the Cher- 

cessful and failed. He was a candi.late for okee Indians committed many outrages. He 

Congress in 1817, and defeated by Hon. Felix joined the army under Col. Grant and marched 

Walker. He studied law late in life, in this against the Cherokees. A battle was fought 

he was more fortunate; and in 181S he was in the fall of 1762, in which Grant was repulsed 

elected by the Legislature, one of the Judges by the Indians. On his return he settled on 

of the Superior Couits, and was not excelled Crowder creek, about four miles from King's 

for integrity, patience and ability He died Mountain. He was a decided friend of Amer- 

whilst returning froni the Edenton Circuit in ican independence, and became a mend.er 

182i:;, at Judge Hall's house in Warren County. of the first convention at Ilillsboro, in July 

1775, and a member of the Provincial Congress 

Felix Walker, born 1753, died 1828, resided 1^,1,1 ,^^ ^]^,^^ pi^ce, Aug. 20th, 1775. All his 

a long time in this County, and was its repre- ^.pnwn g^ns were active in the war. In Aug- 

sentative in the Legislature and of this Dis- ^,^,- 177,-, Jie was the tiist to sign a document, 

trict in Congress. He was a native or Virginia, ,^vbich was sigiied by every freeholder in Tryon 

b irn in Hampshire County, on the 19th ot Qounty, agre .ang to unite in defense of na- 

Julv, 175o, and was reared to mercantde [lur tional freedom.* 

suits. His grandfather, John Walker, emi- |[y ^ll^,^\ ju i7()(5_ Hg j,.,,! eight sons and 

grated froai Deny, Ireland, in 1720, and set- ,10 daughters. The elde.st of these sons is the 

tied in Delaware, where he married and where sni,ject of tliis sketch, (who was born, as already 

hi> s .a. J )hn, was b )rii, on arriving at the age ...jt^ted in Hampshire County, Virginia, on July 

of ina;;ho id, his father went to Virginia, where 

, . 1 1 • 1 1 i- ,. 1 ,,,^ f;,,w, TT,, ■» This (liiLMiiii:iat was fouiiil aiuoas tlic papers ot 

he married and resided tor a long time, lie ' 

Ciiii. William Grah. I'll ot iiillicrloriltiiii. It wa,-; 110- 

was a volunteer in the Regiment, commanded ^.^.^.^^ .^^ ,^,,_,,^, ,,^.^..,,,..1., and.'oi.ir.I in Wherba's lli.s- 

by George Washington and was pre.ssnt at the t,>i'y of Xoitu Jamliiia. p. 11. 2:31;, 



lIUTIlKIiFOKD COrXTY. 



409 



19th, l7-')3.) ile was li uiml as an a|_i[)rentice 
for four yeui's, to a incM\'liaiit. in Oharlostoii, 
((Ta,)i-;;e L'ar'cer.) .Vftoi- lial'ij; ro'nwl fr.)'u 
fliis service, he wis placeil with Dr. .Iii.se;ih 
Oobson, where he roeeived all the education 
ho ever possossol. He went in IToo withOol- 
onel Rif'iard Henderson, to Koiitui'ky, (then 
called Louisa.) (A)h>nol llendors )n had made 
;i juirchase in that section, from the CluMMki'c 
Indians, at Lona; Island ou tlie ll:)lsti)n, they 
united their f)rces with Daniel 15 > )'ic, wli> 
was tlieir pilot to "the promised land." The 
company amounted to thii'ty persons. 



this time tlie Indians in Westoi'ii Carolina he- 
cainc very t rouhhisome, and hii returned li')nio 
as Captain of a Company of Lii^lit Drai^oonSjto 
protei't the frontier. He was stationed at Xol- 
lachiickey. The Indians were suhdued; he re- 
returned to Watau'j^a and resume 1 his duties 
as Clerk of the C )urt.. When Rutherford 
C ) luty was erected from Tryon, since become 
Li;i-)ln (ill I77:t,) he was a[ip )inted Clerk of 
the C)'U-t. He resided at Ci'ie Creek f)r 
miny ye.irs, attendeil to his firiu aul his du- 
ties as Clerk of tlie Court, which duties h" dis- 
chari^ed to the threat satisfaction of tlie eom- 



Among these were Captain William Twitty; muiiity and witli profit to himself. 

Samuel Cohurn, James Bridges, Thomas John- In 1792 he was elected a niemlter of the 

son, John Hart, William Hicks, James Peck, House of Commons from Rutherford County 

and Felix Walker were of this company, from to the Legislature, then sitting at N"ew Berne, 

Rutherford County. They were the first ex- and elected again in 1798 and LSOO, 1801,1802, 

plorers of this section, and were charmed 1803 and 1804, 

with the l)rilliant prospects before them. A In 1817 he was elected a member of the 

sad reverse however overtook them on tlieir 1.5th Congress, and was re-elected to the Kith 

way. On March 25th, 1775, before day, they and 17th Congresses. In his first election the 

were fired nj)on by Indians. Captain Twitty Hon. John Paxton was his opponent. He was 

was killed. Walker was severely w.)unded,and succeeded by Dr. Robert 13. Vance. His course 

the camp dispersed. Mr. Walker's life was fir in C ingress was calm and sedate rather than 

a time in extreme jeipardy. By the unreiuit- showy. A devoted friend of Greueral Jackson; 

ting attention of C)lonel Boone, he recovered, he defended his ctinduct of the war with the 

and in July returned to his farther's home in Seminoles. He was the author of the phrase that 

Rutherfordton. After remaining home some has become historical iu p;ilitics, "Talkin"- for 

months he went to the Watauga, a branch of Buncombe." 

the Holston, which heads in the mountains. He removed soon after leaN'in"" Con.>-ress to 

opposite Ashe County. The County of Wash- Clinton, .Mississippi, where he died in 1828. 

ington had just been formed and he was a[i- General Walker was twice married- first 

pointed by the people, clerk of the first court Susan, daughter of Colonel Charles Robinson, 

ever heard of in this section. He continued who died soon after her marriage- .second, 

in office for four years. The war of the Revo- Isabella, daughter of William Henry, of York 

lution then raging, his patroitic spirit caused District, South Carolina, by whom he had sev- 

him to go to Mecklenburg and Join the army, eral children. One of his grandsons (S. R. 

On recommendation of Colonel Thomas Polk Walker) now resides in New Orleans and with 

he was appointed Lieutenant in Captain Rich- whose aid, and the autobiography of Genera", 

ardson's Company, in Colonel Isaac lliiger's Walker, this sketch is chiefly compiled. 

Regiment. He marched to Charleston in May, Colonel Wm.Graham,born 1742,died 1835, was 

177fJ, and was stationed on James' Island. At long a resident of thissection of this State. He 



410 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



was born in Aa;j:;usta County ,Virj,-ini:i, in 1742, 
ftnd came to North Carolina previous to the Rev 
ohrtion. lie owned lands in Tryon County, lli^ 
patriotic principles were well known,and when 
the Revolution commenced, as Commanding- 
officer, he had the general snperintetidency of 
several Forts on the frontier of the State. 

He Wa.ss a member from Lincoln County, of 
the Provincial Congress which met at Halifax, 
on Nov. 12th 1776, which formed the State 
Constitution. He was in ciramand,in 1776, of 
the Regiment from Liiicjln and RutherfM-.l 
Counties, which marched under General Rutli- 
erford, against the Cherokee Indians. 

In the expedition of 1780, tiiat marched 
from Charlotte for the relief of Charleston, he 
commanded a Regin:ke;it from Lincoln County. 
On their arrival at Charleston they found the 
city SI completely invested, that they could 
afford no relief. The Regiment returned, and 
united with General Rutherford, in the attack 
upon the Tories, under the command of Col. 
Moore at Ramsour's Mill, Imt too late to ren- 
der aid, aa the Tories ha<I two hours before 
been defeated. 

In Sept. 1780, he marched with his Reg-, 
iment to join Colonels Canipbell, Sevier and 
Shelby, at King's Mountain, but on account of 
ill health did not participate in that glorious 

victory 

General Graham full of years and full of 
honors, died in April 1805. He married .Mrs. 
Susan Twitty, widow of Capt. Twitty, wlio 
had been killed by the Indians, when with 



Daniel Boone in Kentucky, (vsee' sketch of 
Felix Walker page 408.) 

John Gray Byaum, represented this County 
in tlie Senate of the State Legislature in 1840, 
18)0 and 1862, but was a native of Stokes 
County. Graduated at the University in 1833, 
he studied law with .ludge Gaston, and prac- 
ticed with niuch success. lie was bold, incis- 
iveand aggressive in hi-* ch.UMcter as a politi- 
cian and distinguisheii for his enterprise and 
ability. He remived from Rutherf trdton to- 
Wilmington where he died October 17th, 
18.57. 

He left a son and a widow, n:e McDowell, 
who at'terwards married Hon Richmond .M. 
Pearson. His brother, William Preston Bynum, 
was one of the Justices of the Supreme Court, 
and distiiiguiished for his integrity, firmness, 
and ability. Judge Bynum resided at Char- 
lotte, and married Eliza, the daughter of the 
late Bartlett Shipp, of Lincoln County. 

John Baxter, born March .5,1819, represented 
this County in the Legislature of North Caroli- 
na 1842,and of the County of Henderson in 1852 
and 1856, he now resides in Knoxville, Tennee- 
see. He read law with James E. Henry, of 
Spartinburg District, South Carolina, and 
was admitted to the bar in 1841. In 1852 he 
was elected Speaker of the House of Com- 
mons. He removed to Tennessee and contin- 
ued to practice his profession there. He is 
at present Judge of the 0. S. District Court, 
and resided at Knoxville, Tennessee. 




SAMPSON COUNTY. 



411 



SAMPSON COUNTY. 



Gabriol Holmes, born 1709, died 182!), was 
a mail distiuijnislied in the service of the State, 
a native of this County. lie resided at Clinton. 
His classical education was conducted by Rev. 
Dr. McCorkle, of Iredell County, and finished 
at Harvard University, he then read law with 
Chief-.Iustice Taylor, at Raleigh. He was a 
gentleman of polished manners, of a kindly dis- 
position and of great po[ ularity with the peo- 
ple. At an early period of his age (1793) he 
was elected a member of the Legislature and 
eontined by successive elections until 1813. 

In 1821 he was elected by the Legislature 
Governor of the State; and in 1825 he was 
elected a member of the 19th and re-elected to 
the 20th Congress (1827-'29). He died Sep- 
tember 26, 1829, and his grave-stone in tlie 
Congressional Cemeter}-, at "Washington, marks 
this event . 

General Theophilus Hunter Holmes was 
born in Sampson County in 1804, and was 
the son of Governor Gabriel Holmes, and 
was a grandson of Theophilus Hunter, of Wake. 
He married Miss Laura Wetmore, a niece of 
Hon. Geo. E. Badger, and sister of Mrs. P. A. 
Wiley, Mrs. Samuel J. Hinsdale, Rev. Dr. Geo. 
B. and Wm. R. Wetmore. He was a brother of 
Lucius Holmes, an eminent lawyer of Sampson 
County. He leaves a daughter and three sons. 
He graduated at West Point in the same class 
Avith Jeiterson Davis and. served with distinc- 
tion in the geminole war in Florida, and the 
Mexi. n war, in which he was breveted fo _ 



gallantry. He was for sometime Commander 
of Governor's Island in New York. Hei'e- 
signed early in 1801, and tendered his services 
to his native State, was appointed Brigadier- 
General by President Davis and rose to the 
rankof Major-General and Licutenant-General 
in the Confederate army. He served two 
years in the trans-Mississippi department, 
where he directed the movement of forty 
thou.sand soldiers. He was one of the few 
men in the Confederacy who declined promo- 
tion. While in Little Rock, Arkansas, without 
any solicitation, President Davis tendered him 
a commission as Lieutenant-General. He de- 
clined the promotion, and it was not until 
President Davis again pressed it on him that 
he accepted. He died in June 1880, after a 
lingering illness at his home in Cumberland 
Count}'. 

William Rufus King,l:iorn April 7, 1786, died 
April 17, 1853; an illustrious statesman, was a 
native of this County. His ancestors were from 
the north of Ireland, and among the earliest 
settlers on the James River in Virginia. Hi.s 
father, William King, was an intelligent and 
successful planter and a popular and useful citi- 
zen. He was a member of the State Conven- 
tion ot Virginia, which adojjted the Federal 
Constitution; removed to North Carolina and 
became a member of the Legislature from 
Sampson Count}-. His mother was of Hugue- 
not descent. Mr. King was sent to the Uni- 
versity of North Carolina when omy twelve 



412 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



years old. He entered the law-offiee of Win. 
Duffy, of Fayetteville, and came to the bar in 
1805. He was elected a member of the Legis- 
lature in 1806 and re-elected in 1808 and 1809, 
but on Ijeingjduringthe latter year ,eleeted Soli- 
citor of this Judicial Circuit, he resigned his seat 
in the Legislature. In August of the next year 
he was elected a mendier of the 12th Congress 
when only twenty- -four years old, but did not 
take bis seat until the fall of that year, at the 
1st Session of the 12th Congress, (1811 and 
'13.) 

The advent of Mr. King in Congress was at 
a period of unexample I excitement. The pow- 
ers of England and France seemed to rival each 
other by orders and decrees in their efforts to 
destroy American commerce. Every attempt 
that reason could suggest to have them repeal 
these unlawful acts were in vain. The nation 
demanded at the bands of Congress decided and 
vigorous action, even to the hazard of war 
Mr. King unhesitatingl}' arrayed himself on the 
side of the bold and patriotic spirits of the 
House, who were determined to repel aggres- 
sion l)j' force and maintain the rights and honor 
of the nation. 

The Berlin, Milan and Ramboulet decrees 
were repealed by Frani'c, and indemnity 
subsequently granted; but England persisted 
in carrying out her nefarious "Orders in Coun- 
cil." No alternative was left but an appeal to 
arms, the ultimu. raiio of nations. In June 1812, 
war with England was declared by the United 
States, Mr. King voting and advocating this 
measure. 

He was re-elected to the 13th Congress, 
(1813-15) and continued to support with all 
his influence every measure that would enable 
the government to prosecute the war to a suc- 
cessful termination. The war being closed in 
1816, Mr. King resigned his seat in Congress 
to take the position of Secretary of Legation, 
to Hon. William Finkncy, appointed Minister 



to Naples and Russia. Mr. King spent two 
years in Europe studying the institutions of the 
various governments and the condition of their 
people. On bis return home he moved (1818- 
'19) to Dallas, in the then Territory of Ala- 
bama, and was a member of the Convention 
which formed a Constitution for the State, and 
trom that State (with John W. Walker as a 
colleague) he was elected a Senator in Con- 
gress. Ho was c^ontinued in this exalted posi- 
tion by repeated elections till 1844, when he 
was appointed Minister to France; where he 
remained until the summer of 1846, when he 
returned. In 1848, on the resignation of Hon. 
Arthur P. Bagbv as Senator, who was appoint- 
ed Minister to Russia, .Mr. King was appointed 
by the Governor of Alabama his successor in 
the Senate, and in the next year he was elected 
for the full term, by the Legislature. 

In 1850, on the death of General Taylor, Mr. 
Fillmore succeeded him as President. By a 
unanimous vote of the Senate, Mr. King was 
elected to the Presidency of that illustrious 
body. 

In 1852 he was placed by the Democratic Con- 
vention on their ticket as Vice-President with 
General Pierce as President. But his long and 
successful career was now brought to a close. 
His failing health had compelled him to seek 
the mild climate of Cuba, and he there took 
the oath as Vice-President before the Ameri- 
can Consul. He returned to his home at Ca- 
hawba, Alabama, where he died on April 17, 
1853. 

Mr. King never married. His long political 
career was marked by acts of noble generosity 
and patriotism; no stain ever effected his char- 
acter. He was a fit type of the Chevaliers of 
old, who were " without fear and without re- 
proach." 

James Martin, senior, who resided in this 
County, was a native of New Jersey, and 



SAMPSON COUNTY 



413 



moved to North Carolina, May, 1774. lie was 
brother to Govei'iior AlexaiKlor Martin, (al- 
ready mentioned on pa^e 188.) ilia military 
career is best recoi'ded in his own statement on 
oatli, tiled in tlie I^easion Bureau of tiie Go%'- 
erijuient. 



1- 



Stath of NoUTI! C.vrolin.v, 
stokes County. 
On the 17tli day of October, AD. 1832, per- 
sonally appeared in open Court before the 
Judge of the Superior Court of Law for the 
County of Stokes in the State of North Caro- 
liiux, now sitting;, Jarnes .Martin, senior, aged 
ninety years in May last, who being tirst duly 
sworn according to law, doth, on his oath make 
the following declaration in order to obtain 
the benefit of the .\ctof Congre-s, pa.ssed Jan- 
uary 7th, 1832. That he entered into the ser- 
vice of the United States of America in the 
Kovdlutionari' wai, and served as herein sta- 
ted. 

In .May. 1774, I removed from the State of 
New Jersey to (Tuilfoi-d County on the Dan 
River, ami on the 22d day of April, 1774, 1 was 
appointed Colonel-C nnmandant of the Guil- 
ford liesciment of .Militia by Samuel Johnsoti, 
President in Congress, then .sitting, and after- 
wards made Governor of this State, and soon 
after there was an insurrection of the Scjtch 
Tories in the year 1775, in and ab;)ut Fayette- 
ville. I was ordered by my brother., Alexan- 
der .Martin, who was appointed Colonel of Sec- 
ond Regular Regiment to raise the Guilford 
.Militia and march theuito Fayette, as ordered 
bv Congress in order to suppress tlicui, when I 
accordingly went, and marche;l to Fayette 
where said C )lonel Alexander Martin was 
jdaced, having been made Colonel of the Sec- 
ond Regiment in the regular s avii-e of the 
United Srates, but previous to my liaving 
marched there the Scotch T'ories had embodied 
and had started to Wilmington, but were met 
liy an armed force of .\lilitiu commanded U}- 
Cijlonel Caswell, and a battle ensued at a place 
called Moore's Bridge, and he killed their 
Commander as he attempted to cross said 
bridge, and the rest took to tilght;and said Col- 
onel Martin and myt.elf took m ist of theirhead 
nieii and imprisoned them, and then I u-as or- 
dered home with my Ucgimcnt. The ti:,ic I 
spent in raising tbcm, until I returned lini,;c, 
was about two months as near as I can rt'col- 
lect, for I kept no written jom'nal. 



About the middle of Juiu', 177(i, soon after 
the above campaign, I Wiis called upon and 
commanded b}^ General Rutherford, of IJowan, 
to raise as many of the (Jnilford .Militia as I 
could muster, to march tiiem to join him at the 
Catawba River, and to march thenc{! to the 
Cherokee towns of the Indians in order to de- 
stroy them. Accordingly I marched with 
about 4000 Militiamen and joined the (leueral 
as he ordered. Lieutenant-Colonel John Pais- 
ley assisted mo to raise the men, and marched 
with us, and thence he marched to the Tur- 
key Cove at the foot of the Blue Ridge, and 
thence crossed over it to the Swanano to 
Pigeon River, thence to French Broad River, 
and thence to Teimessee River where we came 
to some of their towns, which we burnt, and 
cut down their corn; moving f rom on(! town as 
we destro^'ed it and luarclied to another. Our 
Comnii.ssary had about 3000 beeves and pack- 
horses loaded with sacks of ftour, and where 
we encamped one night the beeves and pack- 
horses destroyed the whole of it to the veiy 
stuiups, and destroyed the grass to the hare 
ground. 

General Rutherford took the pick of the 
better half of the army and went to the '-Over 
Hills," as they were called, and left me with 
the remainder of the troops to guard the pro- 
visions until ho came back. lie was gone 
ah )ut two or three weeks before lie returned, 
but had 111 skirmishes with the Indians, and I 
beliex'e saw none, and destroyed some of their 
towns as he rep:>rted; and while be was gone 
to the Southern Army of the Militia on the 
same intention, we had marched through our 
camp and fell into an ambuscade the Indians 
had made ab )ut a mile and a half from my 
camp and had a smart skirmish with them. I 
heard their guns tiring very i)lain, and the 
Commander sent to me for assistance, and in 
the mean time I sent a Colonel Cleveland with 
about loO men for his assistance, but before 
Cleveland got to tlieni they had routed the In- 
dians and killed about ten or twelve of them, 
and they lost about as many of their .Militia 
men. 

I had sent out scouts every day to recon 
iioitre the country but never haiipened to fa'i 
into their ambuscades; and after having do 
stroyed all their towns and corn we marchc I 
for home by orders from our (General. A i'nw 
of the rndia.s had skulked about our camp, 
and a few of our men, when they caught ilicm 
out single, they killed, but had lio battle with 
them. And from the time I received the or- 



414 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENSES. 



ders to raise tlie Militin, until we returned 
home, (the orders to raise the Militia eanie to 
me aliout the middle of June, 1776, and we did 
not return until about the last of Oetolior or 
first of November, 177(),) being about four 
months in service in all. 

After our return he had some little relaxa- 
tion, until an express was sent to me from our 
Court House, that Tories in the south end of 
the County, now called Randolph County, were 
in a state of insurrection with one William 
Fields, their head Colonel, and wished to go to 
the British at Wilmington. I repaired to the 
Court House directly and ordered out Samuel 
Gilaspie,our Captain of Light Horse Company 
and to(jk b'ields, tlieir leader and brother, and 
three or four more of their leaders, and brought 
them prisoners to the Court House, and our jail 
not being sutficieut I sent them to Hillsboro' 
jail, and previously I had ordered all their guns 
taken from them and all tliey could find among 
the disaffected and bring them to the Court 
House and give them (o the honest Wnig 
party that had none, and the time I spent at 
the Court House to order tlie suppression of 
the Toi'ies in our County could not be less 
than six weeks, ofi:' and on,and I returned home 
to Dan River where I then lived; this is from 
recollection, as I said before, for I kept no 
journal. 

In 1781, about the 1st of January or the last 
of December, 1780, 1 was ordered and com- 
manded by General Green to raise and call 
upon the Guilford Militia en masse, and to 
equip themselves as the law d.rects,and for me 
to come and join in his camp under the regular 
service and not to report without leave, but 
guns were wanting by a number of the men, 
and I had to have recourse to impress and l)or- 
row as many as I could get, and I could raise 
only al)out 200 to go with me to camp, and 
they hearing that the British were man-hing 
towards us in Guilford, it struck such a terror 
on them that some of that number deserted 
before the battle at Old .Martinsville; however 
I marched and joined General Green with what 
I had, and we retreated before the British un- 
til we came to Roanoke and crossed the river 
at Bo3'(rs Ferry and come to Halifax Court- 
House in Virginia and encamped two or throe 
weeks. The JBritish had followed us in sight of 
the river, and sometimes were facing our rear, 
but no skirmishes took place at that time and 
they returned again to Guilford County where 
they harrassed and plundered the inhabitants 
as they pleased; an 1 General Green, in ILxli- 



fa.x, had encamped more than three weeks, and 
re-crossed the Roanoke River and marched 
back in Caswell County and thence to part of 
Guilford, just mannjuvering about until he 
could collect all the Militia of the different 
counties of the State, and also from Virginia, 
to meet the enemy for battle. And I came 
a.nd marched with General Greene to the High 
Rock Ford on the Dan River and camped 
there on the east side of it, and the British 
manoeuvering on the west side of the County, 
and General Greene after halting there about 
three weeks thought he had collected all the 
forces from Virginia and lower counties of the 
State resolved to move toward the British to 
give them battle, as he did. 

He came to Guilford's old Court-House 
where he made a halt, and hearing that the 
Briti.sh was moving towards him he drew up 
his men in three lines about 100 yards behind 
each other and waited the advance of the 
British. I was posted in the front line with 
scarce a C(nnplete Captain's company, com- 
manded by Captain Forbes, a brave, undaunted 
fellow. We were posted behind a fence and 
I told the men to set down until the British, 
who were advancing, came near enough to 
shoot; when they came in about 100 yards, a 
British ofiicer with a drawn sword, driving up 
his men. I asked Captain Forbes if he could 
take him down; he said he could for he had a 
good rifie, and asked me if he should shoot 
then; I told him to let him come in 50 yards 
and then take him down, which he did. It 
was a captain of the British army, and at that 
instant General Greene sent his aid-de-camp for 
me to go to him, and I went and asked him 
his command. He told me as he had begun 
battle, and I had not a complete regiment, he 
wished me to go with Major Hunter to the 
Court House in case of a defeat, to rally the 
men, which we did, and collected about -500, 
and was marching them to the battle ground 
when I met General Stephens, of the Virginia 
Corps, retreating. 1 asked him if the re- 
treat was by General Greene's oi'ders. He said 
it was. I then retreated with him and or- 
dered the men to repair to the Troublesome 
Iron Works to outfit as General Greene had or- 
dered me, which we obeyed The British then 
took possession at the Court-IIouse, and after 
a few days they moved off towards Wilming- 
ton. General Greene hearing of their move- 
ments, started after them, but our Militia of 
the country being so disheartened I could not 
bring any to join him again. This was in 1781; 



SAMPSON COITNTY. 



415 



the time I spent then from the time I re- 
ceived orders, was about two months. 

In 1778 or 177t>, I forijet which, a party of 
Tories commanded l)y one Bryan, their leader, 
on the Yadl<in River, rose in a Ixxly in Surry 
County, and started to join the Britisliat Wil- 
mington, and l)eing informed ot it by e\-[)ress, 
I ordered out Captain Gilaspie witli his Light 
Horse Company, anil I went witli tliem; I got 
on their track, pursued as far as Warry Creelc 
and found tliey had got out of our reach and 
returned back again. Tiie time we spent then 
until we returned home, was about six weeks, 
that is one month and fifteen days. 

We had then some relaxation until the year 
1781, of better than two months, when about 
the 1st of July I was ordered by General Ruth- 
erford, of Rowan, to raise part of my Kegi- 
meut. and to join him on his way to Wilming- 
ton to try to dislodge a British Major Craig 
stationed there. 1 raised about 200 Militia 
men and niarcbed and joined hiin at the Raft 
Swamp, and hearing a numlicr of Tories had 
taken refuge in it, General Rutherford took 
about one-half of the army and myself the 
other; he entered the north end of it, and I 
the south end. We made our way with much 
ditHculty through bogs and morasses, and some 
of the men and horsemen mired, (but got out 
again,) but found no Tories nor anyliody else, 
save several camps wbich we supposed had been 
made by them. Hence we proceeded towards 
Wilmington, but battled at a small stockade. 
Fort Roslea. about 20 miles from Wilmington 
of the southeast branch of the Cape Fear 
River,near Fred'k Jones,and near a bridge over 
it, and our army camped on the north side of 
it. While we contemplated to storm the said 
Fort we were saved the trouble and danger 
without fighting by their vacating, which 
we supposed was ordered by Maj. Craig, posted 
at Wilmington. At this time we heard of 
the captureof the British General Cornwallis, 
being taking l)y General Washington at York- 
town, near" the mouth of James river. We 
marched then to the town of Wilmington 
■which we found was vacated by the British 
Major Craig, and supposed it was by the order 
of his Britisli General — I think his name was 



Clinton, to leave the State and come to him, 
and we thought it very lucky by their vaca- 
ting the town we were released from the 
danger of fighting, so we were ordered home 
again. And the time we spent on this cam- 
paign was from about the 1st of July until we 
got home again, the 25th November, the same 
year, 1781, was about four months. The whole 
time I was in the service was sixteen months 
and eleven days; this from my best recollec- 
tion of memoiy, for I kept no written jour- 
nal. 

JAS. MARTIN. 

Sworn and suliscribed in open Court the 
year and dav aforesaid, this 17th day of Octo- 
ber, 1832. 

TIIOS. ARMSTRONG, 

CLrk 



This terminated his luilitary career. He rep- 
resented Stokes County in the Legislature in 
1791 and 1792. He left an interesting family; 
one of them was Judge James Martin, alreadv 
mentioned, page 400. 

John Martin, a native of Essex County, Vir- 
ginia, moved to North Carolina, in 1768. He 
was active in Revolutionary times, subduing 
the Tories, and making forays on them. In 
politics as in war, he was active, spirited, and 
successful. He represented Stokes County in 
the Legislatures of 1798, 1799, 1811 and 1812. 
He, like Yorick, was " a fellow of infinite jesr, 
of most excellent humor." He died in April, 
1822, and left many children to inherit his gen- 
ial wit and humor. The mother of General 
John Gray Bynum and of Judge W. Preston 
Bynum was his daughter. 

[Sketch of Joseph Winston will be found 
on page 168, that of Benjamin Forsythe on 
page 167. Both illustrious residents of this 
County.] 



=^;^;^iv 



416 



WHEELER'S EEMINISCENCES. 



SURRY COUNTY. 



In 1775 this was a frontier County and was 
considered to extend with the territorial limits 
of North Carolina to the Mississippi. Its earl} 
inhabitants were the devoted friends of Amer- 
ican liberty. In that year(l 775 )her heroic men 
formed a Committee of Safety; its journal has 
been preserved, as also are names worthy of 
record. Benjamin Cleveland was the Chair- 
man, William Lenoir its Secretary, Joseph 
Winston, Jessie Walton, John Hamlin, Sajm- 
uel Freeman, Benjamin llerndon, Charles 
Lynch, John Armstrong, James Thimpton, 
Richard Goode, George Lash, David .Martin, 
Charles Waddle and others, were Hb mend)ers. 
Their resolutions lireathe a determined resis- 
tance to oppression and formed a government 
simple and effective for the protection of the 
citizen. 

Benjamin Cleveland, the chairman of this 
committee, was one of the most active and 
resolute heroes of the Eevolution and worth- 
ily is his name preserved in one of the most 
beautiful counties of the State. He devoted 
himself to the cause of liberty. He was in 
the Provincial Congress wliichmet at Hillsboro', 
August 21,1775 and he was appointed an Ensign 
in the 2nd. Continental Regiment, raised by the 
State, commanded by Robert Howe. His luanie 
does not appear in the rolls of this regiment, 
which service was long and active,but we have 
abundant proof that Colonel Cleveland was an 
active, resolute and usefu. officer, and a terror 
to the Tories. On one occasion two men, 
(Janes and Coil), abandoned and atrocious 
characters, were brought before him. Cleve- 
land, after consulting some of the leading men 
of tlie community, hanged them. For this act 



he was indicted in the Superior Court of the 
district at Salisbury for murder, but on a pe- 
tition to the Legislature he was pardoned. 

Soon after this event he' was taken prisoner 
by some Tories at the Old Fields, on JSTewRiv- 
er, to which place he had gone alone on private 
business. They took him some distance into a 
secluded portion of the country, and first re- 
quired him to give them passes to protect them 
from the Whigs. He knew when this was ac- 
complished they would kill him. He was some 
time in writing the passes, as he was but an 
ordinary pensman, and he was in no particular 
hurry. While thus engaged, his brother, Cap- 
tain Robert Cleveland, with a party of men, 
knowing the peril ot his brother, pursued and 
fired upon them. They incontinently fleil; and 
so Colonel Cleveland's life was saved. Several 
months after this, one of these same Tories, 
Riddle, his son and another man, were captured 
and brought before Cleveland. He hanged all 
three of them at the Mulberry Field Meeting 
House, where the town of Wilkesboro' now 
stands. Such resolution and promptness was 
called for liy the dariug and desperate conduct 
of the Tories. 

He was, although daring and rash, a most 
useful officer. He commanded the left wing 
of the Americans at the battle of King's Moun- 
tain, October 7, 1780, and was engaged in the 
battle of Guilford Court House. 

When Wilkes County was taken from Surry 
(1777) he was one of the first members elected 
to the Legislature; and in 1779 was elected to 
the Senate. He had an impediment in his 
speech, which prevented' any efibrt at oratory; 
hut he was as brave as he was patriotic. For 



SUKllY COUNT V, 



417 



sometime he was the surveyor of Wilkes 
County. 

It is related of Col. Clevehmd that he owned 
a copy of a very remarkable book, entitled, 
" The Life and Adventures of Mr. Cromwell, 
the natural son of Oliver Cromwell," written 
by a man who was the son of a great beauty, 
named Elizabeth Cleveland, a daughter of an 
orlicer of the palace of Hampton Comt, who 
had attracted the attention of the King. 
Charles I, and who, when Oliver Cromwell 
assumed the reigns of government, won his 
sympathies; and the author of that book was 
their offspring. The mother subsequently' 
married a Mr. Bridge and disappeared from 
further notoriety. This book was published 
after tlie author's death in 17-31; a French 
translation appeared in 1741, and again it was 
printed in 1760. To this book Col. Benjamin 
Cleveland attached great store, asserting that 
through Its author he rightfully claimed de- 
scent from Oliver Cromwell. 

In his work on the Cromwell family. Noble 
denounces this book as too marvelous to be 
true, and whilst Noble, Guizot and others, who 
liave written of Cromwell, assert that he most 
probably had natural children, yet the e.\tra- 
ordinary adventures recited in that book make 
it appear to be a fictitious narrative 

A most singular vanity and quaint c<)nccit! 
We know that the Clevelands derive their 
name from a tract in the North Riding of 
Yorkshire, England, yet called Cleveland. 
John Cleveland came early to Virginia and 
settled in Prince William County, on that since 
celebrated stream. Bull Run. Here Benjamin 
was born. May 26, 1738; subsequently he re- 
moved to Orange County, Va., and there mar- 
ried Miss Mary Graves and in 1769 removed, 
with his father-in-law and family to North 
Carolina, settling on Roaring creek, in that 
part of Rowan afterwards Surry, and later 
Wilkes' County. In 177o (Sept. 1), he be- 



came an ensign in Co\. Robert Howe's regi- 
ment. He was in the Cross Creek expedition 
1775; in the Cherokee war under Gen. liuth- 
erford, 1776; at Brier Creek in 177<S-79. At 
Ramsour's .Mill, and chased Bryan's band from 
the State; he was also in the expedition to 
New River. The brightest laurels won by 
Cleveland were gathered on King's .Mountain. 
Ilayne 8[)eaks of him tlius — 

Now by God's grace, wo have thorn," cried Cleveland, 

my noble colonel he, 
Resting to pick a Tory off, quite cooly, on his Icnee; 
" Now by God's grace, we have them, the snare is subtly 

.set, 
The game is baggetl: wo hold them safe as pheasants in 

a net." 

He was ever a source of terror to the Tory; 
his subsequent career was a terrible ordeal and 
his. adventures were most thrilling. 

But they were incidents of the time. "Cleve- 
land's Heroes" or "Cleveland's Bull Dogs," 
welcome names to the patriots, became "Cleve- 
lani's Devils" to the Tories.* 

William Lenoir, born 1751, died 1839; the 
Secretary of the Committee of Safety for Surr^' 
County, just alluded to; was born in Bruns- 
wick County. Virginia, on April 20, 1751, the 
youngest of a family on ten children. When 
he was only eight years old, his father moved 
to Tari)oro' North Carolina. His education was- 
limited, and was obtained by his own personal 
exertions. When about twenty years of age he 
married Ann Ballard, of Halifax, and in March, 
1775, moved to the County of Surry(since erec- 
ted into Wilkes County) and settled near Wil- 
kesboro'. He was early an active and decided 
iigent favoring the cause of independence. In 
a private diary of his, of which I have a copy 
in manuscript, he says: " I was a member of 
the Committee for Suriy County, and clerk 
thereof for about eighteen months, and duly- 
attended its regular meetings at a distance of 

*Draper's King's Jlouutain. 



418 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENSES. 



fifty miles from home, without reward or fee. The Williams family is one of the moi^t ex- 
I was appointed Justice hy the Congres-i and tensive as well as most talented families of om- 
was one of the iirst appointed hy the General State. Its branches have extended to the West 



Assembly, and under which I still act." 

He served in the Indian war as a Lieutenant 
under General Uutherforl, in Captain Cleve- 
land's C<impany, where he suffered great hard- 
ships. After this campaign was over, he was 
constantly engaged in subduing the Tories, who 
were daring and dangerous. In the battle of 
King's Mountain he was a Captain in Colonel 
Cleveland's Regiment, and in this desperate 
and bloody victory was wounded in the arm 
and side He was also at the defeat of Pyles, 
near Haw River, and in the engagement his 
horse was killed under him. He raised a com- 
pany and endeavored to unite with General 
Greene at the battle of Guilford, but did not 
succeed. After tbe warhe returned home, and 
was an active and useful citizen. He was the 
oldest magistrate in the County; a Trustee of 
the University; member of the Senate from 
1781 to 1795, and for years Speaker of the Sen- 
ate. He was a member of the Convention that 
sat at Hillsboro' to consider the Constitution 
of the United States, and took an active part 
in its discussion. 

The latter part of his life was devoted to 
reading and retirement, and he manifested 
mucli anxiety for the destiny of our Republic, 
that at a day, in the near future, from abuse 



and the Southwest ; and wherever they are they 
have marked their career b}' enterprise and in- 
tellect. 

The annexed diagram will explain more fully 
and the descriptive statement will enal)le us to 
know all about the Williams family. 

The progenitor of this family was Nathaniel 
Williams, a native of ILmover County, Vir- 
ginia. He had four sons and one daughter: I, 
Robert; II, Betsy; III, John; IV, Nathaniel, 
and V, Joseph. I, Robert settled in Pittsyl- 
vania County, Virginia; a lawyer; marrie<l 
Sarah Lanier; issue: (a) Nathaniel, Judge of 
Superior Courts in Tennessee; (b) Polly, wife 
of Matthew Clay, member of Congress 1797- 
1813; (c) Lucy, wife of Robert Call; (d) Patsy, 
wife of John Henry; (e) Sarah, wife of James 
Chalmers, (they lived in Halifax, Virginia, the 
grand-parents of Gen'l Jas. R. Chalmers, mem- 
ber of Congress from Mississippi;) (f)Elizabeth, 
wife of Rev. John Kerr, member of Congress, 
father of John Kerr, also a member of Congress 
1853-185.5, and of Mary Mary G. Kerr, wife of 
Nicholas L. White, (see V. j. below,) and of 
Martha, wife of Dr. Frank Martin; (g) Frances, 
wife of Thomas D. Connally, of Tennessee ; to 
them was jjorn Rev. John Kerr Connally, (who 
married Alice C.,a daughter of James Thomas, 



and corruption, and the wild theories of politi- of Richmond, Va.,) Mary E,, wife of James 

cians it would follow tbe fate of the republics Turner Morehead, son of Governor J. M. More- 

of other days, and so utterly fail. head, and Fannie, married to C. W. Gnerrant, 

His character was one of great moral worthy of Rockingham, N. C; (g) Frances, wife.of 

and [lure patriotism ;his friendships were sincere Gen. Barcilia Graves, 

and ardent; his hospitality, open and unbound- 11, Cetsy, married to Hicks; III, John mar- 



ed. Full of years and full of honors he de- 
part eil this life May ti, 1839, at his home. Fort 
Defiance, Wilkes County. He married, as al- 
ready stated, Ann Ballard, of Halifax The 
County of Lenoir worthily preserves his name 
in grateful menioiy. 



ried Williain.son, settled in North Carolina; is- 
sue: (a) ('hristopher II., member of Congress 
from Tennessee 1837-1843 and 1849-1853; (b) . 
Eliazlieth, married to General Azeriah Graves, 
grand-parents of Judge Thomas Settle. IV, 
Nathaniel, married and had issue: (a) Robert, 



SURRY COUNTY. 



419 



appoiiitod Governor of Mississi[)i)i by Fresiclcnt 
Jeiferson; (I)) Nathaniel, and (c) Elizabeth, 
married to J5aldwin, of Louisiana. Jo.seph, llio 
fourth and youngest son of Nathaniel Williams, 
of Hanover, Virginia, when he came to North 
Carolina was employed to aid his cousin Joseph 
in mercantile pnrsuits. He was in the Revolu- 
tionary War, and attained the rank of major ; 
was engaged in several severe skirmishes with 
the Tories, who were desperate and daring in 
this section, and to whom Major Williaius was 
especially obnoxious. He made many narrow 
escapes. He raised ten children — eiglit sons 
and two daughters. He was elected Clerk of 
the Court in Surry County, and continued in 
that position until his death in 1828. He mar- 
ried Rebecca Lanier, of Granville. Issue: (a) 
Robert, who, Lanman says, was born in Cas- 
well County ; he was highly endowed by na- 
ture and of a cultivated mind; the friend of 
education and of every improvement in thewel- 
fiire of the State. He was the indefatigable 
Treasurer of the University, and for years one 
of its most earnest and faithful trustees; dur- 
ing the war he resided in Raleigh, and became 
the Adjutant-General of the State, and to this 
day the records of that office, as kept by him^ 
are models of accuracy and neatness ; the only 
perfect copy of all the acts of the General As- 
sembly from 1776 were collected through his 
labor and industry ; he was a Representative in 
Congress from 171)7 to 1803, and iu 1805 was 
appointed Commissioner of Land Titles in Mis- 
sissi[)[)i Territory, and there served for four 
years ; he then removed to Tennessee o.nd 
thence to Louisiana, where he died ; he was a 
lawyer' by prolession ; married Rebecca Smith, 
of Granville, (b) Joseph, Clerk of Surry Supe- 
rior Court ; married Susan Taylor ; issue : (I) 
Susan, wife of James R. Dodge, (see page 393,) 
to them were born (1st) Richard Irwin Dodge, 
Col. U. S. A.; (■2d) Annie, wife of Chalmers L. 
Glenn, of Rockingham ; (3d) Mary H. Dodge, 
of Winston, Forsythe County, N. C. Col. 
Richard Irwin Dodge has one son, Frederick P. 
Dodge, of New York City; Mrs. Chalmers L. 
Glenn has three eliildren : James D., of Rock- 



ingham, in Legislature of 1881-83; Robert 13., 
an attorney in Stokes County, in Legislature of 
1881-83 ; and Edward T. B., of C. F. and Y. V. 
R. R. 

To Joseph and Susan Taylor Williams were 
also born (II) Rebecca, wife of Frank Dedrick, 
and (III) Midshipman John T. Williams, of 
Warrenton. 

(c) John, the tliird son of Josei)li Williams, 
moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he com- 
menced the practice of the law and was very 
successful. During the Seminole War he 
raised a troop of volunteers, composed of intel- 
ligent and high-toned gentlemen ; among them 
were Hugh L. Wliite, Thomas L. Williams, 
and others. After a victorious campaign he 
returned home, where he found a commission 
appointing him colonel of the 39th Regiment 
of Infantry, U. S. A. He was ordered to the 
Creek Nation, and iu the engagement of Tolio- 
peka, or the Horse-Shoe, his regiment bore the 
brunt of the battle. The report of General 
Jackson on this sanguinary conflict did not, in 
the opinion of Colonel Williams, do justice to 
his regiment, and hence the long enmity be- 
tween them. From 1815 to 1823 he was a 
Senator in Congress, highly respected for his 
integrity and ability. In 1825 he was ap- 
pointed by Mr. Adams, Envoy to the Central 
American States. He married Melinda, daugh- 
ter of General James White and sister of Judge 
Hugh L. White, the candidate against Martin 
Van Buren for the Presidency of the United 
States. He was the father of Joseph' L. Wil- 
liams, member of Congress from 1839 to 1843; 
of Colonel John Williams, of Knoxville, and of 
Margaret, first wife of Chief Justice Pearson, of 
Nortli Carolina. He died at Knoxville, Au- 
gust 7, 1837. 

(d) William, a successful merchant and 
farmer, lived at Strawberry Plains, East Ten- 
nessee. He married Sarah, daugliter of Colo- 
nel King, of Virginia; issue: Sarah, married 
to Rev. Thomas Stringfield. 

(e) Lewis, who lived and died iu political 
strife. He was born about 1782, educated at 
the University, wliere he graduated in 1808. 



420 



WIIEELER'.S REMINISCENCES. 



He entered political life as a lueniber of the 
House of Commons in 1813, and was re-elected 
in 1814. He became a Representative in Con- 
gress in 1815, and continued a member as long 
as he lived. Whilst attending Congress he 
died on February 23, 1842. Greatly esteemed 
for his sterling independence and his integrity, 
his abilities were such tliat by common consent 
lie was styled "the Father of the House." 
Mr. Adams' oration on the occasion of his deatli 
was a beautiful tribute to liis worth, as was also 
the brilliant efl'ort of Mr. Rayner. He never 
married. 

(f) The twin-brother of Hon. Lewis Williams 
was Thomas L. W^illiams, long the Cliancellor 
of Tennessee; he married Folly McClung, a 
niece of Judge Hugh L. White. The following 
are their issue: (1st) Rebecca, wife of tlie son of 
Gov. Shelby, of Kentucky ; (2d) Melinda, wile 
of Ciiief Justice Naptou, of Missouri ; (3d) 
Margaret,, wife of Hon. Jolin G. Miller, Slem- 
ber of Ccmgress from Missouri, and atterward 
of H. W. Douglas, of Nashville, Tennessee, 
and (4tli) of Mrs. Dr. J. Walker Percy, of 
Huntsville, Alabama. 

(g) Rebecca, married Colonel John H. Wim- 
bish, of Virginia; issue: Rebecca, wife of Dr. 
Pleasant Henderson, and afterward of Hon. 

'CJloger Q. Mills, Member of Congress from 
ie.xias. 

(h) Dr. Alexander, who marrie<l Catherine 
Dixon, only daughter of Colonel William Dix- 
on, first Postmaster (1782) of Greenville. 

(i) Fannie, married Colonel John P. Erwin, 
of Nashville, Tennessee. 

(j) Nicholas Lanier, the last and youngest 
son of Joseph Williams, is now in his 70th 
year ; resides at Panther Creek, enjoying a 
green old age, and preserving the respect and 
regard of all who know him. He was a mem- 
ber of the Council of State and also a Trustee 
of the University. He married Mary G. Kerr ; 
issue: (1st) Bettie, wife of John A. Lillington ; 
(2d) Joseph, a Trustee of University, 1875, 
married M. Lou, daughter of Tyre Glenn, of 
Yadkin County ; issue: Glenn and Mary ; (3d) 
Lewis, who lives in the old homestead in Yad- 
kin; married Sarah A., daughter of Colonel 
Wm. G. Smith, of Anson County ; issue: Mary 
G., Eliza Helms, William Smith, Lena Pearl, 
and Lanier Williams. 

Jesse Franklin, born 1760, died 1824, the 
son of Bernard and Mary Franklin, the third of 
seven sons, was born in Orange County, Vir- 
ginia, March 24, 1760. His education was lim- 
ited. His father removed to Surry County just 



])revious to the commencement of the war. 
Tlie Tories were so troublesome, ])hHidering the 
Whig families of everything valuable, tliat a 
Ibrt was built near Wilkesboro', in which they 
secured themselves and families when actively en- 
gaged away from home. Troops were raised to 
suppress these outrages, when Jesse joined Colo- 
nel Cleveland, his maternal uncle, to disperse 
them. Of Colonel Cleveland as a partisan 
leader and his severity toward the Tories w(! 
have already written. Franklin was in tlie 
battle of King's Mountain as Adjutant of Colo- 
nel Cleveland's battalion, and displayed great 
courage. When the enemy was conquered, tlie 
commanding officer, after the fall of Ferguson, 
delivered the sword of that soldiei- to Franklin, 
saying, "You deserve it, sir!" This was pre- 
served for a long time in the ilimily as an heir- 
loom. He was also at the battle of Guilford 
Court House. He performed some further un- 
important military services, in partisan warfare 
against tlie Tories, who formed a large part of 
the population in this section. After the war 
most of these Tories left this part of the State. 

After discharging a .soldier's duty in the 
field, Mr. Franklin then became useful as a 
representative of the peojile. He entered the 
House of Commons as a member from Surry in 
1793, re-elected 1794, and in 1795 he became a 
Member of the 4th Congress. In 1797 he was 
again elected to tlie Legislature, and in 1799 he 
was elected a Senator in Congress, and served 
until 1805. In 1804 he was chosen President 
of tlie Senate. It is worthy hei'e to remark 
that at this date the President of the Senate 
and the Speaker of the House (Nathaniel Ma- 
con) were both of the delegation iVom Noi'th 
Carolina. Proud days for the old North State! 

In 1805 and 180G he was elected Senator of 
the State Legislature; and in 1807 he was 
again returned to the Senate of tlie United 
States, and there served until March 4, 1813. 
Governor James Turner, of Warren, was his 
colleague in the Senate. His course in this 
highest legislative body of the world was 
marked by profound sagacity and elevated pa- 
triotism. The high appreciation of his abilities 
and his integrity is shown by his election as 
President of the Senate and his appointment as 
leading member on the most resjionsible com- 
mittees. He was placed on the committee on 
the celebrated ordinance of 1787 ; also on the 
case of Smith, of Ohio, implicated in the trea- 
son of Burr, and in other important positions. 

He was a warm advocate "of Mr. Madison and 
of his war measures ; and as violently opposed 



TYRRELL COUNTY. 



421 



to all monopolies and banks. At tlie close of 
his term he 'declined a re-election, hopinj^ to 
S[)end the balance of iiis days in repose and re- 
tii-ement; but he accepted the appointnii.'iit, at 
tlie special request of General Jackson, of com- 
missioner to treat with the Cliickasaw Indians 
on tlie Bluff', where Memphis now stands. 

In 1820 he was elected by the Legislature to 
succeed (irovernor John Branch ; and, after this 
duty, he retired from tlie (oils and excitements 
of public life ; and in 1824 his long, eventful 
and useful career was terminated. He was dig- 
nified and commanding in person, clear and de- 
ci<led in his opinions, and displayed great sa- 
gacity and common sense in all his actions. 

Meshach Franklin, the brother of Ciovernor 



Jesse Franklin, was distinguished as a states- 
man and politician in Surry County. He en- 
tered public life as a member of tlie House of 
Commcitis in 1800, and was elected a I^leniber of 
tiie 10th Congress (1807) and served till 1815 ; 
afterward became a member of the State Senate 
in 1828-29. He died in December, 1841. 

Jesse Franklin Graves, one of the Judges of 
the Superior Court, a native of Surry County, is 
the grandson of Governor Fi'anklin, whose 
sketch we have just given. He was Ixun Au- 
gust ;n, 1829. He read law under Judge Pear- 
son, and was a member of Governor Ellis' coun- 
cil. He served in the Legislature in 1870-77, 
but has wisely preferred the quiet practice of 
the law to the varying fortunes of politics. 



CHAPTER XL VIII. 



TYRRELL COUNTY. 



Mention has been made of Colonel Edward 
Buncombe. Josepii Buncombe, the uncle of Col- 
onel Edward Buncombe, the namesake of Bun- 
combe County, came from the Island of St. 
Kitts, West Indies, (where there were several 
of the same name, John among the number,) 
and purchased from the Moseleys the farm now 
knoy.n as " Buncombe Hall," in that part of 
Tyrrell which is now Washington County, North 
Carolina. One of the Moseleys was Secretary 
of State for a long time, and as all entries of 
land were made in his office, he was aware of the 
location of all the unentered lands in the State, 
and wa.s thus enabled to make large entries for 
himself. At wliat dale Joseph Buncombe came 
over to this country cannot be go.thered from the 
records or the memorj' of the oldest inhabitant. 
He resided for several years at Buncombe Hall, 
and the cellar of his house is still visible not far 
I'rom the creek, in close proximity to an Indian 
fort, Tin the margin of the swamp ; of him, at 
this day, little seems to be known. He returned 
to the West Indies on a visit, where he died, 
and devised Buncombe Hall to his nephew, Col- 
onel Edward Buncombe. 

On the death of Joseph Buncombe, Dr. Lenox 
and Robert West, of Bertie, went to the West 
Indies for the purpose of making a speculation 
out of Colonel Buncombe, and offered to pur- 



chase his estate in Carolina. His wife, Eliza, 
advised against a sale, and remarked that the 
land must be valuable, or those gentlemen would 
not have come so far to purchase, and prevailed 
upon him to go and see it first himself, which he 
did in 1765, or thereabouts. On viewing the 
land, he was pleased with it, and returned to 
St. Kitts in 17f>fi for the juirpose of moving his 
family to Carolina. On his return he found a 
new accession to his family in the person of 
Eliza Taylor Buncombe. When this child was 
twelvemonths old theColonel I'emoved his fiiniily 
to Buncombe Hall — he then being twenty-four 
years of age. Between his first and second visits, 
the "old Hall," with fifty-five rooms in it, was 
built for him by Colonel Lee. He brought with 
him a chaplain, a physician, two or three ladies, 
friends of Mrs. Buncombe, a shepherd for his 
sheep, a flock of two hundred, a hind for his 
cattle, and upward of two hundred negroes, 
thinking to cultivate sugar. The maiden name 
of Mrs. Buncombe was Eliza Taylor. At the 
age of six j'ears the little girl, Eliza Buncombe, 
was sent to New York to boarding school, and 
boarded with the foniily of Mr. A brain Lott, at 
that time Treasurer of the State, and a consignee 
ol' Colonel Buncombe, and a ver}' wealthy man. 
With thi.s fjimily she remained for ten years. 
The other children, Hester and Thomas, were 



422 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



placed under the tutelage and protection of Cul- 
len Pollock, Esq., of Edenton, I presume, after 
the death of Mrs. Buncombe and after the Col- 
onel went into the army. The former event 
seems to have taken place not many years after 
her arrival in tins country. On attaining wo- 
manhood, (sixteenor seventeen,) Eliza Buncombe 
was married to John Goelet, Esq. , of New York, 
and was regarded, generally, as a most beautiful 
woman, and, from various accounts, not far short 
of Scott's apostrophe — 

" Ne'er did Grecian chisel trace 
A nymph, a naiad, or a grace. 
Of lovelier form or finer face." 

When the colonists were in open rebellion 
against tlie mother country, on account of the 
oppressive stamp and tea acts, the revolution in 
its full blaze, and the British forces on our 
shores, Edward Buncombe, having become some- 
thing of a politician, and being a brave, chival- 
ric gentleman, of a sanguine temperament, and 
burning with patriotic ardor to bare his bosom 
to the battle's rage in defense of his adopted 
country's rights was appointed by the State Pro- 
vincial Congress, which met at Halifax April 4, 
1776, colonel of the Fifth Regiment of North 
Carolina troops — he immediately conceived the 
idea of raising, by enlistment, a regiment of sol- 
diery, principally from the counties of Washing- 
ton and Tyrrell, and sent out recruiting officers 
to others. He soon succeeded in raising a regi- 
ment, at Ms oivn, expense, which he quartered 
and drilled at Buncombe Hall for about one 
year, preparatory to joining the army under 
Washington. By a simple computation it may 
be seen that the raising and quartering of a 
regiment which, probably, at that time consisted 
of from 500 to 700 men, for about one year, by a 
private individual, was a matter of no small ex- 
pense ; hence the magnitude and justice of the 
unliquidated claim- which tlie heirs of Colonel 
Buncombe have, from time to time, asserted as 
due them by the Nation. Full of ardor, and 
enjoying, to an unlimited degree, the confidence 
of his troops, with his blushing honors crowding 
upon him in anticipation, young and buoyant, 
he sallied forth to the scene of war and joined 
General Washington's army, hut at what point 
the writer has not been enabled to discover. 
He served in the Revolutionary War to the date 
of the battle at Germantown, (1777,) at which 
time and j)lace he received his mortal wound. 
As a wounded officer, he was put on his parole, 
and on one occasion, being at the house of one 
of Washington's generals, he remained stand- 



ing. At length, being asked by the Generg.1 
who he was, the Colonel made a response, char- 
acteristic of the man, " I am Colonel Edward 
Buncombe, Fifth tlegiment of North Carolina 
troops, of Buncombe Hall, North Carolina, and 
a gentleman, and if a gentleman should come 
to my house, I would ask him to take a seat and 
a glass of wine." At this rebuke the General 
smiled, and accordingly invited him to both. 
The Colonel, being somewhat convalescent of 
his wounds, went to an evening party at a friend's 
house in the city, and while descending the 
stairway, by some means or other fell over tlie 
railing, which fall, together with his wounds, 
resulted in his death. He died in Philadelphia 
at the age of thirty, leaving Cullen Pollock and 
Dr. Lenox executors of his will. His wife, Eliza, 
died anterior to the war, and her remains were 
deposited in the middle aisle of St. Paul's 
Church, Edenton. The Colonel's sister, Mrs. 
Ann Caines, and Mrs. Buncombe's brother, the 
Rev. Samuel Oakes Taylor, have frequently writ- 
ten to the family in Carolina, and their letters 
are still extant. When the Colonel left for the 
war, he made Cullen Pollock his agent, who 
leased out Buncombe Hall and the negroes there- 
on to one Cook for $800 per annum for four years. 
This Cook was cousin to the Colonel, but pos- 
sessed a name of not very " genteel memory," 
and of him, in connection with the Buncombe 
family, might be said what Coriolanus said of 
Rome : 

"Thou hast lost the breed of noble blood." 

Immediately on the death of the Colonel, this 
Cook broke open a closet almost hermetically 
sealed with wax, and surreptitiously abstracted 
tlierefrom all the silverwai-e and plate, wliich 
was afterward seen in possession of his heirs, 
with the initials E. E. B. on them. He cut 
down, for firewood, the left-hand side of the 
beautiful avenue leading from the gate to tlie 
house, and finally paid the price of his lease, 
$3,200, by a certificate of discharge in bank- 
ruptcy at Edenton. This agent, Cullen Pollock, 
was so negligent that he permitted a large por- 
tion of the Buncombe Hall tract to escheat for 
the non-payment of taxes. Colonel Buncombe's 
estate was sued to pay for Eliza Buncombe's 
board for ten years, and several negroes were 
necessarily sold. 

Colonel Buncombe's popularity seems to have 
been commensurate with his hospitality ; as 
proofs conclusive of the former the foUovring in- 
cidents may suffice : His repeated elevations to 
the State Legislature, his appointment by the 



TYRRELL COUNTY. 



423 



Legislature to the Colonelcy, taking his horses 
from Ills carriage three miles from tlie Court 
House, tlien situated near the mouth of Scuji- 
]iernong River, at Mrs. Bateman's, anil thepop- 
ulace hearing him upon their sliouhlers to and 
from tlie Court House. Wlien liis friend, Culleu 
Pollock, foisiding with the Loyalists, was tarred, 
feathered, and shot at through iiis windows, his 
carriage thrown over the dock, etc., so indig- 
nant was Colonel Buncombe that he huckled on 
■his arms, took his bodyservant with him, manned 
a boat and went to Edenton, and dared the man 
or set of men who were at the liead of the as- 
sault to sliow themselves. The instigator was 
Nat. Allen, who, tliough regarded at the time as 
a Hots[)ur, thinking with Falstaif that " discre- 
tion was the better part of valor," secreted him- 
self in his house until the Colonel had left town. 
Their object undoubtedly was to drive Mr. Pol- 
lock away and confiscate his estate. Buncombe 
County, in selecting a name for their County, 
duly appreciated the memory and eminent mili- 
tary services of Colonel Buncombe, and did them- 
selves great credit. 

As an illustrationof his proverbial hosjiitality, 
he often entertained most sumptuously a great 
many friends after the true style of a West India 
gentleman, his table being spread with the 
richest viands, which palled not on the most 
fastidious epicurean taste ; his door-latch was 
alway hanging on the outside, and when he had 
gentlemen at his house whose company he par- 
ticularly appreciated, to prevent their leaving 
lie had the bridge taken up and hid in the swamp 
till he was willing they should leave. On his 
gatepost, according to tradition, and the fact is 
mentioned in "Jones' Defense of North Caro- 
lina," was inscribed this distich — 

" Welcome all 
To Buncombe ILill." 

Noble generosity, hospitality unparalleled ! 
His particular associates and friends were Cul- 
len Pollock, Dr. Lenox, Judge Ledell, Gov. 
Johnston, Mr. Ilia, of Norfolk, Mr. Donaldson, 
of Petersburg, Va., and others. And for such 
a voluntary sacrifice of life and fortune in the 
cause of his adopted country did he, during his 
life, or have his Aem' since iiis immolation upon 
tlie altar of that country, received at her hands 
anything like fair indemnification or even ade- 
(juatc compensation. All history tells us of the 
"ingratitude of Republics." It has become 
merged intoa political aphorism. Wliatashame- 
ful commentai'y //ii's upon the text deduced from 
the preceding notes. Another instance of his 



giving succor to the opjjressed, against an infu- 
riate majority, may be found in the caseof jjoor 
Davidson, a Tory, who, when his life was in 
jeo])ardy from the Republicans, found a refuge 
in the carriage of Colonel I'uncombe, who carried 
him to his house and thus protected him from 
lawless violence. His reward is not of earth, 
hut of heaven, for military ])rowess and chiv- 
alric valor on the " tented field," and for gen- 
tlemanly deportment and urbanity of manner in 
private life have been permitted to pass away, 
by an ungrateful country, without its suitableancl 
merited requital. " Sic transil (jlorlri. mundi." 

"Oil ! pity if thy holy tear 

Iiiiniortal declis the wini; of lime; 
'Tis when the soldier's hoiiorM ))ier 

Demands tlie glitt'ring drop siiblhiie. 
For who from busy life removed 
Such glorious, daiig'roiis toil h.as prov'd, 
As he who, on tlie enil)attled plain, 
Dies bravely fightinj;', or nobly slain?"' 

Onc! of his (laughters married Dr. Goelet, of 
Washington ; another, Mr. Clark, of Bertie 
County. 

Colonel Buncombe was distinguished for his 
undaunted courage, his martial appearance, and 
his open, nnstinted hospitality ; worthy is his 
name preserved in one of the most lovely Coun- 
ties of our State. 

The Pettigrew family is of French origin, but 
at an early period branches settled-in both Scot- 
land and Ireland. James Pettigrew, of the 
Irish branch , was an officer in Ki ng James' army , 
at the battle of the Boyne, (ir/JO)'between Will- 
iam and James II. He emigrated to Amcn-ica in 
1740,* and rested for awhile in Pennsylvania; 
then \vent to Virginia, thence to North Carolina, 
and finally settled in Abbeville, South Carolina, 
where he lived to a good old age. When he re- 
moved from North Carolina he left his third son, 
Charles, who had been born in Pennsylvania in 
1'743. This gentleman's early education was, in 
part, conducted by the Rev. Mr. Waddle, (Wirt's 
famous "Blind Preacher,") and in 1773 he was 
made Master of the Public School at Edenton 
by (lovernor Martin. In 1775 he went tt) Eng- 
land to be admitted to holy orders, and was or- 
dained by the Bishop of London. He returned 
to North Carolina and devoted himself to his 
field of labor. For years he was Rector of the 
Church at Edenton. He married Mary, daugh- 
ter of Col. John Blount, and thus became con- 



*For many facts and mnchof tliis sk<'leh,seo Memorial 
of J. .lolinston l'<'tli!;n'W, r.riyadicrCii'ncral in Confeder- 
ate aniiy, bv \V. H.Trescott,' Charleston, 1S"(). 



424 



WHEELEE'S REMINISCENCES. 



nected with an influential ianiily. His sym- 
pathies with his countrymen were not confined 
to his priestly relations, for in 1780 he accompa- 
nied the troops called into service for a Soulliern 
campaign. Soon after tlie Revolntion efforts 
were made tohuild up more efficiently the broken- 
down walls of the Church, and in 1794 he was 
unanimously chosen, by tlie Convention, Bishop 
of the new Diocese ; but ho died before liis ou- 
secration. 

Bishop Pettigrew Iwt one son, Hon. Ebeiie7.er 
Pettigrew, who inherited not only tlie estate, 
but the genius, energy and excellence of charac- 
ter of his father. He was born near Edenton 
March 10, 1783, and took charge of the estate, 
on Lake Phel])?, draining and improving that 
noble plantation by skill, science and enterprise. 
For years he devoted himself entirely to agricul- 
tural pursuits, avoiding politics and public life. 
He was elected to the Senate of the State Leg- 
"islaturein 1809 and 1810, and was nominated 
as a candidate for the twenty-fourth Congress, 
(1835-37,) in op^iosition to Dr. TliomasH. Hall, 
one of the most popular and influential men of 
the then dominant party, (Jackson — Democrat,) 
and was triumphantly elected. As an evidence 
of the regard and confidence of liis neighbors, 
he received every vote but tliree in Tyrrell 
County. 

Such v.-as the acceptability of liis jmblic 
service in Congress that he could Inive been 
re-elected witliout opposition, but he percnip- 
torily refused to serve. He now devoted him- 
self exclusively to the pursuits (if agriculture. 
Under his example and advice the country was 
vastly improved. He (aught his neighbors how 
to drain and cultivate tlie soil, and how to lay 
off their canals and ditches. His own iarm^ on 
the margin of his beautilhl lake, was tiie sub- 
ject of universal admiration. Strangersfroni a dis- 
tance visited it to viewits beantiesand the magni- 
tude of the work. His life was one of labor and 
"usefulness, and he left behind him the impress 
of his energy and intellect. He certainly did 
more to build up the County, to improve and 
enrich it, tlian any man of his age. He mar- 
ried. May 17, 1815, Anne, eldest daugliter of 
William Shepard, Esq., of New Berne. Mr. 
Siicpard was the lather of Hon. William B. 
Shepard, Hon. Cimrles B. Shepard, and James 
B. Shepard, and of Mrs. Jolm H. Bryan. He 
died at Magnolia, in Tyrrell County, July 8, 
1848, leaving several children, amoif'g tliem (the 
third son) was — 

J. Johnstiui Pettigrew, who was born at Lake 
Scuppernong, Tyrrell County, North Carolina, 



on July 4th, 1828. The earlier part of his life 
was passed with his maternal grandmother ; from 
his seventh to his fiftecntir year he was at the 
school of Mr. Bingham, in Hillsboro'; in May, 
1843, he entered the University of North Caro- 
lina, then under the charge of that eminent 
and successful preceptor. Governor D. L. Swain ; 
his collegiate career was so brilliant as to have 
becomeacoUege tradition. When hegraduated in 
1847 the faculty, the trustees and the press were 
exultant, and predicted for him a future of ' 
brilliant success ; the event of his graduation 
is an era in the history of that ancient iustitu- 
ti(m. Nor were his classmates ordinary com- 
])etitors, they were powerful in tlie generous 
struggle for knowledge, which Bacon says- "is 
power." Their success in after life is evidence of 
their mental superiority. Among them were 
Alfred Alston, Duncan L. Clinch, Eli W. Hall, 
John Pool, Matt. W. Ransom, Charles E. Sho- 
ber, and Thos. G. Skinner, and others. That 
the universal acknowledgment of his merits was 
not confined to the partiality of friendship may 
be inferred from the fact that Mr. Polk, then 
the President of the United States, himself a 
graduate in 1818 of the University, who was 
present at the commencement, and accompanied 
by Commodore Maury, at his suggestion, ten- 
dered to Mr. Pettigrew tlie position of Assistant 
Professor in the National Observatory, at Wash- 
ington City. Crowned with the honors of his 
alma mater, and promoted by the appreciation 
of the Chief Magistrate of the Republic, with 
the regard of liis teaciiers and the atfection and 
admiration of his associates, and a large and 
influential connection, who were proud of his 
promise and powerful to sustain him in the 
career of anibition ; with great mental gifts 
highly cultivated, tke vista of life opened 
to" Mr. Pettigrew bright and promising. His 
positiiui at Washington was one that af- 
forded access to the best society, as well as 
opportunities of distinction in the scientific 
world. 

The oflices of the Observatory were eminently 
filled by Maury, iNevvcome, and otliers. But 
from a restless disposition, so often the coin- 
paniiui of genius, wliich prefers conflict with 
men in the battle of life rather than the se- 
cluded pursuits of science, he remained only 
for a sliort time at tlie Observatory. He felt 
"cribbed, cabined, and confined" in the clois- 
ters (d' that institution. Accordingly he entered 
the law office of James Mason Camiibell, of 
Baltimore, and commenced the study of law ; 
upon tlie invitation of liis distinguished relative, 



TYURELL COUNTY. 



425 



Jiiiiies L. Pottij^rcw,* lie comjileteil liis law stud- 
ies ill Ills office. Alter his udiuission to the bar, 
at the instance of his I'riends, who wished him 
to have every advantage that a finislied educa- 
tion could present, he eniharked in 1850 on a 
tour in Europe, where he spent two ycirs in 
visiting England, Ireland, Germany, Hungary, 
Italy, IS|iain, and Switzerland, studying their civil 
and military institutions, their laws, and their 
lonns of goverunient. While at Madrid he was 
tendered the post ot'Secretary of Legiition hy Mr. 
13arringer, then our envoy to Spain; this he 
declined. He returned home and comuienced 
the practice of lii-s profession at Cliarlestou, in 
connection with his relative, James L. Petti- 
grew. Although he enjoyed great success, 
yet his connection Avith the bar was but of short 
duration, for the excitement of politics had 
sui)erior charms. Me took an active interest iu 
the couvcntiou of the State to send delegates to 
the Uincinnati convention, and in October, 1856, 
he was chosen a member of the Legislature from 
the City of Cliarlestou. Ilis career as a politi- 
cian was hiief, but bi'illiaut and useful. He 
was del'eated in the October election of 1858. 
This disappointment enabled him to carry out 
a i)urt)ose long cherished by him. Ho felt an 
irrepressible desire for military service ; when 
a student at Berlin he had endeavored to pro- 
cure admission into the Prussian Army. He 
again went to Europe and offered his services to 
the Sarilinian Government; his ai)plication was 
successful, but on Ids way to join the army he 
met the news of the peace of Villa-Franca, 
whicli put an end to his journey. He devoted 
to study a few months in Spain, and returned 
home at tlie ck>se of 1859, when he wrote a 
book, ''Spain and the Spaniards" — a book of 
the greatest interest and the sole memento left 
of his taleuts as an author. Mr. Pettigrew re- 
turned from Europe and was convinced, as he 
long had feared, that the conflict between the 
sections of our country was only a question of 
time, and that, too, not very remote. With 
this ccHivictioU he had been desirous of expe- 
riencing active military service abroad on a 
large scale ; therefore he closely studied works 
on military science in various modern languages. 
On his return he devoted himself to the ira]nove- 
ment of the militia organizations. He was 
elected Captain of a i-ifle company, which ho 
drilled iu the zouave tactics — its efKciency he 
had seen exhibited in Paris. Events of great 



♦This should be spollcfl Pcttio;ni ; tho South Carolina 
branch kept tho French teniiiiial in their name. — Ed. 



importance now crowded upon each other. Tiic 
Stale of South Carolina seceded from the Union, 
and called upon her sons to rally to the sup- 
jxirt of that government which they had been 
taught to love and obey. Major Anderson had 
smldenly evacuated Fort Moultrie and secured 
Foit Sumter under cover of tho night. Fort 
Sumter was fired ujjon and surrendered, and 
we were in the presence of civil war. The nn- 
ex[)ected occupation of Fort Sumter precipitated 
events. Pettigrew was ordered by Governor 
Pickens to demand of Anderson the evacuation 
of that fort. Tho result of that demand wo 
give 111 Pettigrew's own words: 

"To F. W' . Pickens, Governor. 

"Sir: I have the honor to report that |iur- 
suant to the instructions of your Excellency, I 
proceeded this morning to Fort Sumter in com- 
pany with Major Ellison Copers, Acting Adju- 
tant of my regiment. We were courteously re- 
ceived by Major Anderson, the commanding 
otHcer. I stated to him in the presence of all 
his officers that you had been astonished at the 
reception of the news of his having transferred 
his garriscm to Fort Sumter ; that by the under- 
standing between the State of South (.'arolina 
and the President the })roperty of the United 
States was to be respected, and on the other 
side the military posts should remain in an un- 
changed condition. In a word, the question 
was to be considered a jiolitical, not a military 
one. I enforced strongly that we had per- 
formed our part of this agreement ; that we 
had discountenanced and repressed every attempt 
of the people upon the ])roperty of the United 
States, and I demanded iu your name that af- 
fairs should be restored to tiieir previous condi- 
tion. He replied that he was a Southern man 
in his feelings upon the question at issue, and 
had so informed the Department when ap- 
pointed ; that he knew nothing of the agree- 
ment mentioned; that he was the military 
commander of all tho forts in tho harbor, and 
did not consider that he had reinforced them 
in merely transferring his garrison from one to 
another ; that he had been informed that he 
wouM be attacked in case the report of our 
Commission was unfavorable ; that Fort Moul- 
trie was indefensible against an ordinary skill- 
ful attack ; that he had acted entirely on his 
own responsibility. He declined to yield to my 
demand. 

" Very respectfully, 

"J. Johnston Pettiurew." 

All hopes of peace were ended, and each sec- 



426 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



tion prepared to take })art in the bloody arbi- 
trament presented. The feeling of the South 
was well expressed by Colonel Pettigrew, who 
in July, 1861, received a stand of colors for his 
regiment, (to which he had been appointed,) 
and on receiving tliem said: "The flag of the 
Republic is oui's no more. That noble stand- 
ard wliicli so often has waved over victorious 
fields now threatens us with destruction. In 
all its former renowns we participated ; Soutli- 
ei'n valor bore it in its proudest triumphs, and 
oceans of Soutliern blood have watered the 
ground beneath it. Let us lower it with honor 
and lay it reverently upon the eartli." Col- 
onel Pettigrew was offered tlie position of Adju- 
tant-General under the belief that his adminis- 
trative ability could accomplish more good in 
organizing the forces of the State than by re- 
stricting him to a single regiment. But he 
preferred the active duties of the field, and de- 
clined. At the request of General Beauregard, 
and witli tlie approbation of the Executive, he 
proceeded to organize a rifle regiment. Com- 
panies were rajiidly raisetl and tendered to iiim, 
and his selection of field and staff officers 
agreed on. The regiment was tendered to tlie 
Secretary of War, at Montgomery, then the 
seat of the Confederate Government. The 
views of the War Department were not to re- 
ceive organized regiments, but only companies, 
reserving to itself the selection of field officers. 
This was not agreeable, and the several comj)a- 
nies composing the regiment, unwilling to ac- 
cept officers unknown to them, sought and ob- 
tained admission into other regiments. This left 
Colonel Pettigrew without a command, but his 
ardent temperament would not allow him to be an 
idle spectator in the fearful strife then imminent. 
He went to Riclimond, to whicli place the Con- 
federate Government had been removed, and 
tendered his services. He was only in Rich- 
mond a few days when he received a letter 
from the Governor of North Carolina, inform- 
ing him he had been ajipointed and commis- 
sioned Colonel of the Twelfth Regin.ient of 
North Carolina troops. On the next day he 
started to his command at Raleigh. He was 
soon ready for tlie fray, and marched with his 
troojis to the front only a few days too late to 
jiarticipate in the first battle of Manassas. 
During the winter of 1861-62 he was encamped 
at Evansport, on the Potmnac, and then at 
Charleston, where his high military attainments, 
his untiring devotion to duty, so won the ad- 
miration and esteem of all associated with him 
that without his knowledge he was apixjiuted 



Brigadier. He called on the President, and to 
his surprise he declined the appointment on the 
ground that he had never been under fire, never 
handled troops in action, and that no man who 
had never been seriously tried in battle should 
be appointed to be a Brigadier-General. The 
President replied that he " was fully satisfied 
witli General Pettigrew's qualifications; that 
he had been besieged by applications for briga- 
diership upon every conceivable ground — this 
was the first instance of an officer refusing pro- 
motion." Neither yielded, and Colonel Petti- 
grew returned to Fredericksburg and remained 
there a few days. At the expiration of that 
time General French, his brigade commander, 
was ordered to Wilmington. Major-General 
Holmes, commanding at Fredericksburg, sent 
for Colonel Pettigrew and urged his acceptance, 
and said: "Colonel Pettigrew, it is important 
to this command and to the country that you 
take this office. I regard it as your duty to do 
so." Pettigrew yielded his own convictions, 
and wrote a letter of acceptance. 

Soon after this General Pettigrew was ordered 
to Yorktown, and with Whiting's Division was 
engaged in the battle of Seven Pines ; while 
the battle was raging he was instructed to drive 
the enemy from a position in the woods, where 
they were strongly posted. Tlie position had 
been before attempted by a regiment, which had 
fiiiled. In making the attack the regiment was 
exposed to a fire of a batter}' of artillery on the 
flank. Pettigrew, leading one of his regiments, 
was attem[)ting to carry the ])Osition byassault_ 
when he was wounded. An attempt was made 
to remove him from the field ; exhausted from 
the loss of blood, he enquired how the <lay had 
gone, and when told that it was against us, he 
insisted that the men should leave him and go 
to tlie front to join their company. It was re- 
])orted that he was killed, and his friends 
mourned for him as if dead ; he liad been taken 
prisoner and was sent to Fort Delaware. When 
exchanged , still sufferin g from his wounds, he re- 
paired to his command, near Petersburg, and 
joined his brigade in the army of Northern Vir- 
ginia, under General Lee. He took part in the 
liattle of Gettysburg. In the first day's figlit, 
Pettigrew and his brigade were in the thickest 
of the battle, and proudly bore his banner 
against the retreating foe. His bravery was 
Conspicuous ; his cool and heroic conduct was 
magnetic ; it inspired his decimated command to 
action and daring. 

"I never realized before," said Capt. Jos. 
Davis, " the worth of one man. His presence 



TYRKKLL COUNTY. 



427 



and liis cheering coiuniauds nerved the arms of 
all." 

On the second day his comiuand was held in 
reserve. On the third day Pettigrcw was placed 
in cliarge of Heth's division, and in that I'atal 
and gallant charge, on Cemetery Hill, he was in 
the line on the left of Piekett's command. His 
was not a snpporting column. Pickett reached 
the crest of the hill and held it awliile. Petti- 
grew iiaving greater obstructions did not reaeli 
that j)oint. Both were rcj)ulsed by an over- 
whelming force wliich occupied an impregnable 
])Osition. Pettigrew fell iiainfully wounded ; 
Burgwynn, l\Iar.s]iall, McCrea and Iredell, all 
sons of Nortli Carolina, here gave up tlieir lives, 
anil ])roved tliat Nortii Carolina had followed the 
Confederate banners to the fui-tliest point. Tlio 
in'ij;ht, warm bcjams of the sun on tlie 1st day 
of July, ISf)!), shone on 3,000 as gallant men in 
Pettigrew 's brigade as ever shouldered a mus- 
ket ; on the morning of the 4th only 825 v.'erc 
left. 

The Coni'ederate army fell back upon Hagers- 
town without any annoyance from theenemy, and 
crossed the Potomac at Williamsport and Falling 
Waters. General Longstreet's corps, of which 
Heth's division formed a part, crossed at the latter 
jdace. On the morning of the 14th of July, 
18fi3, this division, after a weary night's march, 
stopped for rest and breakfast about a mile and 
a quarter from the bridge, at Falling Waters. 
For some inexplicable reason General Heth had 
not thrown out any pickets ; about 9 o'clock, 
while he, General Pettigrew and several other 
oificcrs were walking to the left of the division, 
their attention was attracted by a small squad 
of cavalry riding out of a wooded valley about a 
mile off. Their small number, (about twenty- 
five,) and tlieir jiroximity, led General Heth to 
suppose they were a Confederate troop, and be- 
fore the error was discovered they had reached 
the group of officers, when a few scattered shots 
werefired by these reckless troopers in sightof the 
whole division. They made their escape as rap- 
idly as they had made their attack. General Pet- 
tigrew was shot through the bowels and mortally 
wounded. He was carried to the house of Mr. 
P>oyd, half-way between Martinslnirg and Win- 
chester, where, on tlie ITth of July, 1863, three 
days after being wounded, in tlie early stillness 
of a summer morning, his gallant spirit rested 
with his God. He died as he had lived, a brave 
and noble man. 

The Bishop of Louisiana, who was with him 
on the sad ajid solemn occasion, declared that 
"in a ministry of near thirty years, I never 



witnessed a more sublime scene of Christian 
resignation and of hope in death." ^ 

When we study his earnest, nolde and self- 
sacrificing character, his modest and reticent 
demeanoi', his brave and daring courage, his 
solid and extended acquirements, we can realize 
the loss to our country and our State in his death, 
and with Burke exclaim: "When death, by 
one stroke, makes such a disj)ersion of talent, 
virtue and accomplishments, we feel the vanity 
of all eartldy pursuits. What shadows we are, 
and what shadows we pursue !" 

John Hooker Haughton, eldest son of John 
and Mary R. Haughton, was born in Chowan, 
August 29, 1810. He received his academic edu- 
cation in the town of Edenton, and was gradu- 
ated from the University, in 1832, with Thomas 
L. Clingman, Thomas S. Ashe, James C. Dob- 
bin, William F. Davidson, Robert B. Burton, 
Thomas B. Hill, and others. He read law with 
his distinguished kinsman, Thomas B. Haugh- 
ton, of Chowan, and settled in Tyrrell, to which 
County liis parents had previously removed. 
There he practiced his profession until 1837, 
when he removed to Chatham, and located at 
Pittsboro'. In this large County, populated by 
a thrifty and intelligent people, he soon ac- 
quired a lucrative practice, and became a leader 
at the bar in this and adjoining counties. In 
1857, having purchased a plantation in the 
County of Jones, he removed to New Berne, 
where, following his profession with unabated 
zeal and vigor, he soon ranked among the fore- 
most lawyers at that bar, distinguished in the 
history of the State for its able advocates and 
jurists. Mr. Haughton was thrice married. His 
first wife was a daughter of that influential, 
lios])! table and genial gentleman. Dr. Robert 
Williams, of Pitt. His second wife was Miss 
Eliza Alice Hill, whom he married in 1838. 
Miss Hill was a daughter of Col. Thomas Hill, 
of the Gape Fear section, a gentleman of wealth 
and high social position. By this marriage 
Mr. Haughton became connected with many of 
the prominent families of the lower Cape Fear. 
Mr. Haughton's third wife was Miss Martha 
Harvey, of New Berne, whom he married in 
18r)8. She died May 26, 187G, and he survived 
her only four days. Jlr. Haughton belonged to 
tlie Whig party, and, until his removal to New 
Berne, was the acknowledged leader of that 
party in the County of Chatham. He repre- 
sented Chatham both in the House of Cotnmons 
and in the Senate, and he was, during his whole 
life, prominently connected with all the political 
movements in the State. He was nominated for 



428 



WHEELER'S REMINIRCENCES. 



Congress, but the district being largely Demo- 
cratfc, was defeated by tlie Hon. James C. Dob- 
bin. As a public speaker, Mr. Haugbton was 
clear, logical and ibrcible. As a lawyer be was 
learned, laborious and zealous, and always com- 
■nianded a leading practice in tbe Courts be at- 
tended. Mr. Haugbton was cheerful and social 
in liis disposition, fond of anecdotes and told a 
story well. In all tbe domestic relations he was 
kind, alfectionate, tender and true. He dis- 
charged all bis duties with intelligence and 
fidelity to his counti-y and State. In iiict, he 
was a man of unusual public spirit and liberality, 
and by bis large subscriptions to works of in- 
ternal improvement greatly impaired his estate. 
The war between tbe States deprived him of his 
ample fortune and brought, with increasing 
years, much trouble and anxiety ; yet be main- 
tained bis cheerfulness to the last, illustrating 
bow a good man could bear adversity as well as 
pros[)erity witli equanimity. 

Dr. Edward Ransom resides at Columbia, in 



this (Tyrrell) County, lie is a native of Vir- 
ginia, born in Gb)ucester County on tbe ]2tbof 
February, 1833. He was educated at tbe Uni- 
versity of Virginia and graduated at Hampden- 
Sidney. He was first elected to the Senate in 
1873, and in 1874 was elected an Elector on tbe 
Grant ticket. In 1875 he was elected on an In- 
dependent platform from Tyrrell Countyto the 
Constitutional Convention. The position of 
parties and of tbe State was critical in tbe ex- 
treme. On the preliminary question of adjourn- 
ment tbe parties were so evenly divided that upou 
his vote depended whetlier tbe body should or- 
ganize. Dr. Ransom was elected President and 
turned tbe scale by which tbe State was re- 
deemed. Dr. Ransom's course was apjiroved 
by the State and by bis own constituents, for 
be was elected to the Legislature tbe next year. 
A biographical .sketch of that eminent North 
Carolinian, Dr. Edward Warren, (Bey,) will be 
found in tlie article immediately following tbe 
preface, page xlix. 



WAKE COUNTY. 



" Beneath the rule of men 
Enth-ely great, the pen is greater than the sword. 
Ik-lioUrtlie arch m.igioian's wand ! In itself 'tis notliing, 
Rut rateliing sorcery from a nia.ster's liand, 
And aided hy the gigantic power of tlie press. 
It paralyzes the tiu'ones of nionarchs." 

— Jiii!wer. 

" Few persons have ever lived in North Caro- 
lina," says an editorial in tbe North Carolina 
Unlvcrsilii Macjazine, February, 1854, "whose 
biograpliy would be more interesting than tliat 
of tbe late Joseph Gales, born 1761, died 1841.' 
It is deemed proper to prelace tbe sketch now 
attempted by some historical memoranda of the 
press in our State. 

Martin informs us in bis History of North 
Carolina (vol. II, 54) tbata printing press was, 
in 1749, imported into tbe Trovince, and setup 
at New Berne, by James Davis, from Virginia. 
This was greatly needed, for from the want of 
such an establishment the laws were in manu- 
script, scarce, defective and inaccurate. 

The first book printed was " A Revisal of tbe 
Laws, by Edward Moseley and Samuel Swan," 
and, from its homely binding, was familiarly 
known as Tlie Yelloiv Jacket. A copy of this 
edition is in the Library of Congress, presented 



by Hon. Samuel F. Phillips. Wlien the Gov- 
ernment was moved from New Berne to Wil- 
mington, in 1764, Andrew Stuart set up a press 
in the latter town, and issued tbe first number 
of the North Carolina Gazette cmd Weekly Post- 
Boy. Tliis was followed by the Cape Fear 
Mercury, in 1769, which was countenanced and 
sustained by tlie Committee of Safety, but ilis- 
continued at an early period of the Revolution. 
It was in this paper that Gov. Martin first saw, 
as he expressed it, "tbe most infamous publi- 
cation of a set of people, styling tliemsclves a 
Committee for the County of Mecklenburg, most 
traitorously declaring tbe entire dissolution of 
the laws, government and constitution of this 
country." A copy of this ])aper was_ ibr- 
waided in tbe dispatch of Gov. Martin to 
his Government, dated 20th of June, 1775, 
which paper was withdrawn for Mr. Stevenson 
on the 15th of August, 1837, and has since iiever 
been recovered. There was no newspaper in the 
State from this date until the 28th of August, 
1783, when Robert Keitli issued, at New Berne, 
the first number of tbe North Carolina Gazette, 
or Impartial Intelligencer and Weekly General 
Advertiser. This was followed by tbe North 



WAKE COUNTY. 



429 



Carolina Gazette, printed by F. X. Martin, at 
New Berne, 1794. The li.st of nevv.spajier.s 
established before the publication of tlic Ralei<j;li 
J'crfifilcr, by Joseph Gales, in 17'J1>.. may be 
iound in the Universiti/ Magazine, III, 46. 

The family of Gales came from Eckington, 
England, where Josej)!!, the subject of our pres- 
ent sketcii, was born. With no patrimony save 
probity, aided by capacity and industry, he 
comnienced the great battle of life, receiving as 
good an education as the country afforded. At 
the age of tliirteen lie was bound for a term of 
seven years to the trade of book-binding and 
piinting, and he became master of the cral't. 
fie married, ill 1TS4, Winifred Marshall, daugh- 
ter of John Marshall, of Newark-upon-Treut, 
and established himself at Sheffield, Yorkshire, 
as printer and publisher. In 1787, with little 
capital, but with what is more valuable tlian 
money, "the character of an honest and in- 
dustrious business man," he is.sued the first 
number of the Sheffield licgisl'T, which, by its 
high tone, ]n'obity of purpose and ability, had 
an unprecedented circulation. " His lines had 
fallen in pleasant places," and he prospered. 
The hajjpiness of his domestic circle was en- 
hanced by the birth of several children, among 
them were Joi^cpli, born at Eckington, April 10, 
1786, died at Washington, July, 1860, and 
Sarah, born at Sheffield, 1789, alter ward the 
wife of W. W. Seaton. Mr. Gales was aided, 
as an assistant editor, by a prepossessing youtli 
who became an invaluable friend, and finally his 
successor as editor of his journal. This youth 
was James Montgomery, tlie poet. 

The troubled waves of the Erencli Revolution 
reached the shores of England and excited the 
whole country. No district was more convulsed 
tlian Sheffield. Mr. Gales and his co-editor 
sympathized with the cause of reform. Riots 
took place. Dr. Priestly 's hou.se was attacked. 
Hamilton Rowiui escaped to America, as did 
Priestly. Emmet was hanged. The habeas 
corpus act was suspended. The printing of an 
insurrectionary letter to the London Club was 
traced to Gales' printing office, and Mr. Gales 
was only saved from arrest and tlie jail by plac- 
ing the German ocean between him and his per- 
secutors. He safely readied Amsterdam and 
went thence to Hamburg. Tiiere he was joined 
by his family, and in September, 1794, tliey em- 
barked for America, landing in Philadelphia, 
then the .seat of Government. Here tlie steno- 
graphic skill of Mr. Gales found ready emiiloy- 
ment, as the art of short-hand, in which Mr. 
Gales was well versed, was tlien almost un- 



known in the United States. He soon purchased 
a jKiper, the Independent Gazetteer, from the 
widow of Col. John Oswald. Years of pros- 
perity now followed the dark days that they had 
passed. Tiiey met a warm welcome, and found 
many of their old English friends, as Dr. Priestly 
and others, refugees from oppression. Tiie yel- 
low lever, in 1799, again visited Pliiladelphia, 
and Mrs. Gales was one of the victims. Mr. 
Gales yielded to the inducements jiresented by 
some of the members of Congress from North 
Carolina, and decided to remove to Raleigh. He 
dis[)osed of his [lajier to Samuel Harrison Smith, 
who, in 1800, accompanied the Government to 
Wasliington, where his journal was rebaptized 
as the National Intellujcneer. 

Witli the characteristic kindness of a pure 
and simple-hearted people, Mr. Gales found a 
cordial welcome in North Carolina, and he at once 
establishedajournal,reviving the name and motto 
of the one with wbicli he had fouglit so brave a 
contest in Sheffield, the Raleigh Itcijinter. Here, 
at tills kind and genial capital of a noble old com- 
monwealth, more than an ordinary lifetime was 
passed, tranquilly and happily, by Mr. Gales, 
who enjoyed in its lovely climate the blessings 
of health and the respect of a generous com- 
munity. Surrounded by warm friends and a 
family of aflectionate and gifted children, the 
autumn of life came to him with its mellow influ- 
ences, and Mr. Gales sought repose from the 
constant labors of prolonged and active employ- 
ment. Mr. Gales decided to remove to Wash- 
ington, where his son, Jo.seph, and his daughter, 
the wii'e of Col. Seaton,' resided, to spend the re- 
mainder of his days. This announcement pro- 
duced some excitement in the place where Mr. 
and Mrs. Gales had so long resided, and were 
so warmly respected. They could not be parted 
from silently and without emotion. A public 
dinner, at which every respectable citizen was 
jiresent, was prepared, and over which Governor 
Swain jiresided ; guests from a distance, among 
them Chief Justice Mar.shalland Judge Gaston, 
united to pay tribute in expressions of respect 
and aflection to their venerable iind beloved 
friend. 

Governor Swain, in his address, June A, 1867, 
at Raleigh, on the erection of a monument to 
Jacob Johnson, father of Andrew Johnson, 
offers this grateful tribute to tiie memory of 
Joseph Gales : "Tlie venerable Joseph Gales 
was the senior of the editorial fraternity in years 
and journalistic experience. No one that knew 
him ever thinks of him butas the impersonifica- 
tion of kindness, benevolence and charity. His 



430 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



eldest son, Joseph Gales, jr., at Washington, 
was joined by W. W. Seaton, who had married 
his sister. Col. Seaton liad edited a paper at 
Raleigh, and thenames of Gales and Seaton were 
transferred from the head of the Register to the 
National Intelligencer, the Register returning to 
its original status, with Joseph Gales, sr., as 
editor, continued the assurance so familiar to 
newspaper readers of the last generation : 
' Ours are the plans of fair delightful peace, un- 
warp't hy party rage, to live like brothers.'" 
Raleigh thus gave to Washington city abi'ace of 
editors, trained in the office of the Raleigh Reg- 
ister, who published, for nearly a half a century, 
a paper that, for ability, fairness, courtesy, dig- 
nity, purity and elegance of style, was pro- 
nounced by a competent judge to compare favor- 
ably with the London Times, and certainly 
second to no gazette in this country." 

Joseph Gales, sr., came to Washington, and 
in his declining years found congenial occupa- 
tion for his generous nature in managing tlic 
affairs of the African Colonization Society ; and 
surrounded by respect, friendshi]) and affection, 
were the last days of Joseph Gales on cartli 
spent. He died in 1841. His venerable wife, 
whose genius had aided liis labors, and whose in- 
telligence had brightened his checkered life, had 
already preceded him by two years to that — ■ 

"Bourne from whence no traveler returns." 

The Register passed into the hands of his third 
son, Weston Raleigh Gales, who edited it until 
his death, July, 1848, and was succeeded by his 
son, Seaton Gales, bt)rn 1828, died 1878, wliose 
premature death all who knew him so deeply 
regret. We trust a short slcetch of him will 
not be unacceptable to our readers. He was 
born in the city of Raleigh, May 17^ 1828, and 
graduated at the University in June, 184S. On 
the death of his father, in tlie following raontli, 
he took charge of the Register, and, although 
only twenty years of age, conducted it with 
ability and dignity. 

On the commencement of tlie war he entered 
the army, and served four years as Adjutant- 
General of a brigade in Northern Virginia, and 
did a soldier's duty in nearly all the battles 
fought by that army. After the war be con- 
tinued his editorial duties, and was associated 
from ISGfi to 1809 with Rev. William E. Pell in 
the management of tlie Raleigh Sentinel, which 
under their joint efforts acquired great popu- 
larity and influence. He was nominated in 
1875 as a candidate for the Convention to amend 
the Constitution. His canvass was able, elo- 



quent and active ; but his party was defeated. 
As an orator he was fluent, ready, and eloquent ; 
and as a lecturer, instructive, jileasing, and 
learned. His addresses on Odd-Fellowship, in 
behalf of the Oxford Orphan Asylum, and at 
Charlotte on the Centennial celebration, were 
very appropriate and exceedingly graceful. He 
was apj>ointed Superintendent of the Document 
Room of the House of Representatives at tlie 
opening of the Forty-fifth Congress, which 
position he held at the time of his sudden and 
unexpected death, on December 2, 1878. He 
left a wife and children to mourn their irrepar- 
able loss. 

Henry Seawell, born 1772, died 1835, lived 
and died in Raleigh. He was a native of Frank- 
lin County ; a man of strong native intellect, 
but qf little education. He often represented 
Wake County in the Legislature ; from 1790- 
1800, 1801-2, 1810-12 in the Commons ; and 
lS21-2f), 1831-32 in the Senate. In ISlO he 
was ajipointed by the Governor one of the 
Judges of tlie Superior Courts, but the Legisla- 
ture did not ratify the appointment. In 1813 
he was elected Judge, which he resigned in 
1819. In 1832 he was again elected Judge, 
which he held until his death, 11th October, 
1835. About 1820 he was appointed by the 
President one of the Commissioners under the 
Treaty with Ghent. He married the daughter 
of Colonel Jolin Hinton, and left a large family. 

A few men of the State were better known 
and more highly appreciated as an advocate, 
judge, statesman, and financier than Duncan 
Cameron, born 1777, died 1853. He was a 
native of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Bishop 
Meade in his work, "Old Churches, Ministers, 
and Families in Virginia," says: 

" This family was ancient and highly respect- 
able. There were four brothers (two of them 
ministers) who came to America from Scotland. 
Rev. John Cameron, one of these, succeeded 
Mr. Craig. He was educated at the King's 
College, at Aberdeen. His first charge in 
America was St. James' Churcli, in Mecklen- 
burg County, Virginia. In 1784 he went to 
Petersburg, and after spending some years there 
he went to Nottaway Parish. He taught school , 
and was made Doctor of Divinity by the Col- 
lege of William and Mary. As a teacher Ire 
was thorough and methodical, stern and au- 
thoritative, but he made good scholars. He 
continued Rector of Cumberland Parish until 
his death in 1815. His successor was theRev. Jno. 
Micklejohu, whose name often occurs in North 
Carolina history, but not as a regular minister." 



Wake county. 



431 



Rev. John Starke Ravenscroft succeeded him, 
who ill 1823 was consecrated Bishop of tlie 
diocese of North Carolina. Dr. Cameron mar- 
ried Miss Nash in Cliarlotte, Virginia, hy whom 
lie had several children, who inherited liis 
virtues, piety and abilities. Among these was 
the distingnislied subject of our present sketchy 
who was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, 
in 1777. lie studied law with Paul Carrington ; 
came to the bar of North Carolina in 1798 and 
settled in llillsboro', and there commenced the 
practice. By his assiduity and acquirements he 
soon attained fame and fortune. In 1800 lie 
was appointed Clerk of the Court of Conference, 
(then the court of last jurisdiction,) and prepared 
and published the reports of cases decided in 
that court. It was entitled, " Reports of Cases 
Determined by the Judges of the Superior 
Courts of Law and Equity of the State of North 
Carolina, at their meeting on the lOtli June, 
1800, held pursuant to an act of Assembly for 
settling questions of law and equity arising in 
the circuit, by Duncan Cameron, Attorney-at- 
Law, Raleigh, from the press of Hodge & Boylan, 
Printers of the State, 1800." This was an octavo 
of 108 pages. In 1804 this court, which had 
been styled the Court of Conference, was made 
a court of record. The judges were required 
to reduce their opinions to writing, and file 
them, and deliver the same viva voce in open 
court. The following year (1805) the name 
was changed fjoni the Court of Conference to 
the Supreme Court, and'converted from a tem- 
porary to a permanent tribunal. Chief Justice 
Taylor, "the Mansfield of North Carolina;" 
Judge Hall, proverbial for integrity, amiability 
and sound common sense, and Judge Henderson , 
who in genius, judgment and power of fasci- 
nation in social intercourse, was without a peer, 
were, says Governor Swain, the three Judges 
in 1822. ^Francis L. Hawks was the reporter, 
who had not yet attained his 25tli year, but gave 
promise of that distinction he afterward attained 
in another sphere as a brilliant writer, a learned 
divine, and eloquent speaker, who enjoyed a 
higher transatlantic reputation than any other 
American in tlie line of his ])rofession. ' Wil- 
liam Drew, of Halifax County, standing on 
the thin partition which divides great wit 
and ph rensy , was Attorney-General. Of the bar 
were Wm. Gaston, facile princeps, Archibald 
Henderson, Joseph Wilson, Judges Murjdiey, 
Ruffiu and Seawell; Hogg, Mordecai, Badger, 
Devereux and James F. Taylor. In 180G, 1807, 
1812 and 18i:J he represented Orange County 
in the House of Commons. In 1814 he was 



elected Judge of the Superior Court, vice Ed- 
ward Harris deceased, which he resigned, after 
presiding with satisfaction to tlie bar and the 
country, in 1816. In 1819, 1822, and 1823 he 
was in" the Senate of the Legi.slature. In 1819 
he was chosen President of the State Bank. His 
coui'se in the Legislature was marked by dig- 
nity, urbanity and patriotism — especially in 
the exciting ])eriod of tlie war with England ; 
he was a leading and unflinching advocate for 
its active prosecution. He was the devoted 
friend of internal improvement, and of all 
schemes to develop the resources of the State, 
with whicli subject no one was more familiar. 
He was a member of the Board of Internal Im- 
jirovement, and tliere was no one in whose 
judgment and opinion people had more confi- 
dence and respect. 

As a financier he was unrivaled, not only by 
the clearness of his judgment as from the in- 
tegrity of his character and the proverbial cau- 
tion of the race from whicli lie came. For 
years he presided over the largest banking iu- 
stitution of the State, " the Bank of the State of 
North Carolina," whose affairs he conducted with 
unparalleled skill and success. He was elected 
its President in September, 1831, and resigned 
in January, 1840, and was succeeded by the 
late George W. Mordecai, who married his 
daughter. In private life he was a sincere 
and unshrinking friend, a kind neighbor, 
just and charitable. But, yet in his younger 
days at least, he observed the advice of Polonius : 

" Beware of eiitniiico into quarrel, 
But Ijeing in, so l)ear tlij'self tliat tlie oppo-ser 
Will beware of thee." 

About 1804 he had an affair of luuior with 
William Duffey, E.sq., in which Judge Cam- 
eron was wounded. But in the course of his 
long life, and especially its close, his career was 
marked by Christian sincerity and benevolence, 
and he was a devoted and humble member of 
the church. He mairied, in 1803, Rebecca, 
daughter of Richard Bennehan, by whom he 
had several children. 

Moses Mordecai was a native of Warren 
County, and the eldest of the large and talented 
family. He read law with George Fitts, and 
settled in Raleigh, and became one of the most 
able lawyers of tlie State. He died at Raleigh 
at an early age. His brothers were: 

Samuel, studied medicine under Dr. Stephen 
Davis, graduated at I'hiladelphia and moved 
to Mobile, where he acquired fame and fortune. 

Alfred, giaduated at West Point, was sent 



432 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



•with McClellan to Europe to report upon tlie 
improvements in warfare. On the commence- 
ment of the Civil War lie resigned his commis- 
sion . 

George W. , who was a lawyer, President of the 
Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, and also of the 
Bank of the State of Nortli Carolina. He died 
a few years ago universally respected and re- 
gretted. 

Edmund B. Freeman, was horn at Falmouth, 
in the State of Massachusetts, in 1*795, and 
died in 1848. In 1805 he was hrought to this 
State by his father, the Rev. Jonathan Otis 
Freeman, who for many years was at the head 
of many classical schools of a liigh cliaracter — 
as Murfreesboro', Salisbury, and elsewhere The 
son, after completing his education, devoted 
himself to the study of the law, and after due 
preparation was admitted to practice. He, liow- 
ever, never attended much to the profession. 
In early life he became editor of tlie Halifax 
Compiler, a paper publislied in tlie town of 
Halifax. About tlie year 1830 he was elected 
reading clerk of the House of Commons, and 
continued to fill tliat office by successive elec- 
tions lor several years. In 1835 he was cliosen 
principal clerk to the Convention whicli was 
then called to amend tlie Constitution of the 
State. About the same time lie was appointed 
deputy clerk of the Supreme Court, and con- 
tinued to act as such, witli a short intermission, 
until the death of his principal, John L. Hen- 
derson, Esq., in 1845. He was then appointed 
by the judges principal clerk of tlie court, and 
continued in the oflrce until his duath, wliich 
occurred on July 3, 1848, tlie very day on which 
the court itself expired, being abolished by tlie 
adoption of tlie new Cnustitution. As clerk of 
their court, the judges had tlie most exalted 
opinion of Mr. Freeman's eminent integrity and 
capacity, and the members of tlie bar with 
whom be was brouglit into contact and close re- 
lations had not onlj' the most implicit confi- 
dence in him, and regard i'or him, as an officer, 
but also affection for him as a man. Indeed, it 
has been truly said of him that he was honest, 
competent and laithful in evei-y ]mblic duty 
which he was ever called upon to discbarge, and 
that in all the relations of private life he was 
kind-hearted, generous and true. He was 
twice married: "first to Miss Mary McK. Stith, 
of Halifax, by whom he bad one child, and 
then to Mrs. Fiireman, the widow of Wm. 
Foreman, of Pitt County, who died many years 
before him, without leaving any children by 
him. His only child, a daugliter, married Ham- 



den S. Smith, Esq., of Raleigh, who died a few 
years ago, leaving bis widow and three sons, 
who are still living. 

We should do injustice to merit and to long 
and i'aithful pulilic service were we not to record 
the character and services of a servant of the 
State, William Hill, who for nearly forty years 
was Secretary of State, and died in this respon- 
sible position. 

William Plill was born in Surry (now Stokes) 
County, N. C, on the 23d of September, 1773, 
and died in Raleigh on the 29th of October, 
1857, being eighty-four years, one month and 
six days old. 

Of his early life little is known beyond the 
few brief reminiscences occasionally narrated by 
himself. His father, who removed from Caro- 
line County, Va., was a Baptist minister, a 
sterling patriot and an honest man. During 
the war of the Revolution his stirring appeals 
stimulated the Whigs of this section. He was 
Chaplain in the American army at the battle of 
Guilford Court-house. His son William was 
then about eight years old, and he well recol- 
lected hearing the roar of the artillery, being 
only four miles distant from the field of battle. 
He has been heard to relate that a short time 
prior to this battle a band of Tories called at his 
father's house, where he and his mother were, 
and inquired for his father. On being told that 
he was not at homethey departed, avowing their 
intention to hang him if they found him. He 
had incurred their hate by his devoti(m to the 
patriot cause. He was a member of the con- 
vention tliat met at Ilillsboro' in August, 
1775, to imjirovise a system of government for 
the State. The maiden name of his wife, the 
mother of the subject of this memoir, was Eliza 
Halbert. She was a native of Caroline County,/' 
Va. -' 

The late Secretary had in youtli but lim- 
ited educational fiicilities. He followed the plow 
for several months during the year to obtain 
money sufficient to pay his tuition at school the 
remainder of the year. At the early age of six- 
teen he taught school, thus improving his mind 
while he earned a livelihood. 

In the month of July, 1795, having obtained 
a letterof introduction from Major Mark Hardin, 
of Chapel Hill, to James Glasgow, then Secrc- 
taiy of State, he came to Raleigh and entered 
his (Glasgow's) office as a clerk. Associated 
with him in the like capacity was William 
White, Esq., who succeeded Glasgow in office 
in 1798. He continued in the same position 
under Secretary White until aliout Januarv, 



WAKK COUNTY. 



433 



1803, when he was niiirriod to Miss Surah, 
ihiiigliter of Col. John (ileihly. Col. Geddy 
was a stauncli Wlii;;'. He was captured l)y tlio 
British and imprisoiu'd for a lonj:; time in 
Charleston. S. C. lie was a member of the lirst 
convention of the people lield in tiie State on the 
25t]i of Auf^iist, 1774, at New Berne; also of 
tlio convention held at liillsboro' on the 21.st 
of Awgnst, 177") ; and he represented Halifax 
(_,\)unty in tiie State Ijej^islatnre from 177-1 to 
18:i5. 

A son and four daughters, all now living, 
were tlie fruits of this marriage. His wife died 
on February 14, 1833. A short time after his 
marriage ho engaged in the mercantile business 
at Haywood, Chatham County, wliere he re- 
mained but a short time, returning to Raleigh 
during the year 1804. Here, for a while, he fol- 
lowed tlie same ])ursuit, at Riciiard Smith's old 
stand, Mr. Smith being then his clerk. At the 
session of the Legishiture of 1804-5 he was ap- 
pointed Jlagistrate for Wake County. At the 
February term of the court of pleas and quar- 
ter sessions in the year 1806, lie was elected 
Register of the County ; and at February term, 
1807, he was elected County Court Clerk, which 
office he held until he was elected Secretary of 
State in November, 1811, succeeding William 
White, who died in October, 1811. 

In the year 1834 or 1835 he again married. 
His second wife was Mrs. Frances C. Blount, 
relict of Joseph Blount, Esq., of Chowan 
County. Her maiden name was Connor. Sbe 
is a lineal descendant from John Archdale, a 
Quaker, .wlio succeeded Philip Ludwell as Gov- 
ernor of Carolina in the year 1694. Uy this 
marriage there was no issue. 

At the burning of the old Cajjitcd in 1831, 
Mr. Hill succeeded, by strenuous efforts, in pre- 
serving the records of his office, and had them 
removed to what is now the site of the Deaf and 
Dumb A.sylum. By laboring incessantly he 
succeeded in arranging all his papers before the 
meeting of the Legislature. 

He held tire office of Secretary of State, 
through all the mutations of party, to the day of 
his death. 

.Mr. Hill joined the M. E. Church in 1811, 
when Bishops Asbury and McKendree jireached 
in the old State-house. He was baptized jni- 
vately, by immersion. There was then no 
church building in Raleigh. The first church 
built here was that of Rev. Mr. fTlendening, a 
Unitarian, and the building is now used as a 
shop. It is situated on Hargett street, near the; 
shop of David Royster, sr. The next church 



was the Presbyterian, and the next the Metho- 
dist. The only person now living in Raleigh 
who joined the church with Air. Hill is Wesley 
Whitaker, sr. 

Many years ago he journeyed to Tennessee, 
then a!i almost unbroken forest. At that time 
it was a perilous undertaking. Robberies were 
by no means uncommon, and Indian outrages 
were of frequent occurrence. The passage of the 
mountains, too, was fraught with danger, as 
there were but few roads, and they almost im- 
passable. While there he met a widow lady 
with an infant, lelt by her husbatid's death in a 
land of strangers, friendless and alone. She 
was endeavoring to make her way back to her 
relatives in Carolina. Obedient to the generous 
impulses of his nature he endeavored to secure 
lier conrlbrt and to shield her as far as he could 
fro)n the hardships incident to the journey, fre- 
quently carrying her infant for hours in his 
arms. In 1811, when a candidate for the office 
he so long and worthily filled, he was oj)posed 
by a gentleman of deserved poimlarity and pow- 
erful family influence. Twice they received each 
an e(iual number of votes. Several membeis of 
the Legislature were confined to their rooms by 
sickness, and a committee was appointed to visit 
them and obtain their votes. One of these gen- 
tlemen, a brother of the widow above mentioned, 
hut an entire stranger to Mr. Hill, ree(dlected 
hearing his sister speak of the kindness shown 
her by him, and cast his vote, on that account, 
for William Hill. That one vote secured his 
election. 

Jlr. Hill had two brothers, one of whom is 
still living. The other was at the battle of the 
Horse Shoe, under Gen. Jackson, and was called 
by the Indians "Captain Big John Hill." He 
luis been dead several years. 

In conclusion we append an article, ])ublished 
several years ago in the Asbeville Messcnijcr, and 
supposed to have been written by the late Gen. 
John G. Bynum : 

" William Hill — Secretary of State. Perhaps 
there is not a gentleman in North Carolina who 
has held office as long, or given as general satis- 
faction to the whole State through its represen- 
tatives and private business intercourse, as the 
one whose name stands at the head of this ar- 
ticle. James Glasgow was the first Secretary 
of the State of North Car(dina after the declara- 
tion of Independence. He held that ofliee until 
1798, and was succeeded by William White, 
who held it till removed by death in 1811, when 
the present Secretary took possession of an office 



434 



WHEELER-8 REMINISCENCES. 



tliat lie has held without interruption over forty 
years ; ever foithful, ever at his post. Mr. Hill 
was born in Sorry County, on Dan River, in 
1773, we believe; his fatherwasa Baptist, and was 
first recommended to consideration by a letter 
(now in the Secretary's office) from Mark 
Hardin to Glasgow. Amid all the changes of 
political strife, the contention, ascendency and 
overthrow of parties in the State, and the 
consequent scrambling for office, the finger of 
proscription has never been applied to our now 
venerable citizen and faithful public servant. In 
glancing at the order in which he has the books 
and papers pertaining to his office arranged, 
while paying him a visit in June last, we were 
struck with the order, precision and methodical 
arrangementofeverytliing belonging to this im- 
jjortant public office. After years of labor, he 
lias just com])leted the arrangement of every 
book and pajier in his office in alphabetical order. 
He begins with the counties commencing at A 
and going through, then he takes up the names 
in the same order ; then in the file of his -papers, 
he takes up the years beginning with the first 
records at 1(J94. The counties are arranged 
from 1735, and State papers from 1776. A refer- 
ence may be now had by him to anything per- 
taining to the history of the State and the Col- 
ony that has been preserved, in a moment's 
time, for the last 150 years, now shrouded in tlic 
gloom of by-gone days, and many and singular 
and woeful are the musty records that are now 
imprisoned and speechless upon his shelves. 
The first grants given by the State of North 
Carolina were dated in 1777. Mr. Hill is now 
in a green old age, and little to hope from the 
pleasures of this fleeting world more than that 
consciousness, which is of m<jre value than gold, 
of having honestly and faithi'uUy performed his 
pai-t upon the stage of human action, with an 
eve single to truth, honesty and the glory of his 
(iod. 

"His probation upon the confines of this 
earth is fast ap])roaching that point 'where the 
good man meets his fate, and evinces to the 
world the excellence of religion and the blissful 
reward of a virtuous and consistent course of 
conduct. Such men are a blessing to the world 
in life, glorify their Creator in death, and leave 
the world the better tor having lived in it, and 
their friends ' not without hope.' Mr. Hill lias 
long been a faithful attendant, a sincere wor- 
shiper and a consistent luember of the Metho- 
dist Church. Long may lie live to adorn her 
communion, and spread abroad in society the 
sweet influences of virtue, honor and religion. 



and when he dies may his exit bo calm, tri- 
umphant and peaceful, for — 

' Death i.s the crown of life ; 
Were death denied, poor man would live in vain. 
Dcatli wounds to cure ; we fall, we rise, we reign, 
Sprinf; from our fetters, hasten to the sliies, 
Wliere hlooming Eden withers from oiu' sight. 
The King of Terrois is the Prince of Peace.' " 

His son. Dr. William G. Hill, was long a 
resident in Raleigh, and much respected as a 
generous and kind friend and skillful jihysician. 
He died a few years since universally esteemed. 
His son, Theophilus H. Hill, is named among 
" the Living Writers of the South," by James 
Wood Davidson, A. M., ISG'J. He is also a na- 
tive of the vicinity of Raleigh, born 1836. He 
is a lawyer by profession, and at one time edited 
the Spirit of the Age. He wrote verses early in 
life, always under impulse or inspiration, with- 
out system or object. A small volume of Mr. 
Hill's production appeared in 1861, entitled 
" Hespor and other Poems," full of fire, ir- 
regular, hasty and crude. His later poems. 
Narcissus, A Gangese Dream, The Pit and the 
Pendulum and Sunset, give proof of the poetic 
genius he possesses, when regulated by study 
and system. Rev. Dr. Craven, the President of 
Trinity College, pronounces Tiie Song of the 
Butterfly one of the finest of tliis kind of poetry 
in tlie English language. Much may bo hoped 
in the future of Mr. Hill. The critic in 
"The Living Wi'iters of the South," on Mr. 
Hill's productions, says that he has been too care- 
less of the gift he possesses, trusting too much 
to tlie inspiration of genius, rather than to re- 
flection and study ; tliat there is something of 
the moody style of Poe and not enough of clieer- 
ful romance is his poems. 

Mrs. Betty M. Zimmerman was a native of 
North Carolina, the daughter of Rev. Thomas 
Meredith, an eminent divine of the Baptist de- 
nomination, and who resided near Raleigh, ed- 
itor of the Baptist Recorder . Some years ago 
she married R. P. Zimmerman, of Georgia. For 
several years she resided in Augusta, but the 
shadow of death there fell upon her life and 
clouded its brightness, for there sleeps her boy, 
to whom she alludes in the beautiful jioems, 
Three Years in Heaven and Christmas Tears. 
Since the war she has lived in Atlanta. Her 
writings display genius and taste, and with 
study and application she would rank among 
the best of "The Female Writers of the South." 

Andrew Johnson, born 1808, died 1875, was 
a native of Raleigh. He })resents a notable in- 
stance of a man rising from the humblest ranks 



WAKE COUNTY. 



435 



of socioty, rciiroil in igni)nuice uinl iiuligonco, 
wlio by integrity, energy and j)erseverauce at- 
tained tlie highest positions of Iionor and dis- 
tinction. His father, Jacob Johnson, lived and 
died in Raleigh ; his death was hastened by 
exertions in saving tlie liil' of a friend from 
drowning. 

In the Raleigh Star of January 12, 1812, 
the following obituary notice appeared : 

"Died, in this city on Saturday last, Jacob 
Johnson, who for many years occupied an hum- 
ble but useful station. He was the city con- 
stable, se.xton and porter to the State Bank. 
In his last illness lie was visited by tiie piiuci- 
j)al inhabitants of tlie city, by all of whom he 
was esteemed for his honesty, sobriety, industry, 
and his humane, friendly dis[)osition. Among 
all by wliom he was known and esteemed, 
none lament him, except perhaps his own 
relatives, more than the publisher of this paper, 
for he owes liis life on a particular occasion to 
the kindness and humanit}' of Johnson." 

His son Andrew was left an orpiian at a ten- 
der age. He was apprenticed to a tailor, and 
worked at the trade until he was seventeen 3'ears 
old. He never had the advantages of school. 
It is said that he was taught to read by his wife, 
but this is doubtful. He told me that he was 
when a boy delighted to hear Dr. William G. 
Hill read, as he often did, to the boys at woik 
from the speeches of Burke, Pitt and others 
from the Columbian Orator, but he did not 
know a letter of the alphabet. Dr. Hill, see- 
ing the interest he took in the book, gave the 
book to him. This was the first book he ever 
owned, and from this book, by application and 
industry, he, unaided by any one, learned to 
read. He felt the importance of knowledge and 
resolved — 

" Witli such jewels 
As (lie aspiring iiiiiid brings from tlio caves of linowledge 
To win liis ransom from tliose twin jailers of the daring 

heart. 
Low birth a'^d iron fortune." 

Ami in this fearful and unequal contest his 
elforts wc^re successful. He moved to Grreenville, 
Tennessee, and nutrricd ; here his conduct 
was so exemplary that in 1830 he was chosen . 
tnayor of the place ; in 1835 he was elected to 
tlie State Legislature, and from 1843 to 1853 
was a Representative in the Congress of the 
United States. "Here," says Forney of the 
Press, in his flowing, expressive style, "we 
knew him well, a calm, quiet man, usually, 
who bore the reputation among the members of 
being too radical and fond of imiiracticable re- 



forms. l>ut when roused he was impetuous, 
rash and dogmatic. He took no advice from any 
one, neither from the precepts of history nor the 
examples before him. He never yielded his 
opinions or condescended to explain them, or 
ask other persons for their opinion. He seemed to 
delight in alarming the timid or irresolute by 
the rapid advance of his theories and ultraisms." 
His land system and judiciary reforms were so 
ultra to tliem that it was predicted that he 
would be slii[)wrecked in the storm he had him- 
self evoked, and swallowed up by the waves of 
radicalism. I'ut he knew tiie workings of the 
poj)ular tide intimately and thoroughly. The 
storm came upon him and his opponents. It 
elevated him and cruslied them forever. The 
peoj)le had confidence in him, for he sprung 
from the people — they " loved him because ho 
first loved them." In 1853 they nominated 
him for Governor (when tlie State had first been 
carried by the Whigs against General Pierce) 
in opposition to Gustavus A. Henry, an able, 
active and pi'acticed statesman, whose eloquence 
won for him the title of " The Eagle Orator," 
yet, with these odds, Johnson fearlessly entered 
thefield,and byargurnentand truth overcame the 
elegant and ornate Henry. But the campaign 
of 1855 was most critical in the political wars 
of Governor Johnson, as it was the most impor- 
tant. The canvass commenced with the meteoric 
advent of the American party which was visible 
in the political hori2»u. It had just begun 
its career of unparalleled and brilliant success, 
and had swept within its orbit men of all par- 
ties and of all jjrinciples. This new organiza- 
tion, called " the Know Nothing party," a most 
appropriate name, was so called from "the secrecy 
and mystery of its rites, binding its votaries 
by oath to oppose the election of all foreigners 
and Catholics, and to so amend the Constitution 
that all foreigners should remain for twenty- 
one years, after reaching this country, before 
they should be permitted to vote. Never did a 
task appear more hopeless than any op])osition to 
this powerful and progressive party. Yet John- 
son buckled on his armor for the fray — the more 
formidable the advance the heavier was his 
resistance and the heavier were his blows. The 
election of Mr. Gentry, his opponent, seemed 
so certain that Jolinson's friends invited him 
to witlidraw, or at least begged him to be more 
moderate in his declamation and less hostile and 
aggressive in his attacks. But he spurned their 
timid counsel, and opened his campaign by 
heavy and stalwart blows, which fell heavier as 
the contest thickened ; victory perched on John- 



43r. 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



son's baiiuer, and lie obtaiiieil a trimni)liaiit 
majority. In 1857 lie was elected a Senator of 
the United States, which he resigned in 1862 on 
being ajipointed Military Grovernor of Tennes- 
see. These were troublous and jierilous times, 
but Governor Johnson bore himself as became 
a man of courage and discretion. In 1864 ho 
was elected Vice-President, and on the death of 
Lincoln (Aiiril 15, 1865,) he became President 
of the United States: His course as President 
did not please tlie dominaat party, and on Feb- 
ruary 22, 1868, the House of Representatives 
ado])ted resolutions of imj)eachiuent, founded 
chiefly on alleged misconduct under the ten- 
urc-ot-office act. He was tried by the Senate, 
organized as a high court of impeachment, and 
acquitted. After his term as President expired 
he returned to his home in Tennessee, and was 
elected again Senator in Congress for the term 
commencing 1875, and sat during the extra 
session. He died soon after this at his residence, 
July 31, 1875. The verdict ol' the country was 
that he was an honest and remarkable man. 

Three brothers, Joel, Joseph and Jesse Lane, 
removed from the County of Halifax, on the Roa- 
noke, more than one hundred years ago, to 
Wake County, (formed 1770,) then Johnstun, 
(1746.) Colonel Joel Lane built on Hillsboro' 
street, in Raleigh, the residence of the late 
Wm. Bojdan, and was one of the wealthiest and 
best known of these brothers. He was a mem- 
ber of the Provincial Council, which met at 
Hillsboro' August 21, 1775. The General 
Assembly in June, 1781, met at his house; 
Colonel Lane was at this time Senator from 
Wake, and continued to represent the County 
up to the date of his death in 1795. On April 4, 
l7y2, lie conveyed one thousand acres of land 
to the State immediately contiguous to his resi- 
dence, at Wake Court House, upon which the 
City of Raleigh now stands.* 
^ General Joseph Lane, Governor Henry S. 
•Lane, Senator and Governor of Indiana, and 
the late George W. Lane, Judge of United States 
Court of Alabama, were cousins, the grandsons 

* The coimiiissiouers to whom this conveyance was made 
were Frederick Ilargett, Willie Jones, Josepli McDowell, 
Thomas Blonnt, AVm. Johnson Dawson and Jas. Martin. 
The place was fixed by an ordinance of the convention 
tliat met at Hillsboro' Auo;nst, 1788. The corner stone 
of tlie State House was laid in December, 1792, and in 
December, 1794, the General Assembly met in it for the 
iirst time. It was consumed by accidental tire on June 
21, 1831, and on July 4, 1833, the corner stone of the pres- 
ent State House was laid. The first Legislature of North 
Carolina met at the house of Ricliard Sanderson, on Lit- 
tle River, in Perquimans County, in 1715. Up to tliis 
time the Legislature had no local habitation. 



of Jesse and great nephews of Colonel Joel 
Lane. 

Josepli Lane was born in Buncombe Ciiunty, 
North Carolina, on Ueceinber 14, 1801. In 
1804 his father migrated to tlie West, and 
settled in Henderson County, Kentucky. 
Thence, in the year 1816, his son went into 
Warwick County, Indiana, where he became a 
clerk in a mercantile house, a position in which 
he remained some years. Having married and 
fixed his ai)ode, as he then thought, ibr life, in 
Vanderburgh County, young Lane soon gained 
the confidence and esteem of the people, and at 
the election of 1822 was chosen by the voters 
of that County and Warwick a member of the 
Indiana TiCgislature. He was barely eligible 
when he took his seat, and though at that early 
age "a man of family," he seems, from the 
acc(.uints of his contemporaries, to have pre- 
sented at his entrance into public life the appear- 
ance of quite a juvenile legislator. Hon. Oliver 
H. Smitli, for several - years a United States 
Senatoi-, and a political opponent of General 
Lane, in a work recently published, thus de- 
scribed his appearance at tiie opening of the 
Legislature, of which body ho himself was also 
a new member : "The roll calling progressed 
as I stood by the side of the clerk. ' The 
County of Vanderburgh and Warwick,' said the 
clerk. I saw advancing a slender, freckled-faced 
boy, in appearance eighteen or twenty years of 
age. I marked his step as he came np to my 
side, and have often noticed his air since ; it 
was General Lane, of Mexican and Oregon 
fame in after years." 

The youthful representative of Vanderburgh 
and Warwick was subsequently freijuently re- 
elected by the voters of those Counties, and con- 
tinued to serve them, at intervals of one or two 
years, in one or the other branch of the Legis- 
lature, from the year 1822 to 1846, a period of 
twenty-four years. To any one who knows the 
fidelity of General Lane to tlie high and re- 
sponsible public trusts confided to him, it is 
needless to say, that as a member of the Indiana 
Legislature he was vigilant, active and eflicient. 
Tenacious of the rights and zealous to promote 
the interests of his constituents, he was at the 
same time just and liberal in liis views on all 
questions affecting the rights and interests of 
other portions of the State. At a time when it 
was thought that Indiana, over-burdened with 
debt, would be compelled to repudiate, he 
labored untiringly to save the State from this 
deep disgrace, and had the satisfaction at last 
of seeing his efforts crowned with success. 



WAKE COUNTY. 



437 



Always capable of expressing his views clearly 
and lorcibly ou every subject of legislation, 
General Lane jnstly thouglit tiiat too much of 
the time of all legislative bodies was consnined 
in idle and unjjrofitable debate. He accordingly 
did not obtrude his opinions on the body of 
which he was a member, on all occasions, 
whether suitable or unsuitable ; but strove to 
discharge his legislative duties in a way which, 
if not ([uite so ostentatious, lie well knew was 
far more (^'editable to himself and useful to his 
constituents. 

An ardent supporter of the administration of 
General Jackson and Martin Van Buren as long 
as the latter ibllowed " in the ibotsteps of his 
illustrious predecessor," General Lane took an 
active part in the struggles between the Demo- 
cratic and old Whig parties, and by his great 
weight of character and frcijuent and laborious 
canvassing, he infused a spirit like liis own into 
the Democracy of his State. 

In the spring of 1840 tlic war commenced 
between the United States and Mexico, and a call 
was made ui>ou Indjana for volunteers. Among 
the first to respond to this call was Joseph Lane. 
Without waiting for a commission from the 
President, regardless of every consideration of 
self interest or self aggrandizement, looking 
only to the ftxct that his country required his 
services, he enlisted as a private in Captain 
Walker's company, Second Regiment of Indiana 
Volunteers. His fellow-soldiers, however, had 
no idea of permitting to remain in the ranks 
one whom nature had so obviously endowed 
with the qualities of a commander. He was 
accordingly, on the completion o1' the regiment, 
unanimously elected Colonel. Soon after, on 
the recommendation of the Indisma delegation 
in Congress, and witliout any solicitation on his 
])art. President Polk sent him a commission of 
Brigadier-General. 

The first .service, if service it can be called, 
required of General Lane, after his arrival in 
Mexico was extremely irksome and disagreeable. 
Stationed by order of the commanding-general, 
with his brigade, in a swamp on the banks of 
the Rio Grande, lie was compelled to remain 
inactive several montlis. Here, under the 
swelting lieats of a tropical sun, his troops were 
decimated by the diseases peculiar to tliat 
pestilential climate. He, himself, was almost 
the only man belonging to the brigade who was 
not prostrated at some period during their 
long confinement on that fatal spot. At length 
the welcome order came to advance to Saltillo, 
ol' which place, on his arrival, he was appointed 



by General Butler civil and military Governor. 
Here, however, lie was not long permitted to 
remain, being ordered, with his command, after 
the battle of Monterey, to join General Taylor. 

On February 22 and 23, 1847, was fought 
the great battle of Buena Vista, which in noth- 
ing, save the number of the C(unbatants, falls 
short of the most famous of modern times. 
Tlie disposition of the American troops by tlie 
commanding-general was such tliat, <luriug the 
engagement, the brigade of General Lane was 
in the hottest of the fight from the beginning 
to the end. The hostile operations of the op- 
l)osing armies, resulting in the great battle of 
the 23d, commenced on the heights around 
Buena Vista on the 22d. On the afternoon of 
that daj', the Mexican lines being sufficiently 
advanced, a sliell thrown i'roiii a howitzer, by 
order of Santa Anna, was the signal for the 
attack. Immediately a heavy fire, in continued 
rolling volleys, was opened by the Mexican light 
troops under Ampudia, upon the American 
skirmishers on the opposite ridge of the moun- 
tain. The Americans replied with spirit, and 
the firing was kept up with much animation on 
both sides, but without any definite result, 
until darkness put an end to the combat, and 
both parties retired, to await a renewal of the 
strife on a more extended scale on the following 
day. 

On the morning of the '23d the battle was re- 
newed, and raged with the greatest fury through- 
out the day. Tlie first movement of Santa Anna 
was to turn the lett flank of the Americans. 
Four companies, under Major Gorman, were de- 
spatched by Gen. Lane to intercept tliis move- 
ment. Soon after, three companies of the Second 
Illinois, and three of Marshall's Kentucky regi- 
ments, were sent to Gorman's assistance. While 
these troops were engaged with the enemy on 
the brow of the mountain, a large body of Mexi- 
cans, six thousand strong, advanced to the plain, 
toward the position held by Gen. Lane. He im- 
mediately formed his little band, now reduced 
to 400 men, into line, to receive the onset of 
this immense force. Hardly was this movement 
completed when the Mexicans opened a tre- 
mendous fire from their entire line, which was 
returned by the Americans with ])romptness and 
good eftect. " Nothing," says an eye-witness, 
"could exceed the imposing and iearful appear- 
ance of the torrent of assailants, which, at this 
moment, swept along toward tlie little band of 
Lane. The long lines of infantry delivered 
a continued and unbroken sheet of fire. But 
their opponents, though few in number, were 



438 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



undismayed, and defended tlieir position with a 
gallantry worthy of the highest praise. Several 
times I observed the Mexican lines, galled by 
the American musketry, and shattered by 
the fearful discharges from O'Brien's battery, 
break and fall back, but their successive forma- 
tions beyond the ridge enabled them to force 
the men back to their position, and quickly re- 
place those who were slain." 

Thus commenced the battle on the plain of 
Bueua Vista on the morning of the 23d, and- 
continued to rage with unabated fury and vary- 
ing success to that close of that memorable and 
eventful day. In j)roportion to the violence and 
impetuosity of the assaults of the Mexicans on 
the American lines, was the steady and unshaken 
firmnesswith which those assaults were received. 
If at any time a regiment, overcome by superior 
numbers, was compelled to give way, another 
quickly advanced to the rescue, drove back the 
enemy, and enabled it to regain its former posi- 
tion. In this way the Mexican General was 
kept at bay, his strength defied, his most skill- 
ful combinations and manceuvers baffled and de- 
feated by his vigilant and active foe. Late in 
the afternoon, finding stratagem and force alike 
unavailing, the day drawing to a close and no 
chasm yet opened tor his legions in the ranks ot 
the eneniy, Santa Anna determined, bj' assailing 
the weakest part of the American line with an 
overwhelming force, to make a last desperate 
effort to win the day. Collecting all his infantry, 
he ordered them to charge the Illinois and Ken- 
tucky regiments. Tiiese brave troops made a 
gallant resistance against the fearful odds op- 
posed to them ; but, seeing their leaders fall, and 
overpowered by vastly superior numbers, they 
gave way and began to fall back. Gen. Lane, 
at this critical moment, hastened forward with 
liis brigade, and opening a destructive fire upon 
the Mexicans, checked their advance, and en- 
alded the retreating regiments to form and return 
to the contest. This was Santa Anna's last 
struggle on that hotly-contested and bloody field. 
Night spread her mantle over the scene of con- 
flict. The weary Americans sank to repose on 
a gory bed, expecting a renewal of the strife on 
the following day. Morning came — but no 
enemy appeared. Silently during the night, 
Santa Anna, with his shattered legions, had re- 
tired, leaving the victorious Americans masters 
of the field. 

Gen. Lane, having been transferred in the 
summer of 1847 to the line of Gen. Scott's 
operations, reached Vera Cruz in the early part 
of Septemlier. On the 20th of that month he 



set out toward the City of Mexico with a force 
of about two thousand five hundred men, con- 
sisting of one regiment of Indiana and one of 
Ohio volunteers, two battalions of recruits, five 
small companies of volunteer horse, and two 
pieces of artillery. This force was subsequently 
augmented at Jalapa by a junction with Major 
Lally's column of one thousand men, and at Pe- 
rote its strength was further increased by a com- 
pany of mounted riflemen and two of volunteer 
infantry, besides two pieces of artillery. Several 
small guerrilla parties appeared atdifferenttimes 
on the route and attacked the advance and rear 
guards, but were quickly repulsed ; and the 
column continued its advance unmolested along 
the great road leading through Puebla to the 
City of Mexico. 

At this time Col. Childs of the regular army, 
with a garrison of five hundred effective troops 
and one thousand eight hundred invalids, was 
besieged in Puebla by a large force of Mexicans 
commanded by Santa Anna in person. This 
general, notwithstanding his many defeats, with 
a spirit unbroken by misfortune, and an energy 
that deserves our highest admiration, however 
much we may reprobate the cause in which he 
was engaged, had collected the remnant of his 
beaten army, determined, if possible, to wrest 
Puebla from the gi'asp of the American general, 
Scott, and thus cutoff his communications with 
the sea coast. The gallant Childs well under- 
stood that the maintenance of his post was of 
the utmost importance to the success of the cam- 
■ paign. Every officer and soldier under his com- 
mand seemed also to comprehend the immensity 
of the stake ; and both officers and soldiers ex- 
hibited the loftiest heroism, and the most un- 
yielding fortitude, in meeting the dangers and 
enduring the fatigues and privatio'ns of a jiro- 
tracted siege. Aware that a strong column, 
under Gen. Lane,- was marching from Vera Cruz 
to their relief, the great object to be gained by 
the garrison was time. Santa Anna, also aware 
of Gen. Lane's approach, redoubled his exer- 
tions to carry the place by storm, superintend- 
ing the ojierations of the corps in person, direct- 
ing the guns to such parts of the defenses as 
appeared most vulnerable, and watching with 
intense anxiety the effect of every shot. Con- 
vinced at length by the obstinate resistance of 
the besieged, and the lessening distance between 
him and his advancing and dreaded foe, that he 
must abandon his position and encounter the 
"Marion of the war" in an open field, he 
silently and cautiously withdrew, and with the 
main body of his troops moved in the direction 



WAKE COUNTY. 



439 



of Huciitla, iiitentling, wlien Gon. Lane liad 
passed tliat point, to iiiake an attack upon liis 
roar, wliik' anotlier strong force sliould assail 
him at the same time from tlie direction of Pu- 
ehla. Gen. Lane heing informed of Santa Anna's 
movements, at once penetrated liis designs. 
Witli tlie promptness of decision disphiyed in all 
liis milifary operations, he djvided his force, 
leaving tlie Ohio volunteers and a battalion of 
recruits, with two field guns, to guard the wagon 
trains. With the remainder of his column lie 
marched, by a route diverging from the main 
road, directly toward Huentla. 

On the morning of October 9th the people 
of Hnamantla were startled and dismayed to 
behold the formidable and glittering array 
spread out over the neighboring hills. White 
flags were immediately hung out in a token of 
submission, and tlie place seemed to have sur- 
rendered without a blow from its panic-stricken 
inhabitants. But suddenly the advanced guard, 
under Captain Walker, having entered the town, 
was assailed on every side by volleysof musketry. 
He immediately ordered a cliarge upon a body of 
500 lancers, stationed witli two pieces of artillery 
in the plaza. A furious and deadly combat en- 
sued. Gen. Lane advancing at the head of his 
column encountered the heavy reinforcement or- 
dered up by Santa Anna, who had now arrived 
with his whole force. Soon the roar of battle 
resounded through every street, and street and 
plaza were reddened with blood and covered 
with heaps of the slain. The Mexicans, for 
a short time, combated their assailants with 
the energy"- and fury of despair. But tlie steady 
and well-directed valor of the soldier of tlie 
" Republic of the North," bore down all oppo- 
sition. The Mexican ranks were broken and 
tlirown into disorder ; the order to retreat was 
given ; and the American flag waved in triumph 
over the treacherous city of Huentla. 

This was the last field on which Santa Anna 
appeared in arms against the United States. 
Tliis remarkable man, universallyacknowledged 
to be able and active, was never a successful 
Commander. Wliether tliiswant of success is to 
be ascribed to the superior generalship of tlie 
leaders and prowess of the troops opposed to 
liim, or to his own instability of purpose in the 
very crisis of battle, when vigor and decision 
are most re(iuire(l, we will not stop to ini^uire. 
Having, during the progress of the war, col- 
lected several large armies, and led them to de- 
feat, he had determined with that which re- 
mained to him to make a last effort to retrieve 
his fortunes, and Huentla was selected as the 



Waterloo, wliere his waning star should shine 
out in cloudless effulgence, or sink to rise no 
more. If he did not encounter a Wellington on 
that field, he encountered one wiio, with Well- 
ington's courage, united many of the higher 
qualities of a military' commander. Perhaps ho 
relied upon Gen. Lane's want of exjierience ; 
but the courage and conduct of the latter at 
Buena Vista should have admonished him of the 
hopelessness of a contest in an open and equal 
field with such an officer, at the head of troojis 
comparatively fresh, in high spirits, with full 
confidence in the skill and courage of theif 
leader, and burning to rival the heroic deeds of 
their countrymen at Chapultepec and Cerro 
Gordo. Although Santa Anna from this time 
withdrew from an active jiarticipation in the 
contest between the belligerent nations, the 
bloody drama in which he liad played so con- 
spicuous a part was not yet closed. Much re- 
mained to be done to complete the conquest so 
auspiciously begun on the banks of the Eio 
Grande and prosecuted with such vigor by Scott 
in the valley of Mexico. Many bloody fields 
were yet to bo won ; many desperate bands of 
guerrillas yet to be defeated and dispersed, to 
render the subjugation of the country complete. 

Defeated at Huentla, the remnant of the 
Mexican force fell back on Atlixo, where, on 
October 18th, a large body, with munitions 
and supplies, and two pieces of artiller}', were 
collected, under the orders of Gen. Rea. Gen. 
Lane hearing of the concentration of the enemy's 
troops at that point, hastened with the small 
force at his disiiosal to attack tliem. Al'ter a long 
and fatiguing march on a hot and sultry day, 
he encountered the enemy strongly jiostcd on a 
hill-side, vvitliin a mile and a half from Atlixo. 
The Mexicans made a show of desjieiate resist- 
ance, but being vigorously assaulted by the cav- 
alry, closely followed by the entire column, thej' 
gave way and fled in confusion toward the town. 
It was not until after night-fall that the whole 
command of Gen. Lane reached Atlixo, having 
mjirched ten Spanish leagues since eleven o'clock 
in the forenoon. Disposing his troops in such 
mannei- as to command the approaches b}' the 
main roads, he opened a vigorous cannonade 
from a heiglit which commanded the town. 
The guerrillas, however, had fled, and the aii- 
tliorities having soon after surrendered tlie place 
into his hands, his weary troojis entered the 
town and sought the repose they so much 
needed. 

It is impossible, within the limited space al- 
loted to this sketch, to present a detailed account 



440 



WHEELER'S REMmiSCENCES. 



of all Gen. Lane's military operations at this 
period. In authentic histories of the war and 
official documents filed in the archives of gov- 
ernment, the reader will find tiie record of his 
achievements — his long and toilsome marches 
by niglit and by day over a wild and rugged 
country, full of narrow defiles and dangerous 
passes ; his frequent surprises of the enemy ; his 
sudden incursions far away into remote valley 
and plain ; liis fierce combats and glorious vic- 
tories. At Tlaxcala, Matamoras, Jalapa, Tu- 
lancingo, Zacuata})lan,' as at Huentla and 
Olintla, Mexican valor yielded to the force of his 
impetuous and well-directed assaults. On every 
field tlie ranks of tlie enemy went down before 
tlie tliundcring charge of his cavalry, the fierce 
onset of his resistless infantry. The faTne of 
his achievements soon spread tlirougli Mexico, 
and the terror with which the enemy was in- 
spired by his deatli-dealing blows and almost 
ubiquitous presence, was equaled only by the un- 
bounded confidence and enthusiasm infused into 
his followers by bis gallant bearing, and tlie 
prestige of a name ever relied on by them as tlie 
sure guarantee of victory. For one quality as 
much as any other, perhaps more than even his 
dauntless courage. Gen. Lane was distinguished 
throughout tlie war — humantfyto thevauquisJied. 
His bright fame was unsullied, his escutcheon 
untarnished bya single act of wanton outrage or 
crnelty during tlie wiiole time lie bore a commis- 
sion in the American army. Wlien the figlit 
was over and the victory won, tlie field of car- 
nage where a short time before foeman liad met 
foeman in deadly conflict, presented the specta- 
cle of stern and swarthy warriors imbued with 
tlie liumano spirit of their leader, bending over 
tlie lieajis nf the dying and tlio dead, selecting 
now a i'riend and now a foe. iVom wliom tlie 
vital spark had not yet fled, staunching his 
wounds, and if the sufferer had not yet passed 
beyond tlie jiower of liiiinan aid to save, restor- 
ing him l)y tlieir kind ministrations to life and 
health, tlimily, home and friends. An officer 
thus distinguished Cor courage and Immanity ; 
unyielding f)rtitiide under tlie severest priva- 
tions; an originality and promiitness in the for- 
mation of his plans, surpassed only by the bold- 
ness and rapidity of their execution ; a celerity 
of movement which annihilated time and dis- 
tance ; with a power of endurance that defied 
hunger and thirst, heat and cold — such an 
officer, never for a moment relaxing his exer- 
tions, and daily adding some new name to the 
list <if his conquests, could not fail to attract the 
attention and excite the admiration of fhearmv, 



and win the approbation and applause of his 
countrymen in all parts of the United States. 
There was a tinge of romance in his exploits 
which possessed on irresistible attraction, and 
ciptivated the imagination of all classes of ad- 
mirers. But imagination has had little to do 
with tlie final judgment which his countrymen 
have pronounced upon his conduct. The paral- 
lel traced at the time between his deeds and 
character and those of an illustrious hero of the 
Revolution, suggested to his countrymen a suit- 
able way of testifying their appreciation of his 
services and admiration of his character ; and 
they have, with a unanimity whicb shows that 
the parallel is not altogether imaginary, be- 
stowed upon him a title,prouder than any ever con- 
ferred by a patent of nobility from jirince or po- 
tentate— the title of " The Marion of the Mexi- 
can War." 

On March 10, 1848, the treaty of peace 
between the United States and Mexico was 
ratified by the Senate. General Lane remained 
some months in Mexico after peace was con- 
cluded, directing the movements 'and superin- 
tending the embarkation of troops returning 
lunne. 

Returning to the United States in duly, a 
few days after he reached home he was ap- 
pointed by President Polk Governor of the 
Territory of Oregon. This appointment, en- 
tirely unsolicited. General Lane, against the 
wishes of many of his friends, concluded to 
accept ; and having made the necessary prepa- 
rations, started across the plains in September, 
with an escort of twenty men. After a journey 
across tlie plains and mountains, full of peril 
and hardship, he ari'ived in Oregon in March, 
1849, and immediately organized the Territorial 
Government. 

Of the ability with which he performed the 
duties of Governor, no better testinnmy could 
be given than is furnished by the fact that 
when superseded by Governor Gaines, on the 
accession of General Taylor to the Presidency, 
he was elected by the people of Oregon Delegate 
in Congress, a position which he long held. 

The military career of General Lane did not 
close with the termination of hostilities between 
the United States and Mexico. In Oregon he 
was destined to add other laurels to those 
already won. The Indians of that territory 
gave the whites much trouble, destroying lives 
and jiroperty, and thereby greatly impeding 
the progress and retarding the settlement of 
the country. In 1853 occurred a formidable 
outbreak on Rogue river, in the southern part of 



WAKE OOllNTY. 



441 



Orcgun. (u'lu'ral Lane iimiK'diaf(.'ly coUectcil 
ii I'urco, composed of settlors, iniiiers iuul a lew 
officers ami soliliers of the regular army, at- 
tacked tlie Indians near Table Rock, and after 
a desperate conflict, in whicli lie was severely 
wounded, drove them from their position. 
Following uj) tliis success with great vigor, he 
administered such chastisement that they soon 
gave up the contest, and were glad to accede to 
any terms of peace. 

Ho continued in Congress till the admission 
of Oregon as a State, when lie was chosen 
Senator in Congress until 1801. 

In 1800 he was nominated as Vice-President 
with i\[r. Breckearidge, but defeated. He has 
since retired from public life, but his gallant 
son, Lafayette Lane, born 1812, elected a mem- 
ber to tiie 44th Congress, 1875-77, worthily 
bears his name and his honors — the worthy son 
of a gallant father. 

William Woods HoUleu resides in Raleigh, 
a native ol' Orange County, where he was born 
November 24, 1818. His early education was 
at an " old field school" until he was sixteen 
years old, when ho was employed at Dennis 
Heartt's j)rinting office, in Hillsboro', N. C. 
At the ago of eighteen he went to Raleigh and 
was employed in the office of Thomas J. 
Lema_y, Esq. He read law and was admitted to 
the bar in 1841. But his appropriate element 
was the press. In June, 1843, he purchased 
of Thomas Loringthe Raleigh Siandard, which 
he conducted for twenty-five years with un- 
paralleled ability and success. No ])ai)erin the 
State ever wielded a more powerful influence in 
North Carolina. It killed and made alive. Al- 
though it was thought at the time to be an un- 
meaning and empty boast, yet history records 
that its favor did make the political fortunes of 
many, while. its frowns withered, with upas-like 
influence, the hopes of others. In 1846 Mr. 
Holden was elected a member of the House of 
Commons from Wake County, but this was not 
the arena suited to his character or his tastes, 
and he declined a re-election. He served several 
years as a member of the Literary Board, un- 
der the administrations of Governors Bragg and 
Ellis. He was also one of t!ie commissioners of 
the Deaf and Dumb Institution and of the Insane 
Asylum. He was a member of the Secession 
Convention in 1801, and signed the ordinance 
separating North Carolina from the Union. 
During the war Mr. Holden was a sufferer, and 
his office was ravaged by violence. On May 29, 
1805, he was appointed by the President Pro- 
visional Governor of North Carolina under the 



roconstruction plan of I'rosidt'ut Johnson. In 
1800 he was ollered the mission to San Salva- 
dor, whicli lie declined.* 

Ill A{)ril, 1808, he was elected Governor of 
the State for four years by popular vote over 
Judge Thomas S. Ashe, which stood 92,235 
for Holden and 73,594 for Ashe. Parties 
were now arrayed in angry antagonism, and 
madness and misrule marks this era. Mat- 
ters came to such a crisis that the House of 
Represontativos on December 20, 1870, pre- 
sented eight articles of impeachment again.st 
Governor Holden " lor high crimes and misde- 
meanors" to the Senate, wliich as a high court 
of impeachment jiroceoded to try the same. 
Chief Justice Pearson presided ; the managers 
appointed by the House were Thomas Sparrow, 
chairman; James G. Scott, of Onslow ; Wm. 
G. W'elch, of Haywood; T. D. Johnston, of 
Buncombe; G. A. Gregory, of Martin ; Jno. W. 
Dimham, of Wilson ; C. W. Broadtbot, of Cum - 
berland. Governors W. A. Graham and Thomas 
Bragg and Judge A. S. Merrimon were coun- 
sel for the managers. Nor were the counsel for 
the respondent obscure or less able. They were 
Hon. W. N. H. Smith, now Chief Justice of 
the Supreme Court ; Nathaniel Boyden, J. M. 
McCorkle, Edward Conigland and Richard Bad- 
ger, Esquires. After a patient examination of 
the testimony and arguments by both sides, the 
Senate did, iilarch 22, 1871, by a vote of two- 
thirds of the members, pronounce W. W. Hol- 
den guilty of the charges contained in six of 
the eight articles, and pronounced the sentence 
that " iie be removed from the office of (lov- 
ernor and disqualified to hold any office of trust, 
honor or profit under the State of North Caro- 
lina" — the first of the United States to get 
rid of a Governor in this way. After this 
event Governor Holden, (succeeded by Todd 
R Caldwell as Governor.) came to Washington, 
and for a time was tlie editor of the National 
liepuhVican: After being for a time in this 
position he returned to Raleigh and was aj)- 
pointed Postmaster of that place. Gov. Hol- 
den is now in "the sear and yellow leaf of life." 
lie lias been twice married: first to Miss A. 
Young in 1841, and second to Louisa Virginia 
Harrison, by whom he has an interesting family. 
In this sketch we have tried to state only ac- 
knowledged facts, without extenuation or " set- 
ting down aught, in malice." History will 



* His defeat by Governor AVorth in 1865 is recited in 
tlie sketch of tluit gentleman under head of Randolph 
County. 



442 



WHEIiLEE'S REMINISCENCES. 



isliow tliat lie was " uioro sinned against than 
sinning." 

Judge Daniel Gr. Fowle resides in Raleigh. 
He was born and raised in Washington, Beau- 
fort County, the son of the late Samuel R. 
Fowle, a prominent merchant at that place, a 
native of Boston, and a useful citizen. He 
studied law and has attained eminence in his 
]irofession. He served in the army as Lieutenant- 
Colonel of the Thirty-first Regiment and as 
Adjutant-General of the State. In 1865 he was 
ajjpointod by Governor Holden one of the judges 
of the Superior Court. He is now in the suc- 
cessful jtractice of his profession and a promi- 
nent candidate for Governor, and known as the 
silver-tongued orator. He has been twice mar- 
ried : first to a daughter of Judge Pearson, and 
then to Mary, daughter of Dr. Fabius J. Hay- 
wood, of Raleigh. 

John Watrous Beckwith is now the Episco- 
jial Bishop of Georgia. He is a native of Ra- 
leigh, son of Dr. John Beckwith, and graduated 
at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. He read 
law and jiracticed for a time, but exchanged, as 
Hawks and others, tlie bar for the pulpit. He 
was ordained as a deacon at Wilmington in 
1854, and a priest at Warrentou in 1856. He 
was residing in Maryland at the opening of the 
war, and, as his brother Polk^ felt it a duty to 
God and his country to join the suffering South. 
He entered as Chaplain, served through Missis- 
sippi, South Carolina and Georgia until the war 
ended. He then took charge of St. John's 
Church at Savannah, and in 1868 was conse- 
crated Bishop of Georgia. He is a fluent speaker 
and blessed with winning eloquence. 

The Right Reverend John Stark Ravenscroft, 
D. D., Bishop of the Protestant E[)iscopal 
Church in the North Carolina diocese from the 
date of his consecration^ Ajiril 22, 1823, to the 
date of his death, March 5, 1830, was during a 
part of his episcojiate a resident of the city of 
Raleigh. We collate from a memoir by Mr. 
Walker Andersim, attached to the edition of 
his "Works," the following: Bishop Ravens- 
croft, born in the year 1772 upon an estate near 
Blanford, County of Prince George, Virginia, 
long a ])ossession of his family. He was the 
only child of Dr. John Ravenscroft, a gentle- 
man of fortune, educated for the practice of 
medicine ; the mother was a daughter of Mr. 
Hugh Miller, a Scotch gentleman resident of 
the same County, both parents being descended 
on the mother's side from the extensive and re- 
spectable family of Boilings Hesays: "Though 
a native of Virginia, of which State ray pro- 



genitors, as far back as I have been able to trace 
them, with tlie exception of my maternal grand- 
father, were also natives, yet my first recollec- 
tions are of Scotland, my parents having re- 
moved there from Virginia the same year in 
which I was born ; and after an interval of 
about two years sjient in the north of England 
purchased and settled finally in the south of 
Scotland, where my mother and two sisters still 
reside." Here his father died, 1780, and his 
mother availed herself of the excellent opportu- 
nity which Scotland afforded of giving her son a 
classical education ; after he had finished his 
course at one of the most respectable grammar 
schools in that country, she placed him at a 
seminary of somewhat higher grade in the north 
of England, where, besides continuing his clas- 
sical studies, he was instructed in matheniatics, 
natural philosophy and other sciences. He left 
Scotland and reached Virginia in January, 1789, 
then just seventeen years old. He came to look 
after the remains of his father's property. In 
this he was so far successful as to be subsequently 
in easy if not affluent circumstances. He en- 
tered William and Mary College, intending to 
devote himself to the study of the law, of which 
Mr. Wythe was then the professor, but owing 
to the extreme laxity of discipline in the col- 
lege, joined to the large pecuniary allowance 
made by his guardian, habits of extravagance 
and dissipation were induced, and he did not 
derive any great benefit from the lectures of 
this eminent lawyer. This fact is frankly con- 
fessed in the autobiographical sketch referred to. 
It does not appear that he was ever licensed in the 
profession, but in Williamsburg he formed the 
acquaintance of a lady, whose lovely character 
appears from that time to have exerted an in- 
fluence over his wayward disposition sufficiently 
powerful to counteract the advei'se influence of 
his former bad habits and want of religious 
I)rinciples, and to make him the estimable and 
respectable man he afterward became, until the 
more powerful operation of Divine grace brought 
him into God's ministry. About the year 1792 
he visited Scotland for the last time, converted 
his inheritance into money, which justified him 
in marrying the estimable lady just referred to, 
on his return to Virginia. This event occurred 
a short time previous to his coming of age, when 
he married the daughter of Lewis Burwell, of 
Mecklenl)urg County, Virginia, and settled in 
Luneuburgh County, not far from Mr. Bur- 
well ; here he devoted himself to the usual pur- 
suits of a country life. As a husband, a master 
and a member of society, Mr. Ravenscroft was 



WAKE COUNTY. 



443 



evcrvtliiiig tliat was ostiniublc, and tlie absurd 
stoi'ies of iiis loudness for gaming and other low 
vices are utterly groundless. It is true that 
his good <]unlities were all obscured by a more 
than ordinary neglect and ])erliaps contempt 
of religions obligations. And it is tlii.s that 
led him, when afterward connected with the 
church, to loathe himself to the degree which 
was so remarkable a trait of his religious char- 
acter. But many a mere moralist has built his 
claims for acceptance with his God upon a 
foundation far more sltmder than tlie morality 
wliicli Mr. Ravenscroft practiced during tins 
period of his life, though without any reference 
to his accountability. Some groundless stories 
respecting the immediate causes and manner of 
his conversion have been related, and even j)ub- 
lished, but it is well for Mr. Ravenscrol't's own 
reputation that he left in writing an excellent, 
interesting and detailed account of the rise and 
progress in his heart of th'at great rchange by 
which he " put off, concerning the former con- 
versation, the old man and put on the new man." 
Up to that time that he lived without " God in 
the world," as he himself was ever most ready 
to acknowledge, and his life had been the mere 
details of an ordinary irreligious life, passed iu 
the obscurity of the country, possessing neither 
novelty or instruction. 

Though blessed in many ways, more espe- 
cially with a wife who seems to have found her 
happiness in promoting his ; with an estate 
that was equal to his utmost wishes, and with 
the respect and affection of a large circle of 
friends, he yet experienced that truth which 
enters so largely into the experience of every 
man, that the happiness of this world is empty 
and unsatisfying, and his well-informed mind, 
after a night of delusion, was brought to the 
conviction that " here was not his rest." This 
he tliought he found in a body of Christians 
then called Republican Mdliodists ; and influ- 
enced by a personal attachment for one of their 
preachers, Mr. John Robinson, of Charlotte 
County, he and his wife, "who opened her 
mouth with wisdom, and whose tongue was 
the law of kindness," t.jok membership with 
that body. This was in the year 1810 ; in 
1815 he became much exercised on the subject 
of the ministry, believing he was called thereto, 
and was earnestly solicited by his brethren to 
assume its duties. He was compelled, after 
thoroughly canvassing the matter, to look to 
the Protestant Episcopal Church for that de- 
posit of apostolic succession, in which alone is 
the verifiable power to minister in saci'ed things, 



to be found in the United States. On Fc^jruary 
17, 1810, Bishop Moore gave him letters of 
license as a lay-reader, and on April 25, 1817, 
in the Monumental Ciuirch at Riclimond he was 
made deacon, and, for reasons satisfactory to the 
Bisliop and standing committee of the dioce.se, 
at the same time he had conferred upon him the 
orders of priesthood, being ordaiued thereto on 
May 6, 1817, at Fredericksburg ; he returned 
to his parishes of Cumberland, in Lunenburg, 
and of St. James, in the County of Mecklenburg. 
Having lost his wife in 1814, he was married to 
his second wife in 1818, a Miss Bufbrd, of Lu- 
nenburg County, whose consistent Christian 
character was at once a comfort and an aid to 
him during their union. 

In 1823 he received an invitation to take 
charge of the large and floiu-ishing congregation 
at Norfolk, but not conceiving that any call of 
duty accompanied this invitation, he promj)tly 
declined it, " as notliing in the shape of emolu- 
ment could move him from where he was, and 
induce him to sacrifice his predilections and 
attachment to his own flock." He was shortly 
afterward "called" to the Monumental Church, 
in Richmond, to be the assistant of that venerable 
prolate. Bishop Moore. For the good of the 
church, Mr. Ravenscroft was preparing to yield 
to what he considered as an imperative call of 
duty and to accept this invitation, when a call 
of a yet more imperative nature reached him 
from North Carolina, coming under circum- 
stances which at once forbade a rejection. 

The churchin North Carolina had shared the 
same fate during the Revolutionary war that 
had involved all other portions of it in this coun- 
try in so much gloom and depression. The vio- 
lent prejudices, to the injustice of which it is 
hardly necessary to recur, which had brought 
odium and persecution upon its ministers else- 
where, existed here in their full vigor. The 
effect, indeed, of these prejudices seems to have 
been more remarkable in North Carolina than 
any where else, the churcii being identified as 
one of the concomitants of royalty. The cry of 
"down with it, down with it even to the ground," 
accomplished the wishes of the enemies of the 
church ; and long after this Zion had arisen 
from tlie dust and put on her beautiful gar- 
ments, in other [jortions of her borders, her 
children here had still to weep when they re- 
membered her. It was not until the year 1817 
that tiiree clergymen who had been called to the 
towns of Fayetteville, Wilmington and New 
Berne, encouraged by some influential laymen 
in the two last-mentioned towns, proposed a. 



444 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



convention for t-lie inirpose of orgcanizing the 
church in this State. A convention was accord- 
ingly held in New Berne, June, 1817, attended 
by three clergymen and six or eight lay dele- 
gates. The second convention was more num- 
erously attended, and the church irom that 
time continued rapidly to increase, or, to speak 
more propeidy, to revive from her long and 
deadly torpor. At a convention held in Salis- 
bury, attended by all the clergy and an unus- 
ually full delegation of laymen, in the year 
1823, Mr. Ravenscroft was unanimously elected 
bishop of the diocese, and fuinished with the 
requisite testimonial ; he received his high com- 
mission in the city of Philadelphia, April 22, 
1823, where he received his consecration at the 
iiands of the venerable Bishop White, Bishoj)s 
Griswold, Kemj), Croes, Bowen and Brownell 
being also present and assisting. 

]3ishop Ravenscroft was only required to de- 
vote one-half of his time to tlie diocese, tlie other 
portion was used in the pastoral charge of the 
congregation at Raleigli. He set out on his 
Episcopal tour in June, within one month after 
his consecration. 

His devotion to both his diocese and parish 
always continued unremitted, besides " the care 
of all the churches," which to a mind so solic- 
itous as his, respecting every thing that con- 
cerned their well being, was a source of constant 
and corroding anxiety. The mere physical labor 
of hisannual visitations wasanimmensestrain on 
his system. The farthest western County was 
more than three hundred miles distant from the 
more eastern, and yet long after disease had 
established itself in his enfeebled body he punc- 
tually and resolutely made his yearly visits to 
both sections, and these were only discontinued 
a short time previous to his death, when he had 
become utterly incapable of travel. 

In 1828 he was compelled to give up his pas- 
toral duties in the congregation at Raleigh; im- 
mediately the large congregations of New Berne 
and Wilmington both sought his services, in- 
terrupted and hindered as they were, but these 
he declined, and selected the village of Will- 
iamsborough (now in Vance County) as the place 
of his residence, the congregation of that parish 
being small and never had the benefit of regular 
services. About this time he lost the whole of 
his worldly substance by a surety debt, the issue 
of which was his utter financial ruin ; and yet 
a greater misfortune befell him, for, in January, 
1829, he lost his faithful spouse by death. Yet 
was he willing to meet the will of God, and so 
confiding in that blissful hope of immortality, 



he lingered until Mareii 5, 1830, the date of his 
death. His remains were deposited beneath the 
chancel of Christ Church at Raleigh. 

In person. Bishop Ravenscroft was large and 
conimanding, with a countenance; in its general 
aspect, perhaps, austere, but susceptible of the 
most benevolent expression. His manner cor- 
respfinded with his person, especially when ex- 
ercising his ministerial functions, being ren)ark- 
ably dignified, and so solemn and impressive as 
to inspire all who had witnessed it with rever- 
ence. As a man he was liberal in his views, 
independent in his principles, just almost to 
punctiliousness, honest in his intentions, warm 
and kind in his feelings, bold and fearless in the 
cause of truth, and remarkably regardless of 
self in all he said or did. 

As a citizen he was warmly attached to the 
free institutions of our country, and was often 
heard to rejoice thatthe church, of which lie was 
an overseer, was unttauimeled by any alliance 
with the civil power. 

As a neighbor, he was kind and charitable, 
being considerably skilled in medicine ; he was, 
while resident in Virginia, the chief physician 
in his neighborhood, and performed the laborious 
duties attached to this beneficent species of 
charily with cheerfulness and alacrity. 

As a minister of the divine word, Bishop 
Ravenscroft was faithful, diligent and zealous. 
He loved to proclaim the goodness of God and 
the glad tidings of the gosi>el ; and liis appeals 
to the hearts and understanding were fervid and 
animated. He preached the gospel in its utmost 
purity. His success as a preacher no doubt 
arose in part from the familiarity which his 
early experience had given liim with all the re- 
cesses of the unconverted heart, and the search- 
ing fidelity with which'he jiortrayed its utmost 
secret workings. Not like the "spy who had 
merely discovered the outward defenses of the 
enemy's camp, but like one who had been born 
and bred within its precincts, he knew every as- 
sailable point, every defenseless outpost, and 
bearing down upon it wirh impetuous force^ it 
was impossible to withstand the assault. 

His solemn and impressive manner, his finely 
modulated voice, his commanding figure, and 
evident earnestness in the sacred cause in which 
he was engaged, never failed to command the at- 
tention and to move the hearts of his auditory; 
all were constrained to admit his zeal and sin- 
gleness of purpose. Long may the mild influ- 
ence of his pious example continue to bless the 
church which he so dearly loved, and may she ever 
pay a gratefaland merited tribute to his memory. 



WAKE COUNTY. 



445 



Levi Silliraan Ives, D. D., LL. D., was born 
in Meriden, Conn., September 16, 1797, but at 
a very early age removed witli his parents to 
Turin, Lewis County, New York, where lie 
lived until he attained his fif'teentli year, and 
was then entered at the academy in Lowville. 
During the later months of the war witli Great 
Britain iie was in the military service of the 
United States, but upon the return of peace lie 
became a student once mo:'e, and joined the 
classes at Hamilton College in 1810. 

At first lie studied for tlie Presbyterian min- 
istry, but belbre he was ordained was compelled 
to leave tlie college by a very serious illness, 
and when health was restored he changed his 
religious views and united himself to the Prot- 
estant Episcojjalians. He removed to New 
York city in 1820, and studied theology with 
Bisliop Hobart, by whom he was ordained in 
August, 1822 ; tliree years afterward he married 
Ecbeeca, a daughter of the bishop. His first 
mission was to Batavia, in Genessee County, . 
New York ; subsequently he was called to 
Trinity Cliurch, Philad'el])hia, where he was 
ordained to the, priesthood by Bishop White, 
and in 1827 removed to Lancaster, Penn., where 
he had cliarge of Christ Churcli. In tlie next 
year he served as an assistant minister at Christ 
Church, New York city, for about six months, 
when he became rector of St. Luke's in that 
city ; here ho remained until he was consecrated 
bishop of tlie diocese of North Carolina in Sep- 
tember, 1831. In North Carolina he became 
po])ular for his efforts in behalf of education, 
and his success in providing foi' the spiritual 
welfare of the slave population. 

His works on theology, entitled tlie ''Apostles' 
Doctrine and Fellowship," New York, 1844, and 
the "Obedience of Faith," New York, 1849, 
gained him great distinction as a theologian. 
When the excitement as to the Oxford tracts 
began in the Episcopal Church, he made a 
strong eflort in favor of that movement, and so 
alienated from himself the confidence of his 
diocese.* From that time his position became 
exceedingly uncomfortable and most unhajiiiy, 
and while in Kome in 1852 he ojieiily allied 

* It is uii error to s:iy tliat Bisliop Ivt'S iii:nli; a stroii;; 
eflViit ill favor of the O.xfoid uiovemoiit, and so alienated 
from liiniselt tlie coiilidctice of Ids diocese. Bishop Ives 
in conmion witli pciliaps a largo majority of his clergy 
heartily sympathized with that movement, as it w;is only 
carrying out tliosc chinch principles for which Bishop 
Kavenscroft had contended Bisliop Ives alienated the 
confidence of his diocese by endeavoring to introduce 
Romish practices, especially auricular confession, and to 
maintain that they were authorized by the church. — J. 
B. C, jr. 



him.self with the Church of Rome. Such an act, 
as might be expected, received the severe de- 
nunciations of the Protestant religious papers, 
and Doctor Ives defended his course in the pub- 
lication of a book, entitled " The Trials of a 
Mind in its Pi'ogress to Catholicism," (London 
and Boston, 1834.) On his return to America 
he became professor of rhetoric in St. Joseph's 
Theological Seminary, and lectured in the con- 
vents of the Sacred Heart and of the Sisters of 
Charity, in New York city. He also occasion- 
ally .lectured in jiublic, and became active in 
the cause of the Church of Rome as president of 
the conference of St. Vincent de Paul. To 
him the City of New York is indebted for the 
establishment in 1858 of the " Catholic Male 
Protectory," and the "House. of the Angels," 
a home for vagrant and orphan children bf 
Catholic parentage ; both of these were emi- 
nently successful, and were subsequently re- 
moved to West Chester County, in that State. 
Until his death, in 1868, he was i^resideut of 
these institutions. Dr. Ives was a very able 
but strangely erratic gentleman, and a most 
eloijuent speaker ; his conversion to the Romish 
Church was an exceedingly unfortunate circum- 
stance, and without honor or profit ; on the con- 
trary, it drew upon him a great amount of 
obloquy, and will give his name for ever here- 
after a notoriety most undesirable, * over which 
his sincerest friends lament as over a premature 
death . 

Rev. Richard Sliar]) Mason, D. D., was for a 
long time a resident of Raleigh, and the rector 
of the Episcopal Church, iVom 1840 until his 
death in 1875. He was a man of deep and 
diversified learning, and of exemplary and 
agreeable manners. A native of the Island of 
Barbadoes, one of the P^nglish West India 
Islands, where he was born December 29, 1796, 
lie was brought to this country when quite 
young by his ]iarents, and educated in Phila- 
delphia. He was admitted by Bishop White in 
1817 as deacmi of the Episcojial Church, and 
became rector of Christ Church, New Berne. 
In 1820 he was received into the order of priests 
by Bishop Moore (Rich'd Channing) in St. 
Paul's Church, Edenton. Dr. Mason remained 
some ten years in New Berne, a faitlil'ul, active 
pastor, and an earnest, self-denying missionary ; 
for t!ie church had then scarcely any foothold 



* I think the (h'st words most accurate. Bishop Ives' 
friends could not have felt his death a sad event, except 
that it would have jiarted them. They felt his defection 
to Kome ninch inoie deeplv than they could have felt his 
death.— .T. B. ('., jr. 



446 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



in this diocese beyond the limits of New Berne, 
Wilmington and Fayetteville ; to these Dr. 
Mason rejoiced to minister. 

In 1828 he was elected ]iresident of Geneva, 
now Hohart, College, New York, which he ex- 
changed in 1835 for the presidency of Newark 
College, in Delaware. There he trained many 
pupils who became distinguished in after lii'e ; 
he remained for five years, when he became the 
rector of Christ's Church, at Raleigh, and here, 
for the space of an ordinary lifetime, he dis- 
charged ins sacred duties with zeal, integrity 
and great usefulness. All who knew Dr. 
Mason can testify to the purity of his life and 
the sincerity of liis character. Ke died 1875 
universally loved and res})ected, leaving a wife 
and several children. Mrs. Mason is quite an 
authoress, and is named among " Soutliland 
Writers," and one of " theLi ving Female Writers 
of the South," (by May T. Tardy, Pliiladel- 
phia, 1870,) for possessing great merit as a 
writer, and genius as an artist in sculpture ; 
had she devoted her life to art, she would have 
rivaled Harriet Hosraer or Viniiie Ream in ex- 
cellence. Her head of General Lee, cut in 
cameo, is said to be an exquisite work. 

James Saunders, son of William Saunders 
and Bet.sy Hubbard, his wife, daughter of 
Thomas Hubl)ard, was horn April 25, 1765, in 
Lancaster County, Vii-ginia, where the Saunders 
family had been established for near a century. 
On February 16, 1790, he left tlie old home- 
stead intending to go to the then far West, but 
by the persuasion of relatives was prevailed 
upon to remain for near three years in the 
County of Brunswick, Virginia, when having 
abandoned liis purpose to go West, he came to 
North Carolina and settled in the Edenton dis- 
trict. On January 7, 1798, he marrie<l Hannah, 
widow of Jacob Simons, of Chowan County, and 
daug]]ter of James Sitterzen, of Perquimans 
County, who, with Zebulon Clayton, Richard 
Sanderson, James Sumner, Thomas Doctar, 
Jacob Chancey, Joseph Sutton, Nathaniel 
Carrutliers, John Stephey, Marmaduke Norfleet, 
John Stephenson and Thomas West, were on 
March 23, 1734, a^qjointed by Governor Gabriel 
Johnston, " by and with the advice and consent 
of His Majesty's council, justices of the peace 
for the precinct of Perquimans, to set and hold 
a court on the third Monday in the montlis of 
April, July, October and January yearly." 

The only child of tliis marriage was Joseph 
Hubbard Saunders, who was born in Chowan 
County on December 26, 1800. He was educated 
at home in the country and in the town of 



Edenton until he was about fifteen years of age, 
when he was sent to Raleigh to school, where 
he remained until January, 1819, when he 
entered tlie University of North Carolina, join- 
ing the sophomore class, half advanced. In 
June, 1821, he graduated with distinction, 
being, as his contemporaries said, the best 
writer in the college. After his graduation he 
remained at the university as a tutor and as a 
student at law with Judge Nash. Abandoning 
the study of the law for the study of tlieology 
with a view to entering the church, he resigned 
his tutorship upon the death of his father in 
1824, and returned to Edenton, and for several 
years was in charge of tlie academy at that 
jilace. 

On February 6, 1831, in Richmond, Virginia, 
he was ordained a deacon by Bishop Mooie, and 
on Blarch 18, 1832, at Warrenton, North Caro- 
lina, he was made a priest by Bisliop Ives of 
the Episcopal Church. In 1832 and 1833 he 
was in charge of the Episcopal Church at War- 
renton, pi-eacbing also at stated periods at 
Louisburg, Williamsboro', Halifax and Scotland 
Neck. On April 25, 1833, he married Laura 
Lucinda Baker, daughter of Dr. Simmons 
Jones Baker, of Martin County, North Carolina. 
In 1834 he removed to Raleigli in consequence 
of the establishment of the Episcopal school, of 
which institution lie was one of the principal 
promoters, and had been appointed chaplain. 
In spite of the favorable auspices under which 
it was managed the attempt to establish a 
diocesan school for the education of boys in 
Noi'th Carolina proved, for causes unnecessary 
here' to mention, unsuccessful, and in the fall 
of 1836 he moved to Pensacola, Florida, hav- 
ing received a call to the charge of tlie parish 
tliere. mainly through tlie instrumentality of 
Judge John A. Cameron and Judge Walker 
Anderson, then citizens of the phice, but formerly 
of North Carolina. On October 24, 1839, lie 
died of fever, t!ie yellow fever being epidemic 
at that time, and was buried under the vestry 
room of his church. 

A man of great learning united with rare 
practical sense, of deep and unaffected piety, 
and of tireless energy, it was his fortune to 
take a prominent part in shaping the destiny of 
the church he loved so well, botli in his native 
and in his adopted State. Wiien lie entered 
its ministry in North Carolina it had no bishop 
and but a handful of clergy ; before he left it 
an impetus had been given that is felt to this 
day. That day was the seed time, the present 
is the harvest. How he accomplislied so much 



WAKE COUNTY. 



447 



in so short a time is a wonder to every one who 
recalls that he died ere he was yet forty years 
of age. To this day even he is always referred 
to in North Carolina as " the Reverend Mr. 
Saunders." In what esteem he was held in 
Florida will he shown hy an extract from a 
letter i'rom Hon. Walker Anderson, afterward 
chief justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, to 
Rev. W. M. Green, then professor at the Uni- 
versity of North Carolina, now the venerahle 
hishop of Mississippi : 

Pensacola, Florida, October 27, 1839. 
" My Dear Sir: It has heen a long time since 
we interciianged a letter, and it is, a sad occa- 
sion that ])rotnpt8 me now to renew our cor- 
respondence. We have lost a beloved and 
valued friend, and I know it will aiford you a 
mournlhl })leasnre to learn some particulars of 
his last JiDurs. Our excellent jiastor, the Rev. 
Jlr. Saunders, has been removed from his labors 
on (larth to his reward in heaven, and left a 
whole community in tears. He died on Thurs- 
day morning, the 24th instant, after a distress- 
ing illness of eight days with malignant brain 
i'ever. You iiave heard doubtless of the terri- 
ble scourge witli vvhichournearneighbor. Mobile, 
has been visited this fall. Among the fugitives 
from that phace many came here, and, bringing 
the seeds of disease with them, they came only 
to linger and die among strangers. ' There 
were, therefore, many calls upon the sympathy 
of all ; none responded to such calls more freely 
than our dear friend. He was continually 
abi'oad day and night with the sick and dying, 
eximsing himsell fearlessly to the sun and the 
dews. On the Sunday before his illness com- 
menced he preached at the request of the Com- 
niodor.e of the squadron here on board of the 
tlagsliip, and on his return complained that, he 
felt the sun beating powerfully on his head as 
he was preaching ; for the service was on deck, 
and his being elevated brought his head near to 
the awning, which was between them and the 
sun. Though he felt his liead affected from 
this time, he did not complain much of it, and 
•on Tuesday niglit, being called up at midnight 
to visit a young lady who was dying with yel- 
low fever, he went, having to walk near a half 
mile in a high, keen wind. He was up the 
whole night, and spoke to me afterward of the 
r.cvei-e trial of feeling he underwent from the 
painful circumstances of the death-bed he at- 
tended. On Wednesday morning at 9 o'clock 
he was taken with a chill, followed by high 
fever. From the first he had the best mediital 



advice, the fleet surgeons from both the Ameri- 
can and French squadrons being assiduous in 
their attention, and I need not say he was 
nursed as faitiifully as the most devoted love 
could dictate hy his anxious and sorrowing peo- 
])le. His disease at first seemed to be a common 
bilious fever, such as has prevailed lately to 
some extent among us, but which is usually 
mild and easily managed, and in his case it 
seemed to yield readily to the prescriptions, but 
on Monday we began to perceive indications of 
an affection of the brain, and during that night 
we could no longer mistake the malignant ciiar- 
acter of the attack. On Thursday morning 
after waking from a sleep of some hours his 
mind was greatly obscured, and before that 
night came a dismal darkness had settled over 
his fine and well-balanced intellect. He raved 
inces.santly and incoherently, hut in all his 
wanderings God and Christ and heaven was the 
burden of' his thoughts. He was ever going 
through some of the services of the church or 
in a loud and anxious tone exhorting his ])eople. 
He would call on us to ])ray, and with a devout 
and impassionate manner repeat scraps from the 
Prayer Book, and once he got as far in the 
Lord's Prayer as the petition ' Thy will be 
done.' This continued with but little inter- 
mission for forty-eight liours ; for even when 
his strength failed him by bending your ear to 
his lips you would find he still was whispering 
al)out the church and kindred topics. He sunk 
to rest without apiiarent suffering, though while 
his extremities were chilling with the damps of 
death, the heat of tlie top of his head was almost 
painful to the touch. Not a single glimmering 
of reason was permitted to cheer those who 
watched his parting struggle. He was buried 
on the afternoon of Thursday with more than 
the ordinary marks of respect. The floor of 
of his vestry room was removed and his grave 
dug beneath the spot in which he was in the 
habit of sitting when there. The vestry, be- 
sides addressing a letter of condolence to his 
widow, full of admiration for his cliaracter and 
sorrow for his loss, have determined to erect a 
tablet to his memory. So universal was the 
reverence in which he was held that on the day 
of his death and funeral the stores of the whole 
city were closed, the Creoles an(l Catholics unit- 
ing heartily with his own people in this demon- 
stratiini of respect, and the officers of the French 
squadron, which is lying in our harbor, at- 
tended tlie services in full unifirm." 

By his marriage with Miss Baker he left four 



448 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



children : 1. Richard Benhury,horn in Raleigh, 
March 12, 1834 ; 2. William Lawrence, horn in 
Raleigh, July 30,1835 ; 3. Anne, horn in Pensa- 
cola, April 20, 1837 ; 4. Joseph Huhhard, Oc- 
toher, 1839. 

I. Richard was educated liberally, and gradu- 
ated at the University in June, 1854, and alter 
a course of study in clieniistry, estahlislied liim- 
self at Oha})el Hill as a chemist and druggist, 
and has been ever since engaged, excejit when 
absent in the army, which in response to the 
call of the Uovernor he entered as a member of 
the Orauge Light Infantry, commanded by Cap- 
tain R. J. Ashe, and was elected second lieuten- 
ant ; went with his company to Raleigh April, 
1861, and formed part of the First Regiment 
North Carolina Volunteers, Col. J). H. Hill, 
known as "the Bethel Regiment," and was 
engaged in the battle. He was promoted and 
commissioned as captain and A. Q. M. of the 
regiment. He was mustered out after the ex- 
piration of his term of service. He married in 
November, 1856. at the residence of her uncle, 
Frederick Stanton, Mary Stanton, daughter of 
late Gerard Brandon , ex-Governor of that State. 
They have had five children, and reside at 
Chapel Hill. 

II. Wm. NLawrence Saunders, tlio present 
Secretary of State, was born in Raleigh, July 
30, 1835 ; graduated in June, 1854 ; studied law 
with Judge Battle, and admitted to the bar 
1856. He moved to Salisbury, and resided 
there till the civil war ojiened ; he volunteered 
in. April, 1861, as a meml)er of tlie Rowan 
Rifle Guards, commanded by Captain Frank 
McNeely, and ordered to Fort Johnston, below 
Wilmington. He was appointed a lieutenant 
in the Rowan Artillery, then in camp of in- 
struction near Weldon. This battery was with 
the '1th Regiment Ncu-th Carolina tro0[)s, and 
with this regiment marched to Manassas Junc- 
tion, arriving there a few days after the l)attle. 
Having been appointed captain by Governor 
Clark, he returned to Salisliui-y and enlisted a 
c<unpiany of inlantry for the war, and took it to 
Raleigh 'for instruction at Camp^Mangum ; they 
became a part of the 46th Regiment North 
Carolina troops, Cohuiel Hall. In May, 1862, 
the regiment was (U'dei'ed to Goldsboro', thence 
to Richmond, and then to Drury's Blufi', where 
it became a part of General J. G. Walker's 
brigade. He was twice wounded, once at the 
first battle of Fredericksburg in the right cheek, 
and at tiie Wilderness in May, 1864, very 
severely, the ball entering the left corner of his 
mouth and jiassing out at the back of the neck 



on the right side. In 1862 he was promoted 
to be major ; in 1863 he was made a lieutenant- 
colonel, and oo "January 1, 1864, hewas elected 
colonel of his regiment. His military career 
terminated at Appomattox by the surrender of 
Lee on April 9, 1865, when and where he was 
paroled. 

After the war closed, with his health and 
strength much impaired by his wounds, he re- 
turned to Florida and engaged in ]ilanting. In 
1870 he returned to this State and was elected 
Secretary of the Senate, and re-elected in 1872, 
when with his brother-in-law. Major Engle- 
hard, he established the Wilmington Journal, 
winning great re])ulation as a sagacious politi- 
cal writer. This had great influence in achiev- 
ing tlie final triumph of the Democratic power 
in the State. In November, 1876, he estab- 
lished the Observer. On the death of Major 
'Englehard, February 15, 1879, he was ap- 
pointed his successor as Secretary of State, which 
important position he now occupies, to the 
gratification of the people of North Carolina. 
He is keenly alive to the success and progress 
of her institutions. His recent letter, Febru-' 
ary 21, 1880, to Colonel John D. Taylor, of 
Wilmington, on tlie subject of the sale or no 
.sale of the North Carolina railroad, was allowed 
to be one of the ablest arguments presented on 
that side. He is now in the prime of life, and 
may lie be spared for numy years of usefulness 
to his country. 

He married February 3, 1864, at the house of 
Thomas Barnes, near Mariann-a, Florida Call, 
third daughter of the late John W. Cotten. 
In July, 1865, his wife died. We have not at- 
tempted to enlarge this sketch by any display 
of the usefulness, ability or talent of Colonel 
Saunders. This can be done at some future 
time ])y abler hands. 

IV. Joseph Hubbard Saunders, named for his 
father, graduated at the University in June, 

1860. When the war began he joined in April, 

1861, the Orauge Light Infantry, Captain 
Ashe. In December he was appointed a lieu- 
tenant by Governor Clark in Com]>any A, 33d 
Regiment, then under instruction at Raleigh^ 
commanded by Colonel L. O'B. Branch. 

This regiment was 'ordered to New Berne, 
and after General Branch's promotion, a.ssigned 
to his brigade. After the engagement at New 
Berne, tlie brigade was ordered to Virginia and 
assigned to command of General A. P. Hill. 
In 1862 he was promoted to be captain ; in 1863 
to be major, and in 1864 to be lieutenant-colonel. 
He was in all the severe ensiageraentsof Niu'thern 



WAKE f;OTTNTY 



449 



A^iiginia. He was twice wounded — ouce at 
second Manassas in tiie right shoulder, and 
again at Gettysburg, very severely; tlie ball 
entered tlie left nostril and passing out the left 
ear. Ills wound was supposed to be mortal, 
and he was left on tlie fielil. He was captured by 
the enemy and carried to Chester Hospital, and 
after some months to Johnson's Islaiul, where 
he was imprisoned until March, ISGf). He was 
tlien paroled lor exchange and returned Iiome. 
He resides with his motlier, unmarried. 

William Kuffiu Co.\ was born in Scotland 
Neck, North Carolina ; he removed to Ten- 
nessee, and was educated at Franklin College, 
near Nasliville ; after gradiuiting he became a 
student of the Lebanon Law School, and being 
licensed to practice, opened an office in Nash- 
ville. Before the civil war began he had re- 
turned to North Carolina, and settled in Edge- 
combe County, where he engaged himself in 
agricultural interests. In the civil war he was 
early commissioned major of the 2d North 
Carolina State troops, and soon attained the 
rank of brigadier-general in tiic armies of the 
Confederacy, and commanded his division in the 
last charge of the Army of Northern Virginia 
a few hours before the flag of truce announced 
tlie surrender at Appomattox. And so North 
Carolina justly claims that at Bethel she bore 
the first assault at arms, and at Appomattox 
she fired tiie last gun in defense-of tlie liberties 
of the South. 

Since tlie war General Co-t returned to the 
practice of the law at Raleigh ; for six years he 
was the solicitor of the Metropolitan district, 
and afterward he was appointed judge of the 
Superior Court for the same district, which he 
resigned to canvass his district for election to 
the United States House of Representatives ; he 
was elected to the 47th Congress over Moses A. 
Bledsoe. General Cox is one of the trustees of 
tlie University of the South ; was a delegate to 
the Ueuiocratic convention which met in New 
York7~a,nd was elected to the St. Louis Demo- 
cratic convention but declined the honor, and 
for several years was chairman of the State 
Democratic convention. In every public posi- 
tion to which he has been called his course has 
been marked with fidelify, integrity and talent. 
His first wife was Penelope, daughter of James 
S. Battle ; his second wife is a daugliter of 
Bishop Lyman. 

Octavius Coke resides in Raleigli, a member 
of the legal profession. He is a native of Vir- 
ginia, born at Williamsburg, October 4. 1840. 
Educated at William and Mary College, he 



studied law and became a member of the bar in 
1800. When the civil war l)egan he enlisted in 
tlie 32d Virginia Inl'antry, and soon attained 
the rank of captain, and so served during tlie 
whole contest. He was severely wounded at 
tlie battle of Sharpsburg and of Five Folks. 
When the war ended he settled in Chowan 
County, where he married Miss Wood. Ho was 
a Democratic elector in 1872, and a member 
of the State Senate in 1870. He has now per- 
manently located in Raleigh, (1880,) and is 
chairman of the State Democraticcommittee. His 
brother, Richard ('oke, became Governor of the 
State of Texas, and now represents tliat State 
in the United States Senate. 

A sketch of Dr. Richard H. Lewis, the cele- 
brated oculist, will be found in I'itt County, of 
which he is a native. 

Donald William Bain is a native of Riileigh, 
born April 2, 1841. Educated at Mr. Lovejoy's 
Academy. He entered the service of the State 
in the office of comptroller under Governor 
Brogden, in 1857, where he served until ap- 
pointed chief clerk of the treasury, which posi- 
tion he now holds. In February, 1807, he was 
appointed Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge 
of North Carolina. The systematic business 
habits he has used render his services invalu- 
able and most satisfixctory ; he has the regard 
and confidence of every one who knows him. 

Hon. Kemi>P. Battle in his centennial address, 
"Early History of Raleigh," page 44, says of 
insurrections : It is impossible for us to imagine 
what terror rumoi's of insurrections among 
slaves caused our ancestors. They created a 
wild panic in which reason and sense had no 
part. We find such rumors common in tlie 
early part of the century. The most notable 
was in June, 1802, when the discover} that one 
Frank Sumner had embodied a company of 
thirteen men under his leadershij) as captain, 
threw the whole country from Tar river to the 
Atlantic into consternation. Volunteer compa- 
nies were organized for ]iatrolling and arresting 
suspected persons. Martial law reigned su- 
preme. The writ of habeas corpus was sus- 
jiended in jiractice, though not by law, as to 
the negro race. At the time one hundred men 
were locked up in Martin County jail. Captain 
Frank Sumner for his ill-timed ambitiou was 
promptly hung by judgment of a special court, 
and his deluded followers were glad to escape — 
one with the loss of his ears, one with branding, 
the rest with flogging. 

A similar panic about that time occurred in 



450 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



Franklin County, but after great excitement in 
all middle North Carolina, and many arrests, 
the accused were pronounced "not guilty " by 
the court hastily convened for the emergency. 

When Nat. Turner's massacre of fifty-five 
persons occurred in Southampton, Virginia, in 
1831, the whole of Raleigh was placed under 
arms. The able-bodied were divided into four 
companies, each to patrol the streets every fourth 
night. The old men were organized as Silver 
Grays. Tiie fortress was ' the Presbyterian 
Church, and it was agreed tliat whenever the 
State House bell should sound the women and 
children were to hasten to its ])rotecting walls. 
At last one night O'Rourke's blacksmith shop 
took fire. It was night, says my informant, 
whose hair is frosted now ; but he remembers 
as vividly as if it were yesterday, the women 
with dislieveled hair and in their night clotlies 
running for life througli the streets. It was no 
laughing matter to them. One of our most 
venerable and intelligent old ladies, (and she is 
an uncommonly brave women,) although she 



disbelieved the stories, yet when she lieard the 
loud clangor of the bells at midnight, drew her 
children around her, determined to beg the 
enemy to kill them first so that she might see 
tiiem safe in death rather tlian be the first to 
die, leaving them to brutality and torture. But 
her son, then a mere boy, brandished his de- 
ceased father's sword and prepared to defend 
the household. I hope he will pardon me for 
mentioning an act so much to his credit. It 
was our Raleigh poet — James Fontleroy Taylor.- 
Tiie negroes were frightened more than the 
whites. They fled and hid under houses, in 
garden shrubbery, lay between corn rows, any- 
where for safety. There never was a time when 
the colored people of Raleigh would have risen 
against our people. It is greatly to the credit 
of both races that notwithstanding party ani- 
mosity and sudden emancipation, the kindly, 
personal feeling between the whites and their 
old servants has never been interrupted. See 
ante, pages, 127, 128, 222 and 223, touching 
these matters. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



WARREN COUNTY. 



Gen. Jethro Sumner lived and died in War- 
ren County. His father emigrated from Eng- 
land and settled near Suffolk, Va. His son emi- 
grated to Bute (since 1Y79 Franklin and Warren 
Counties) and was sheriff of Bute for some years. 
When the Revolutionary war began he was ap- 
pointed, in April, 177(), Colonel of the third 
regiment of Continental troops by the Provin- 
cial Congress of the State of North Carolina. 
He joined the Gi'and Army of the North under 
Washington, aud after a campaign he was ap- 
pointed Brigadier-General and ordered to join 
General Gates in the South. He behaved with 
gallantry at Camden. He then joined General 
Greene and was with him in his soiitliern cam- 
paign, anil commanded the North Carolina 
troops at the hard-fought battle of Eutaw, Sep- 
tember 8, 1781, where his charge with bayonets 
contributed to the success of that decisive 
battle. This was one of the severest battles and 
decisive of the whole Revolution. General 



Greene's first line was composed of Marion's, 
Sumter's and Col. Pleasant Henderson's Regi- 
ments, Lee's Legion and Pickens' Corjjs. Tiie 
second line was composed of Sumner's Brigade 
of North Carolina Continentals, under Col. Jolin 
B. Ashe, Major Armstrong, and Major Blount, 
with the Virginians on the left and Marylanders 
in the center. The British were driven from the 
field, and only escaped annihilation by seizing 
a large brick house, from which their fire was 
so destructive that Greene forebore further at- 
tack. The force of each was about 2,000 men ; 
of these, 1 ,200 were left on the field. More 
than half the force of Greene were Nortli Caro- 
linians. The first line behaved well, but the 
second line sustained the brunt of the fight. The 
chai'ge by Sumner with fixed l)ayonets was bril- 
liant, and the proud Englishman was beaten at 
his favorite weapon. Many men of each line 
were transfi.xed by their opponents, and thus 
"fightins fell." 



WARREN COUNTY. 



451 



The war being over, General Sunnier resigned, 
and married a wealthy widow (Mrs. lleiss) of 
New Berne, by wlioni he had three children ; 
one of these, Mary Sumner, married Hon. 
Thomas Blount. (See page 158.) 

General Sumnerlies buried in Warren County, 
near the road between Louisburgatid Warrenton, 
near tlie old Shocco Cliapel. Tlie stone that 
marks ins grave bears this inscription: "To 
the memory of Gen. Jethro Sumner, one of the 
heroes of 177<5." 

The Hawkins family is one of the most ex- 
tensive as well as one of the most respectable in 
the State. They liave pervaded not only our 
own State, but many other portions of tlie south 
and southwest, and wherever tliey have gone 
they have left indelible traces of genius, enter- 
prise, integrity and ])atriotism. 

The family is of English origin ; emigrated 
to this country about tlie reign of Queen Anne, 
1705, and settled in Gloucester County, in Vir- 
ginia, where tlie founder of this family, Phile- 
mon Hawkins, was born, on September 28, 1717. 
He removed from Gloucester County, Va., at the 
age of twenty, to Warren (tlien Bute) County, 
iu this State. 

IMiilemoii Hawkins was enterprising and ener- 
getic. Born to but little fortune, reared to liard 
labor, with little or no education, without patron- 
age or powerful friends, he boldly resolved to 
make tor himself a name and place, in a new 
country, inhabited then only by Indians and 
semi-savage wliites. His inilustry, energy and 
cajjacity caused the country around liim to grow, 
and lie grew with it. He prospered beyond 
even his own hopes or the expectations of his 
friends. His reputation and position is shown 
by the fact that he was an officer in the Colonial 
Government, and was aid to Governor Tryon in 
the battle of Alamance. From his own position 
in society, and the liberal means at his command, 
he exerted much influence. He was given to 
liospitality and kindness ; no private house in 
the whole borders of the State was better known 
and none where more enlarged and unstinted 
hos]iitality disitensed than at the house of Col. 
I'iiilemon Hawkins, sr. He enjoyed the regard 
and resjiect of the community. He lived in the 
enjoyment of a well-spent life, and died in 1801, 
in the eighty-third year of his age. He mar- 
ried Delia Martin, by whom he had six cliildren, 
four sons and two daughters, as shown by this 
genealogical table : 

Pliilemon Hav.'kins, the founder of the family, 
was the son of Philemon Hawkins, of Virginia, 
born in Gloucester County, Va., in 1717 ; mar- 



ried Delia Martin and had issue : I. Delia, mar- 
ried to L. Bullock, no issue ; II. Colonel John, 
married a sister of Hon. Nathaniel Macon, 
and had (1) Col. Joseph, whose daughter mar- 
ried to Williams, (2) Gen. Micajah, (3) Gen. 
John IL, (-1) Philemon, (5) a daughter, married 
to Baker, (f)) another married to Williams, (7) 
and another married to Alston. 

III. Philemon, son of Philemon, jr., of Pleas- 
ant Hill, born 1752, married Lucy Davis, died 
1883, had twelve children : (1) William, Gov- 
ernor, married Ann Boyd, and had eight chil- 
dren : (a) Lucy, married (1st) CVdeman, (2d) 
Conner ; (b) Emily, married to Nutall, (c) Ma- 
tihla, (d) William J., (e) Celestia, married to 
Amis, (f) Mary, (g) Henrietta; (2) JohnD., 
married Jane Boyd, and had eleven children: (a) 
Ann, married to Young, (b) Lucy, married to 
Cane, (c) Mary, married to Jones, (d) Vir- 
ginia, married to Anderson, (e) James, (f) 
Frank, (g) Dr. William J., (h) John D., (i) 
Pliilemon, (k) Alexander, (1) Jane; (3) Joseph 
W., married Mary Boyd, and had eight chil- 
dren : (a) Alexander, (b) Peter, (c) Philemon 
H., (d) George, (e) William D., (f) Ann Leis- 
ter, (g) Lucy Henderson, (h) Rufus ; (4) Benja- 
min F. , married Sally Persons, and had Thomas, 
Henry and Benjamin; (5) Philemon, (6) George, 
(7) Frank, died unmarried, (8) Eleanor, ihmt- 
ried to Sherwood Haywood, and had nine chil- 
dren: (a) Nancy, married to William A. Blount, 
(b) Sally, (c) Rufus, (d) Lucy, married to 
13rvan, (e) Delia, married (1st) to Williams, 
(2d) t'o George E. Badger, (f ) Frank, (g) Rob- 
ert E., (h) Maria, (i) Richard ; (9) Ann, mar- 
ried William P. Little, and had seven children : 
(a) Lucy, married to Terry, (b) Mary, married 
to Mosely, (c) Thomas P., died unmarried, 
lived in Hertford County, (d) George, (e) 
Minerva, married to Graham, (f) William, (g) 
Susan, married to Dr. Charles Skinner ; (10) ' 
Delia, married to Stephen Haywood, and had 
five children : (a) Margaret, (b) Dallas, (c) Lu- 
cinda, (d) Sally, (e) Philemon ; (11) Sarah, wa.s 
the second wife of Col. William Polk, of Ra- 
leigli, had issue: (a) Lucius, (b) Leonidas, (c) 
Mary, first wife of George E. Badger, (d) 
Rufus, (e) George W., (f) Susan, married to 
Kenneth Rayner, (g) Andrew ; (12) Lucy 
Davis Ruffin,' first wife of Louis D. Henry, no 
issue. 

To Philemon Hawkins and Delia Martin were 
also born (IV.) Benjamin, born 1754, died 1816; 
in Congress, 1782 ; Indian agent, 1785 ; U. S. 
Senator, 1789 ; he had one son, Madison, and 
three daughters. (V.) Joseph, died unmarried. 



452 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



(VI.) Ann, marrifd to Micajali Thomas ; no 
issue. 

Benjamin Hawkins (born 1754, died 1816) 
was born in Bute, now Warren County, the son 
of Col. Philemon Hawkins, sr., and Delia, 
his wife. He was reared in habits of industry 
and economy. His education was the best the 
country afforded. With a younger brother 
(Joseph) he was sent, after being prepared at 
other institutions, to Princeton College, where 
they remained until tlie war closed its walls, he 
being then in the senior class. The study of lan- 
guages seemed to be h'\s forte, and he was familiar 
with not only the Latin and Greek, but also was 
proficient in the modern languages, especially 
the French. This accomplishment caused Gen- 
eral Washington to invoke his aid in his inter- 
course with the French officers, and he was for 
awhile a member of Washington's military 
family. He was at the battle of Monmouth 
with Washington in 1779, ])robably as a volun- 
teer aid. In 1780 he was selected by the Legis- 
lature as commercial agent to procure supplies 
at home or abroad for the su[)port of the war ; 
he repaired to the West Indies and procured 
munitions, arms and provisions, and shi})ped 
them on board of vessels belonging to John 
Wright Stanley, (tlie father of John Stanley,) 
then a wealthy merchant at New Berne. These 
vessels witli their cargoes were captured by the 
British, which ruined the fortunes of Mr. Stan- 
ley, and when lie applied to the State for in- 
demnity, and was refused, he sue^ Colonel 
Hawkins individually, but tlie court held that 
the contracts of an agent of the State did not 
bind liim individually. In September, 1782, 
he was elected by the Legislature a member of 
Congress in the old Confederation, and re-elected 
in 1783 ; he was present at Annapolis tliatyear 
and witnessed the resignation of Washington as 
Commander-in-Chief of the armies of America ; 
March 21, 1785, he was appointed with Daniel 
Carroll and William Perry to treat with the 
Cherokees and all other Indians south of them. 
He was also appointed by Congress with An- 
drew Pickens, Joseph Martin and Lauchlin Mc- 
intosh, to negotiate with tlie Creeks. They 
concluded the treaty of Joephinton, and also 
the treaty with the Creeks of Hopewell. In 
1786 he was again elected a member of Congress 
to serve until 1787, and in 1789 he was elected 
Senator in Congress, with Samuel Johnston as 
a colleague, the first two United States Sena- 
tors chosen to represent this State ; he took his 
seat January 13, 1790, and served for six years. 
After his term in the Senate had expired liie was 



appointed by the President " agent for sujier- 
iutending all Indians south of the Ohio." In 
1801 he was reappointed by Mr. Jefferson joint 
commissioner with Generals Wilkerson and 
Pickens to negotiate treaties with the Chicka- 
saws, Choctaws and Natches. It is a well- 
known trait in Indian character that whenever 
war is waged in tlieir vicinity their belligerent 
and restless temper will cause them to take a 
part. When General Jackson was carrying on 
the war with the Creeks it was deemed best by 
tlie Government that a regiment sliould bo 
raised among the friendly Indians to prevent 
their joining the enemy. The regiment was 
raised and Hawkins was appointed Colonel, and 
the celebrated half-breed Mcintosh, Lieutenant- 
Colonel. This regiment was snjiplied for a 
time by Colonel Hawkins at his own charge. 
Colonel Hawkins from exposure and bad health 
wished to resign the charge of his responsible 
appointment as superintendent, but tlie Gov- 
ernment seemed unwilling to give him up. He 
died in this service Juno 6, 1816, leaving one 
son and three daughters. He was a man of 
literary attainments, and left works on "Topog- 
raphy" and "Indian language," valuable and 
interesting. "A sketch of the Creek country" 
from his pen has been printed by the Georgia 
Historical Society at the private expense of Wm. 
B. Hodgson. 

Colonel Joseph Hawkins was a son of Piiile- 
mon and brother of above. In 1782-83 and 
1812-13 he was in the Legislature ; educated, as 
we have stated, at Princeton. His namesake 
(son of Colonel John Hawkins) was in 1825 
Comptroller of the State. General Micajah 
Thomas Hawkins, a son of Colonel John Haw- 
kins, was in the Senate of the State in 182;! and 
in 1827, and a member of Congress from 1831 
to 1841. He served again in the Legislature 
of 1846. General John H. Hawkins entered the 
Legislature in 1809, and served in the Senate 
of 1830-3 1 , and in the House of 1835r36. Piiile- 
mon, second sou of Philemon, was in the Leg- 
islature of 1803-6, 1807-8, 1810-11, 1817-18. 
Governor William Hawkins, son of Philemon 
Hawkins, jr., was in the Legislature of 1804-5, 
and elected Governor in 1811; died in 18?^!^-^ 
For Sarah Hawkins, who married Colonel Wil- 
liam Polk, see sketches p. 201, and of their sons. 
General Lucius J. Polk, see p. 202, and Bishop 
Polk, see p. 284. 

James G. Brelion, who was a surgeon of the 
Revolution, died at his residence in Warrenton 
on April 8, 1819, at an advanced age. He was 
a native of Ireland, where he had received a 



WARREN COUNTY. 



453 



liberal education. He emigrated to America 
and settled for a time in Maryland. In tlie 
records of the committee of safety of Maryland, 
October, 177fi, is an order for Dr. Brebon to 
deliver up to Timotliy I5owers all tbe books on 
pliysic, or any otlierkind in bis possession taken 
on board of any of tlie captured vessels at St. 
George Island. (Force's Am. Arcb., vol. 2, 
(i54.) He removed to Warren ton and began to 
practice, but tbe war raged and be was ap- 
pointed a surgeon in tlic navy, and served at 
different posts to tbe close of tlie war, wlien lie 
returned to bis prol'ession. He was distinguislied 
for liis skill as a surgeon and bis learned scien- 
tific researclies. He was celebrated for gener- 
ou.s bos))i(ality and bis unrivaled colloquial 
' powers. (^See Dr. Toner on tbe Revolutionary 
Burgeons.) 

Natbaniel Macon, born Dec. 17, 1758, died 
June 29, 1837 ; was born, lived and died in War- 
ren County. To attein|)t to mention all tlie ser- 
vices of tbis [)atri(it, from liis cntiance in public 
life as a soldier of tbe Revolution to its close as 
Senator in Congress, (1827,) would comprise tlie 
bistory of our Republic at important and interest- 
ing epoclis, but neitberour plan or abilities will 
])ermit tbis attempt. We propose to confine our- 
selves to facts and dates, leaving to tbe bistorian 
to delineate and present bis cbaractcr, a cbar- 
acter so unique yet so perfect, so grand and 
yet so simple, so eccentric and yet so unselfisb 
and pure. 

His ancestors were from Virginia ; be was 
sent to Princeton College, wbere be jiursued with 
diligence his studies till tbe war of tbe Revo- 
lution closed tbat institution. He returned 
bome and entered tlie army as a private soldier 
in a company commanded by bis brotlier, wliere 
be served for some years. Tiiis step was 
marked by an idiosyncrasy so peculiar to bis 
whole life, and so different from tlie ordinary 
conduct of men. He not only refused rank 
which was open to him, but refused any com- 
pensation for his service. He marclied with his 
company to South Carolina, then the theater of 
war, and liad bis lull share of all the hardships 
and disasters of tliat terrible campaign. He 
was present at tbe iall of Fort Moultrie, the 
surrender of Charleston, tbe defeat of Camden, 
and the lapid retreat of Greene across tbe upper 
jiart of North Carolina. He was in camp on 
tbe banks of tbe Yadkin when a summons came 
to Mr. Blacon, from tbe Governor of North 
Carolina, to attend a meeting oi' the General 
Asscmlily to which lie bad been elected by the 
people of Warren County without his knowl- 



edge and in his absence ; be declined to go. 
This incident came to tbe knowledge of General 
Greene, who sent for the young man and asked 
him tbe reason of tbis unexpected course — tbis 
jireferenee of a ca'.np destitute of every comfort, 
and with gloomy prospects, to a comfortable 
seat in the Legislature. Mr. Macon, in bis 
sententious way, said " his country needed the 
services of all her sons — tbat be bad seen the 
faces of tbe British many times, and as yet 
never saw their backs, and be meant to stay in 
tbe army until be did.''' Greene instantly saw 
tbe material of which tbe man was made — de- 
voted jiatriotism — and determined to ulilize it. 
He told him '' that be could do more good as a 
member of tbe Legislature than as a soldier, 
and that. in tbe army be was but one man, but 
in the Legislature be might urge many to fur- 
nish supplies by showing tbe utter destitution 
and distress be bad seen ; tbat it was bis duty 
to go." Only under such orders and such high 
prouiptings did be leave tbe army, and by bis 
influence contributed to obtain su))plies which 
enabled Greene to face Cornwallis at Guilford 
Court House, fight bim, and drive him froin the 
South then and forever, for this forced tbe 
British to retreat upon Wilmington, and then 
followed Yorktown. The military career of Mr. 
Macon here ended, and bis political life, so long 
and so successful, began. He was elected the 
first Senator in 1780, from tbe County of 
Warren, and served continuously until 1785. 
From this time be devoted bimself to his farm 
and family until 1791, when be was elected a 
member of tbe 2d Congress, in whicb be was 
continued until 1815, when he was chosen 
Senator in place of Francis Locke, resigned, 
and was continued b}' repeated elections until 
1828, when be resigned his office as Senator in 
Congress, as trustee of tbe University, and as 
a justice of the peace in a laconic note of two 
lines. During tbis service be was elected 
Speaker of the House 1801 to 1806, and Presi- 
dent of tbe Senate in 1825-2G-27. At one time, 
1804, tbe State of North Carolina gave a Presi- 
dent to tbe Senate of tbe United States in 
Governor Jesse Franklin, and a Speaker of 
the House in Nathaniel Macon. His i)olitical 
life thus continued over forty years by free elec- 
tions of tbe people and tbe Legislature. He 
was a Representative in Congress under Wash- 
ington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison, and 
Senator nnder Madison, Monroe and John 
Quincy Adams. Although offered again and 
.again high executive office, be never accejited 
any office except from the people or their ira- 



454 



WHEELER'S REMINiSCENCES. 



mediate representatives, the Legislature. He 
venerated Washington ; he had an affectionate 
regard for Madison and Monroe, but Mr. Jeffer- 
son was to him his Magmis Apollo of politics. 
He was a devoted friend of Jackson and his 
constant supporter. His la.st public office (1830) 
was as elector in the support of Van Buren for 
President. He often spoke in Congress, always 
sententious, decided and to the point. It is 
regretted that in his day few short-hand re- 
porters or that no Congressional Record existed, 
but Mr Benton has reaorded that " he spoke 
more good sense while getting in his chair and 
getting out of it, than many delivered in long 
and elaborate speeches." He allowed no re- 
porter to amplify or condense his remarks. He 
was opposed to all nepotism, and in his long 
public career of forty years in Congress he 
never once recommended any relative of his 
to public office. What a contrast with modern 
times. He never attended a convention or cau- 
cus, for he said he trusted them once and then 
they cheated him. He was a hard-money man, 
as the only constitutional currency. He said 
that this was right, for he had seen the evils of 
paper money, and meant to save the people 
from it. He was opposed to all pensions to 
officers and soldiers of the Revolution, and re- 
fused any pension for himself, although entitled 
to one, for he urged that all had been rewarded 
by the establishment of independence and free- 
dom, and tliat was sufficient in itself. On this 
principle he voted against the bill for Lafayette's 
benefit. On tlic riglits of the States to secede 
he addressed the following letter toS. P. Carson, 
dated — 

" Buck Springs, February 9, 1833. 

" Sir : I have received your letter of the 24th 
ulto. 

"There can be no doubt that the United 
States are in a deplorable situation, and that 
the publication of the opinion you desire would 
be useless. My opinion has never been a secret, 
and I have always stated it to tliose who wanted 
to know it. In the year 1824, the Constitution 
was buried. The Senators who were then pre- 
sent will, it is believed, recollect, the fact, and 
was never afterward quoted by me while I con- 
tinued in the Senate. Tlie opinions of General 
Washington, Mr. Jefferson and Governor Clinton 
were known but not resjiected. I never believed 
that a State could nullify and remain in tlie 
Union, hut ahvays believed tliat a State could 
secede token she pleased, provided she would pay 
her proportion of tlie public debt. 

A 



" This right I have considered the best guard 
to public liberty and the public justice that 
could be desired, and it ought to have prevented 
what is now felt in the South — oppression. 

"A government of opinion established by 
sovereign States cannot be maintained by force. 
The use of force makes enemies, and enemies 
cannot live in peace. 

" Nathaniel Macon." 

His private character was but a reflex of his 
public career. He was exact, just and cautious, 
not wealthy, he did not covet riches, but lived 
independently and within liis means. Punctual 
in all his obligations he paid as he went, avoid- 
ing all suretyship aud debt. When in his last 
illness and he knew, as he liad been informed ' 
by his physician, that it was fatal, he asked far 
his bill of the physician and paid it, a7id so died 
not oiving a cent to any man. His house, plain 
and simple, always had a welcome for all. In 
person he was portly, of strongly marked fea- 
tures, and of pleasant address. 

No portrait it is believed of him is extant, for 
he would never allow one to be taken. On one 
occasion while in the discharge of some public 
duty, an artist attempted to take his likeness. 
When it was discovered, Mr. Macon was indig- 
nant and threatened to prosecute the offender. 
His chirograi)hy was like his character, sim])le, 
plain and determined, without ornament or af- 
fectation. 

He was devoted to agriculture, and often in 
the recess of Congress worked with his hands in 
gathering his crops. In his dress lie was plain 
but always neat. He wore a suit all of the 
same material, of superfine navy blue, in the 
fashion of the olden time ; a hat made of a coon 
skin, broad brimmed, with fair-topped boots 
outside of the pantaloons, for he said that 
leather was stronger than cloth. In religion 
he inclined to " the Baptist persuasion,'' and 
he was an earnest and constant student of the 
Bible. He married Hannah Plummer, and had 
two daughters, one of whom married William 
Martin, and the other William Eaton ; he died 
at home suddenly, June 29, 1837. He had 
selected his burial })lace many years before his 
death, a spot of land barren and stony, and not 
likely ever to be cultivated ; and employed two 
of his neighbors to make his coffin of the 
plainest material, so it could be paid for before 
it was used. Such was Nathaniel Macon. 

James Turner, born 1766, died 1824, was a 
native of Virginia, born in Southampton County. 
His iatlier, Thomas Turner, moved to Warren 



Warren county. 



455 



County, then Bute, when liis son was very 
3'oung. Hia advantages in education were but 
tew. He early enlisted in the cause of inde- 
j)endence, and was a private in the same coin- 
I)any with Uv. Macon, lie entered iniblic life 
as a member of the House of Commons in 1798 ; 
re-elected in 1799 and 1800 ; and elected to the 
Senate in 1801-2 ; in the latter session, 1802, he 
was elected Governor of the State. In 1805 lie 
was elected one of the Senators in Congress, and 
served until 1816, wlien he resigned. He was 
firm in his support of the war measures of the 
Government, and in this he difl'ercd from his 
colleague, Governor Stone. He was a man of 
great personal worth, a faithful representative 
and a sincere friend. He died August 15, 1824. 
He was thrice married : 1. To Mary Anderson, 
of \Varrent(m, in 1793, by whom he had four 
cliildren: Thomas, Daniel, Rebecca, who mar- 
ried Hon. George K. Badger, and Mary, tliere 
was one daughter, probably Mary, who married 
Dr. Pope, of Wariienton ; 2. Mrs. Anne Coch- 
ran ; o. Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson, who survived 
him, leaving two daughters, Sally P, (wife of 
Hon. Mark Alexander^ of Mecklenburg County, 
Virginia) and Ann, wi-fe of Henry Coleman, of 
Viiginia. 

His son, Daniel Turner, was born in War- 
ren County, 1796. He was educated at West 
Point ; in 1814 was appointed a lieutenant of 
artillery. He was stationed on Long Island, 
and ai<led General Swift in superintending 
the defenses of New York harbor. He then 
was ordered to Plattsburg under General Ma- 
comb. The war being over he resigned in 1815. 
In 1819-23 lie was a member of the House of 
Commons, and was elected a member of the 
20tli Congress, (1825-27,) and was succeeded by 
Robert Potter. He for a time was the principal 
of tlie Warrenton Academy, distinguished alike 
for his learning and amiability. He was ap- 
jiointed navy agent at Mare's Island, Califor- 
nia, wliere lie resided until his death. He mar- 
ried a daugliter of Francis S. Key, of Washing- 
ton City, (listinguished as a lawyer and the 
author of our national song, " The Star-Span- 
gled Bann-er." 

Kemp Plumracr, long a distinguished resi- 
lient of Warren County, wa.s a native of Vir- 
ginia, born 17G9. He read law with Chancellor 
Wythe and settled in Warrenton. He was a 
member of the Legislature in 1794 in the Com- 
mons, and in 1815-16 was elected to the Senate. 
He married Susan Martin, by whom he had a 
large family. One of his daughters was tlie 
wife of Hon. William H. Battle, late of Cliapel 



Hill, and the mother of Hon. Kemp Plummer 
Battle. 

John Hall, born 1767, died January, 1833, 
resided and died in this County. He was a 
native of Virginia, born at Waynesboro', the 
son of Edward and Eleanor Hal), 7ice Stuart. 
His father came from Ireland, settled first in 
Pennsylvania and moved to Virginia in 1736 ; 
he was in moderate circumstances. The mother's 
family were of wealth and distinction. Judge 
Archibald Stuart and Alexander H. H. Stuart, 
Secretary of tlie Interior under Fillmore, were 
among its members. 

Judge Hall was educated at William and 
Mary College, where he was fellow-student of 
the Riglit Reverend John Starke Ravenscroft. 
He studied law at Staunton, Virginia, under his 
relative. Judge Stuart. In 1792 he settled in 
Warrenton, North Carolina, wliere he resided 
until his death. His correct and studious habits 
and his extensive learning were duly appre- 
ciated, and won for him the esteem and respect 
of ail who knew him. His merits attracted the 
attention of the Legislature, and in 1800 elected 
him one of the judges of the Sui)erior Courts, 
upon the adoption of the present Superior Court 
system in 1806, and lie rode the circuit regu- 
larly until 1818, wjicn on December 12 of that 
year he was elected with Leonard Henderson 
and John L Taylor to the Supreme Court bench, 
which position he held until a painful and dis- 
tressing malady compelled him to resign (in 
December, 1832) and caused his death soon 
after; this occurred at his residence in Warren- 
ton, January 29, 1833. His biograpjier and 
pupil (William Eaton, jr., Esq.,) from whose 
admirable memoir of Judge Hall mucli of this 
brief sketch has been collated, states of him : 
"Althougli not a man of showy or brilliant en- 
dowments, he had a .sound judgmentand varied 
and extensive learning. In uprightness, im- 
])artiality and independence ; in the patient and 
laborious duties of liis high office ; in kindness 
and courtesy, he liad nosujicrior in North Caro- 
lina — a State tliat lias produced so many jurists 
of rare judicial excellence." Although in po- 
litical feeling he was of the Jeffersonian school, 
he had too correct a .sense of tlie proprieties of his 
position to be active in political contests, and 
was free from all jjartisan or political influences. 
In 1829 ho was, while on the bench, elected one 
of the electors on the Jackson ticket. He was 
an active and bright member of the Masonic 
fraternity, and in 1804 presided as Grand Mas- 
ter of the order in the State. In jirivate life 
he was simple and unatfected, frank and sin- 



456 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



cere, of unaffected modesty, humane and benevo- 
lent. He was prompt and punctual in the pay- 
ment of his debts. In person he was considei'ahly 
above the middle size, agreeable features, florid 
complexion and a face indicative of amiability 
and candor. He died a communicant of the 
Episcopal Church, the sacrament of which was 
administered to him in his own chamber shortly 
before his death by Rev. Joseph H. Saunders, 
then rector of Emannel Church at Warren ton. 
He married Mary Weldon, who died August, 
1852, leaving eight children. Among tliese 
was Edward, who was born 1795. He was an 
educated gentleman ; graduated at the Univer- 
sity of North Carolina in same class of 1815 
with F. L. Hawks, Willie P. Mangum, and R. 
D. Spaight. He studied law and became so 
devoted to his profession tbat in 1841 he was 
appointed judge of the Suiierior Courts. Very 
few of his opinions were overruled, and he was 
considered one of the most learned judges of the 
State. For many years preceding his death he 
retired from all business. He was a gentleman 
of great purity of cliaracter and integrity. lie 
died in November, 1877, in the eight3'-second 
year of his age, unmarried. 

Blake Baker resided and represented Warren 
County in the House of Commons in 1807. He 
had previously been the Attorney-General of 
the State (1794 to 1803) and in 1808 was ap- 
pointed one of the judges of the Superior Courts 
by the Governor ; not being elected by the 
Legislature his commission expired in the same 
year. He died in 1818. He married Elizabeth, 
the eldest daughter of Christopher Clark, of 
Bertie County, the aunt of Governor Henry T. 
Clark, but had no issue. 

William Miller represented this County in 
1810 in the House of Commons, and from 1811 
to 1814, and !iad for his colleague William R. 
Johnson, distinguislied for his success with race 
horses, to wliich amusement the people of War- 
ren are still much addicted, In the year 1814 Mr. 
Miller was elected Governor of the State, and 
served till 1817. His administration was during 
the war wit!) England, and Governor Millernobly 
sustained all the war measures of Mr. Madison 
and promptly and efficiently aided in its vigor- 
ous prosecution, hi Marcli, 1825, he was ap- 
pointed by the President charge d'affaires to 
Guatemala, Central America, and died while on 
that mission. 

Weldon Nathaniel Edwards, born 1788, died 
1873, was long a resident and representative of 
this County. He was a native of Northampton, 
born about two miles from Gaston ; he read law 



with Judge Hall. He succeeded Governor Mil- 
ler in 1814 as a member of the Legislature, and 
was re-elected in 1815. In 1816 he was elected 
a member of the 15th Congress, succeeding 
Mr. Macon, who had been elected to the 
Senate and served until the 18th Congress, 
1825-27, when he declined a re-election to 
Congress, and was succeeded by Daniel Tur- 
ner. He was elected to the Senate of the 
Stctte in 1833, and served till 1844. He was a 
delegate in 1835, with Mr. Macon, to the con- 
vention to amend the State Constitution. In 
1850-52 he was elected again, and chosen to 
preside over the Senate. In 1861 he was elected 
to and was chosen President of the convention 
which met at Raleigli on May 20, 1861. This 
body jiassed the ordinance of secession of 
Nortli Carolina from the Union, and it closed 
the political career of Mr. Edwards, wliich in 
liic to him had been so full of promise and en- 
joyment, and which closed under circumstances 
of sorrow and melancholy. The war and its 
sad effects had impaired his large estate, the 
desolation of his section and losses of his i'riends 
pressed deeply upon his generous and humane 
disposition. Pie died December 18, 1873. He 
married, in 1823, Lucy Norfleet, of Halifax, 
with whom he lived for ini^re than fifty years in 
quiet and unbroken felicity.* 

There are few I'amilies that have produced 
members who have served their country with 
more integrity and ability than the Bragg fam- 
ily. The father, Thomas Bragg, was a citizen 
and native of Warren County. He was indus- 
trious and intelligent, a house carpenter by 
trade. It was while he was engaged in repair- 
ing the old State House that it was destroyed 
by fire, the elaborate and matchless statue of 
Washington, made in Italy by Canova, being 
lost in the flames. f His wife was a lady of ex- 
traordinary energy and intelligence, who im- 
parted to her children the same decided traits of 
character that she possessed. This accords with 
the remai-k of Dr. Rush in his work "On the 
Mind," tliat he " never read of a great man 
who did not have an active and intelligent 
mother," verifying the trite adage, "The 
hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." 
Dickens says, "The virtues of mothers are vis- 

* Although naturally depross(>(] by tlie suifcrings of his 
people, yet his last days were spent in peace and plentj' — 
his estate was worth near $100,000.— Ed. 

t An appropriation was m.ade to rebuild the Capitol at 
a cost of about 8300,000. The commissioners for re- 
building were Samuel F. Patterson, then Ticasiu'er of 
the State; Duncan Cameron, Alfred Jones, Cliarlcs 
Manly and Beverly Daniel. 



WARREN COUNTY. 



457 



itcd oil their cliiklion, as well as the sins ul' tlic 
fathers." 

Three sons were born to this couple in War- 
ren County, N. C: John, Braxton and Tlioinas. 

John Bragj^j born 1808, died 1878, was horn 
in Warrcnton. His father, though in nioderato 
circumstances, afforded him every advantage of 
education, lie was sent to the best schools in 
tlie country, and to the University, where he 
graduated in the same class of 1824 with Will- 
iam A. Graham, Matthias E. Manly, David 
Outlaw and others. Many of these subsc(iuently 
attained the higliest jiositions in the .State, as 
the.se sketches prove, lie studied law with Hon. 
Edward Hall, son of Judge John Hall, and 
practiced with great success for five years. He 
was elected a member of the House of Commons 
in 1830, and by successive elections until 1835. 
In the latter year he was appointed by General 
Jackson a member of tlie Board of Visitors of 
tlie United States Military Academy at West 
Point. 8()on after tliis he removed to Mobile, 
Ala. During the Presidential canvass of 183*5 
lie was associate editor of the Mobile Beyister. 
As a polemical writer, he possessed great power, 
and acquired influence and reputation as a jour- 
nalist. So competent an autliority as Colonel 
Forsyth ])ronounced him '' without any superior 
as a p<ditical writer in the State of Alabama." 
In 1837 and until 1840 he was the attorney for 
the Bank of Mobile, and in 1842 he was ap- 
])ointed, by Governor Fitzpatrick, judge of the 
Si.Kth Judicial Circuit ; afterward he was elected 
to tliis position by the Legislature over Gen. 
George W. Crabb. At the expiration of his 
term of office (six years) he was unanimously re- 
elected by the same hotly. During the time, 
however, the election of judges was transferred 
from the Legislature to the people. Although 
it was well known that Judge Bragg was decid- 
edly averse to the innovation, and stood aloof 
from the canvass, the people elected him by a 
large majority over Aaron B. Coo{)er, of Monroe. 

As a judge, he was considered austere and un- 
bending. Rigidly upright in his own conduct, 
he was unsi)aring to any attempt at fraud or 
chicanery. His virtues were of the Roman 
type. 

In 1851 the Democratic party had become 
sadly disorganized in the Jlobile district, arid in 
order to harmonize the contending factions, 
which his non-interference in active polities en- 
abled him to eflect, he consented to be a candi- 
date for Congress, and was elected byamajori+v 
of nearly 2,000 votes over Hon. C. C. Langd> i. 
He served during only one session in Congress, 



positively declining a re-election. He felt that 
tiiere was such a decadence of public integrity 
and personal virtue at Washington, as com- 
l)aretl with the days of Macon, who was his 
model of a statesman, that " the post of honor 
was a private station." 

Retiring from all professional as well as polit- 
ical pursuits, he did not appear again in jmblic 
affairs till his election to the Constitutional 
Convention of 1861, as the representative from 
Mobile County. Disqualified by age and former 
pursuits from military service, he remained on 
his farm in Lowndes County during the war. 
There (April 12, 1865) he was subjected to the 
grossest [icrsonal indignities, his farm wantonly 
destroyed, aiid his dwelling burned over tlie 
heads of his wife and children by the troops of 
General Wilson. He moved to Mobile, where 
he died on August 1(1, 1878. 

He married a sister of Dr. William R. Hall, of 
Lo%vndes County, Ala. His brother. Captain 
William Bragg, of Wilcox County, died iu tlie 
(Confederate army. His distinguislied brother, 
Tliomas Bragg, (born November 9, 1810, died 
January 21, 1872,) was a native of Warren 
County, son of Thomas and Margaret ]>i'agg. 
His education began at the Warrenton Acad- 
emy, with such teachers as Geo. W. FrejMiian, 
afterward Bishop of Arkansas, and Bishop Ot<y , 
of Tennessee, and was completed at the Mili- 
tary Academy at Middletown, Coj.-u., under 
Captain Allen Partridge, where he renuiined 
nearly three years. He then commenced the 
study of the law under Judge John Hall, and 
after obtaining his license he settled in Jack- 
son, Northampton Count)^, N. C, where he prac- 
ticed ills profession with brilliant success. In 
1842 he was elected a member of the House of 
Commons, where he took a high position, and 
was the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, 
lu 1854 he was elected Governor of the State by 
tiie Democratic party, over that veteran |)oli- 
tician. Gen. Alfred Dockery,and was re-elected, 
in 1856, over that excellent an<l able statesman, 
John A. Gilmer. In 1858-59 lie was elected 
Senator in Congress, which he resigned in 18G1, 
w'.ien his State withdrew from tlie Union. 

On February 22, 1862, when the Confederate 
Government was organized at Riciimond, Mr. 
Davis tendered Governor Bragg the position of 
Attorney-General. This high duty he performed 
with great ability until 1863, when he was suc- 
ceeded by Hon. George Davis. He returned to 
his profession ; but the vicissitudes of the war 
made a deep impression on his mind. In the 
summer of 1870, when civil liberty and private 



458 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



riglitf wvre menaced by lawless power on the 
one liaml, and "a wild species of justice" on 
the otiier, his efforts were unremitting in the 
sn]>port oi' justice and order. He, with others, 
addressed the following note to Judge Bond, 
then holding the United States Circuit Court at 
Raleigh : 

" Raleigh, September 30, 1871. 
"Hon. H. L. Bond, Judge of U. S. Circuit Court. 
" Sir: We have the honor, in the interest of 
the peace of the people of North Carolina, to 
address you this note. 

" 'Die i'act that a secret, unlawful organization, 
called ' the Ku Klux or Invisible Empire,' ex- 
ists in certain parts of the State has been mani- 
fested in the recent trials before the court in 
which you preside. We condemn without res- 
ervation all such organizations. We denounce 
tliem as dangerous to all good government, ancl 
we regard it as the eminent duty of all good citi- 
zens to suppress them. No right-minded man 
in North Carolina can palliate or deny the crimes 
committed by these organizations ; but we think 
if tlie further prosecution of the persons charged 
witli these offenses were continued until Novem- 
ber term, it would enable us to enlist all law- 
loving citizens of the State to make an energetic 
and effectual effort for the restoration of good 
order. We assure you that we believe belore 
the November term of the Circuit Court that 
this unlawful organization will be effectually 
suijpressed. 

" In presenting these considerations to your 
honor, we declare that it is our duty and pur- 
])ose to exert all the influence we possess and all 
the means in our power to absolutely suppress 
the organization, and to secure a lasting and 
permanent jieace to the State. The laws of the 
country must and shall be vindicated. We are 
satisfied, and give the assurance, that the peo- 
])le of North Carolina will unite in averting and 
forever obliterating an evil which can bring 
nothing hut calamity to the State. In the name 
of a just and honorable people, and by all the 
considerations which appeal to good men, we 
solemnly protest that tliese violations of law 
and [lublic justice must and shall cease. 

" We have the honor to be, etc., 
" Thomas Brago, Geo. V. Strong, Daniel G. 
FowLE, Jas. H. Batchelor, B. F. Moore, 
Wm. M. Suipp, M. W. Ransom, Will. H. 
Battle, R. H. Battle, jr., and D. M. Bar- 
ringer." 
In a reply, dated October 2, 1871, Judge 
Bond stated that he was unable to comply with 
this modest and reasonable request. 



The last public service of Governor Bragg 
was his connection as counsel for the managers 
in the impeachment of Governor Holden, which 
has already been referred to. (Page 441.) 

From the hour of the arrest of private citi- 
zens in Alamance and Caswell Counties to the 
conviction of Holden, the mind of Governor 
Bragg was never free from deep anxiety, and 
from the grave responsibilities resting on him as 
the leading and great tribune, guarding tlie 
rights and liberties of the people. So heavy 
and severe were his labors that when he left the 
impeachment chamber lie went an invalid to his 
sick room, a broken-down, afflicted man. The 
silver cord of his life had been broken ; tlie 
health-giving influences of mineral s]n'iugs and 
medicine had lost all tlieir power. His life had 
now come to its end. Surrounded by liis af- 
flicted and disconsolate family, in full possession 
of his vigorous intellect, and in a calm reliance 
on the rewards promised to an honest, useful 
and well-spent life, Gov. Tliomas Bragg de- 
parted this life at Raleigh, January 21, 1872. 

"Call no man good till he dies," said the 
illustrious ancient ; and now that death has 
closed the scenes of his long, useful and event- 
ful life, we can, without fear of reversal, pro- 
nounce Governor Bragg worthy of the esteem and 
reverence with which his memory is cherished 
by a grateful community. He was a good as 
well as a great man. 

A corrcsiiondent, in one of the papers of the 
day, has recorded that he witnessed "the last 
of earth " with this distinguished man. He says : 
"Holding his hand with affection, I saw the 
last evidences of life slowly pass away from him. 
Never shall I forget the calmness and composure 
with which, a few moments before he died, he 
uttered these words : "I have no doubt that I 
have my sins to answer for; all men must so ac- 
count. I have endeavored to lead an exemplary 
life ; I have never seen the time that I felt I 
could be persuaded, through favor, affection, re- 
ward, or the hope of reward, to do otherwise 
than my conscience would dictate to me, as right 
and projier. The future has been, and is now, 
a deep, dark mystery." 

Governor Bragg needs no eulogy. The peo- 
ple hold his memory in respectful reverence. 

He married in Petersburg, Va., and left a 
large family. 

"Green be the turf above thee, 
Friend of my bettor days ! 
None knew tliee but to love thee ; 
None named thee but to praise." 

— Halleck on the death of Drake. 



WARREN COUNTY. 



459 



Braxton Biagj,', (born 1815, died 1876,) son 
of Tlionuis anil Margaret Brjigg, was born in tbis 
County. 

After proper early education, lie was nj)- 
jwinted, in 1833, a Ciulet at the U. S. Military 
Academy from the Warren district, Gen. Mic^i- 
jali T. Hawkins being then member of Congress. 
lie gradnateil in 1837, and was appointed a lieu- 
tenant of the Tliird Artillery. In 1839 to 1843 
he served in Florida in the war with the Semi- 
noles. He was breveted captain for gallant con- 
duct in Mexico at the defense of Fort Brown, 
May 9, 184G, and major, for gallantry at Mon- 
terey, .September 23, 1846; breveted fieutenant- 
colonel for Bnena Vista 1847, anil appointed 
major of First Cavalry March 3, 1855. He re- 
signed January 3, 1850, and resided on his plan- 
tation, at Thibodeaux until our civil war be- 
gan. He was appointed a brigadier-general 
(March, 1861) in the Confederate army, and a.s- 
signed to command at Pensacola. In February, 
1802, he was was made a major-general, and 
joined the army of the Mississippi in command 
of the Second Corps, and bore an imj)ortant part 
in the battle of Shiloh. He was made general 
in place of A. S. Johnson, and succeeded Beaure- 
gard in command of that army after that battle. 
In August he entered Kentucky, and was com- 
l)elled to retire after the battle of Perryville, 
Ocfober 9, 1862. He was then relieved from 
tliis command, but was soon restored, and took 
command of the army oj)posed to Rosecrans. 
After the battle of Murfreesboro', December 31, 
1862, where he gained partial success, he was 
compelled to retire. On September 19, 1863, 
he defeated Rosecrans at Chickamauga, and on 
November 25, 1863, he was defeated by General 
Grant at Missionary Ridge, and again was re- 
lieved of his command. At Wilmington he was 
again )>laccd in command, just before its capture 
by the Union forces. After the war he led a quiet 
life, and died very suddenly, (falling dead in the 
street,) from a disease of the heart, at Galveston, 
on Sei)tember 27, 1876. Thus ended the last of 
this triumvirate of genius, of worth and talent. 
The memory of Gen. Thomas J. Green should 
be giuirded well and protected in love. He, gen- 
erous to a fault, noble and grand, fiery and im- 
l)ulsive, heard the Texau cry for freedom, left a 
home of luxury, sought the fichl where blood 
like water flowed, unsheathed his sword in de-» 
fense of a stranger's laud, and bravely fought 
for unknown homes. The cry of the oppressed 
reached his ears and was echoed in his unselfish 
heart — that heart gave its first beat of life 'neath 
Warren's sky — bravely and nobly he fought, his 



blood stained the plains and broad prairies of 
Texas land ; the " Lone Star State " was saved 
from Mexican persecution, and his chivalric na- 
ture was satisfied. Years passed, but Warren's 
memory remained still fresh in his mind, here- 
turned, settled, and many yet there are who re- 
member with i)leasure how Esmeralda's door, 
whether touched by the hands of rich or poor, 
ever swung upon the hinges of hospitality.- But 
he, too, who had aided so much to build the 
temple of fame, passed away just as the blood- 
bespattered flag of our land was unfurled for its 
last mighty eft'ort in the southern heavens, but 
in passing away his noble heart beat with a 
quickened pulse of pride, for he knew that Ms 
only sou, shrouded in the patriotic mantle of his 
sire, was battling for Warren, Carolina and the 
Soulh. 

From the graceful pen of E. A. Oldham, of 
the Nezv South, we find that Wharton J. Green 
is of an old Warren County stock, his ancestors 
being among the earliest settlers of that County, 
then a i)art of old Bute. Losing his mother at 
four years of age, his father, Gen. Thomas J. 
Green, placed him with a maternal uncle while 
he went off to engage in the struggle for Texan 
independence, just then beginning. The latter 
was forthwith commissioned a Brigadier-General 
by the Congress of the young republicand directed 
to return to New Orleans and raise a brigade 
for active service. This he speedily accom- 
l)lished, consuming in the effort almost his en- 
tire private means. Returning to Texas on the 
day that Santa Anna, who had been captured at 
San Jacinto, was to have sailed for Vera Cruz, 
General Green assumed the responsibility of 
bringing him ashore and detaining him a pris- 
oner of war — an act which was approved by the 
succeeding Congress. 

Subsequently he was captured with the ill- 
fated Mier expedition, every tenth man of 
which was shot in cold blood, by order of his 
former captive, the then tyrant of Jlexico. 
After twelve months' confinement in the Castle 
of Perote he and seven others effected their es- 
cape by drilling a hole through an eight foot 
wall. On his arrival in Texas he wrote and 
published an account of the expedition. Upon 
tiie aunexafion of Texas, General Green re- 
turned to his native County, where he lived and 
died. 

Naturally of an adventurous disposition, he 
helped* to settle three different States, and was 
during his life a member of the Legislature of 
five, including the first one of California. Foote 
in his history of Texas says of him, that he did 



460 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



more toward acliieviiif; Mic indciJCtuloncc of tliat 
Republic tlian any other wlio figured iu the 
revolution. 

His only son partook of liis roving nature in 
his younger days, and tried various schools in 
different States, including Lovejoy's Academy, 
at Raleigh; Georgetown College; a preparatory 
course for Harvard, in Boston ; West Point 
Military Academy ; Univer.sity of Virginia, and 
Cumberland University. 

On his marriage in 1858, he devoted a year 
to foreign travel. Returning in 1859, he set- 
tled on his farm on Shocco creek, Warren County. 
Altliough educated for the law his predilection 
for country life and agricultural pursuits in- 
duced him to abandon it shortly after obtaining 
his license. Nurtured in the school of State's 
rights, with the resolutions of '98 as his vadc- 
Hjecwm and Mr. Calhoun his political high ])iiest, 
and believing as fervently as he did in liis own 
existence that the only hope for the perma- 
nency of our system of government lay in the 
strictest construction of the Constitution, it was 
but natural that he .sliould liave espoused with 
ardor the cause of his State wiien tlie right to 
resume delegated powers came to be settled by 
the arbitrament of arms. 

When it became known in the beginning of 
18(il that the Federal Government liad deter- 
mined to reinforce and victual the beleagured 
garrison of Fort Sumter, he hurried to Charles- 
ton to tender his services to the Governor of 
South Carolina, and arrived in time to hear the 
first gun of the mighty struggle which it ush- 
ered in. Returning home, he volunteered in 
the Warren Guards, which was one of the three 
first companies to reach the State encampment 
at Raleigh. It was shortly afterward assigned 
to the (2d) twelfth regiment, which was the 
second to leave the State imd report for duty in 
Virginia. While in camp at Norfolk he was, 
without solicitation on his part, authorized by 
the War Department to raise a regiment of his 
own to be attached to Wise's Legion. Before 
his two last companies arrived in camp, hearing 
of the fall of Hatteras, and feeling assured that 
Roanoke Island would be taken because it should 
be the next point of attack, he was permitted 
on his own application to proceed thither, thereby 
losing rank, inasmuch as he had to take that 
of lieutenant-colonel commanding, the regi- 
ment not being complete so as to permit him to 
take the grade above. 

He reached the Island on February 8, 1862, 
the morning of the day of surrender and after 
it had been virtually decided on. Protesting 



against its being done, he was sent forward 
witli his command (the 2(1 North Carolina Bat- 
talion) to interce])t tlie Federal advance, the 
officer in command promising to reform the 
other commands and come to his assistance. 
They met and repulsed Burnside's advanced 
regiments, and were in line of battle when a 
white flag passed them from the rear in token 
of surrender. 

Subsequently he was wounded during the 
siege of Washington, North Carolina, and 
afterward wounded and captured at Gettys- 
burg. He was detained a prisoner at John- 
son's Island until within a week of the sur- 
rendei-. Probably no man in tlie South felt 
more keenly the final blow, for none was more 
conscientiously devoted to the cause or more 
sanguine of its successful issue. Nevertheless, 
recognizing " The Nation " as an establislied 
fact after Appomattox, lie in cominon witli others 
similarly minded bowed to the inevitable. His 
only ambition since has been to see his State 
resume her [ilace at the council board of States, 
the I'ecognized peer of any under tlie altered 
condition of affairs, as she certainly was of all 
before the change took place. He is essentially 
"a new man," never having held a civil posi- 
tion of any kind. He was a delegate to the 
Democratic national convention in New York, 
in 1868 ; to a similar convention in St. Louis, 
and elector on the Democratic ticket of 1868. 
All his life, however, he has been a close student 
of passing events, and his reading confined al- 
most exclusively to liistory and governmental 
polity. His political articles have appeared 
from time to time in many of the leading papers 
of tlie day, and indicate an aggressive tone of 
thought. Tiie defense and advancement of his 
State and section is evidently the controlling 
impulse in all he writes. 

He was nominated for Congress in the 2d 
district some six years ago against Governor 
Brogden, the Republican candidate, and con- 
sented to run only to keep his own party 
together, being fully conscious of tlie hopeless- 
ness of success. 

Although a pronounced partisan, he is re- 
served, diffident and retiring in his nature ; 
ever fearful of giving unintentional offense and 
perhaps a little too sensitive in taking it. Four 
years ago he purchased the fiimous "Tokay' 
Vineyard," near Fayetteville, where he and his 
family now reside. Naturally one of the love- 
liest spots in the State, it has, under the en- 
thusiastic efforts of its proprietor, beei> very 
materially beautified and improved. It is said 



WATAUGA COUNTlf. 



461 



to be the largest single vineyard in the .South, 
if not this side of the Rocky Mountains. While 
opposed to prohibitory legislation on principle, 
lie is nevertheless a. iViend of temperance, and 
believing that tliat cause can be best subserved 
by the work in which he is engaged, he is a 
vine grower through convictions of its moraliz- 
ing influence as well as tliose of self interest. 

lie received the nomination for C()ngress from 
this, tiie third, district, at the hands of the 
Warsaw convention on the 96th ballot and on 
tlie third after his name had been presented. 
He made an active and effective campaign, and 
will wo believe make an active and efficient 
member of the House of Representatives, (48tb 
Congress.) He was renominated and elected to 
tlie 49th Congress. 



The Joneses of Warren are well known. Mr. 
Macon's mother was a Jones. 

Edward Jones was the progenitor of a numer- 
ous offspring. 

Robert H. Jones was distinguished as a law- 
yer and statesman. He was a member of the 
Legislature in 1816-17-18, and 1823-26-27. 
He was appointed U. S. District Attorney by 
Mr. Jefferson, and Attorney-General of the 
State, 1828. His brother, Edward, was the 
father of Joseph Sewall Jones, the author of 
"The Defense of North Carolina ;" another. Hill, 
was a Methodist ])reacher. His brother, on the 
paternal side, William J. Jones, was a man 
of excellent sense and of much popularity. He 
represented the County in 1827-28, and was the 
first sheriff elected by the people. 



CHAPTER L. 



WATAUGA COUNTY. 



Watauga County, in its capital or County 
town, preserves the name of Daniel Booue, 
(born August 22, 1734, died, 1820.) He was a 
native of Berks County, Pa. His Aither came 
to North Carolina wliile Daniel was a small 
boy, and settled in tlie Forks of the Yadkin. 
Here the scenes of his youtli and of his eaily 
manhood were passed. 

In 1769 Boone, accompanied by bold and ad- 
venturous spirits, left lionie fur the dark and 
bloody ground of Kentucky, and from that date 
to 1771 was witli them cxjdoring tlie rich and 
lovely regions, altliougli cunstantly exposed to 
tlie attacks of tlie Indians. In 1774 he con- 
ducted a party to the falls of the Ohio, and built 
a fort wliere Boon.sboro' novv stands ; here he re- 
])ulsed at various times the attacks of the sav- 
ages. In December, 1775, a furious assault was 
made by which Booue lost one man and another 
wounded ; but the Indians wore repulsed with 
great slaughter, and apjieared to be reconciled. 
Tliis caused the whites to be less guarded. On 
July 14, 1776, as three young ladies (two of 
them daughters of Colonel Calloway and one of 
them a daughter ot Cidonel Boone) were stroll- 
ing in the woods, they were captured by the In- 
dians.. At the time Boone was off hunting, but 
when lie returned, without any aid or waiting 



to collect a force, he followed the trail of the 
Indians, and came iu sight of them, and by his 
unerring rifle killed two, recovered the girls and 
returned to the fort in safety. One of these mar- 
ried Samuel Henderson, the brother of Judge 
Henderson and Pleasant Henderson. This ro- 
mantic incid(;nt obtained more notoriety by its 
mention in "The Last of the Mohicans," by 
James Fennimore Cooper. 

In 1778, while engaged in making salt at the 
Licking River, be was captured and taken to 
Detroit. He was adojited into an Indian family, 
and hearing an attack was to be made on the 
fort at Boonsboro', he made his escape, and 
reached the fort, 160 miles distant, in four days, 
during which he had but one meal. He found 
the fort in a bad condition and put everybody 
to work to repair it. The Indians, finding Boone 
had escaped, jtostponed tlu^ attack. 

On August 8 a large force appeared before 
Boonsboro' and demanded its surrender. The 
assailants were four hundred and forty-lour In- 
dians and eleven Frenchmen, commanded by 
Captain Duquesne. . Boone requested a parley 
of three days, at the end of wbich he informed 
the French commander he would defend the 
iVirt to the last extremity. A treaty was agreed 
upon. After signing it he was informed that it 



462 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



was a custom to shake hands, and the moment 
the savages took hold of each white man's hand 
they endeavored to lioUl hira fast. Boone felt 
the sinewy grasp, and his companions were be- 
trayed into a like perilous position. Now arose 
a mighty struggle, a contest for life — 

" Now gallant Boone, now hold tliy own. 
No maWen's arm is 'round thee thrown ; 
U'hat hv.. grasp thy fi-aine would feel 
Throngh bars of brass and triple steel." 

Fortune favors at this moment of peril her 
gallant son, and the knife of Boone found a 
bloody sheath in bis adversary's bosom ; his 
men and himself escaped to the fort. The In- 
dians were compelled to raise the siege after a 
heavy loss and retired. Sucli was the life that 
Boone led until the defeat of the Indians by 
Wayne, in 1*792, wbich brought peace to this 
lovely section. Boone, when this new territory 
came into the Union, by carelessness on his part, 
and cunning and chicanery of others, lost his 
possessions in Kentucky. 'This he did not much 
regret, as he said the country had become too 
crowded, and "he wanted more room." He 
went to Missouri, where he lost his wife, in 
1813, and he returned to tlie house of his son,* 
Major Nathan Boone. In 1810 he went to live 
with his son-in-law, Flanders Calloway, and 
died at Chariton, Missouri, September 26, 1820. 
(Drake's Dictionary of "American Biographv of 
Men of the Times," 1876.) 

The character of Boone represents the type of 
the men in the early age of our Republic, 
brave, enterprising, noble and generous ; nor is 
his character confined to our own country ; it 
has been celebrated in the exquisite lines of 
Byron. 

"Of all men 
Who passes for life and death, most lucky 
Ts Daniel Boone, backwoodsman of Kentucky. 
(Jrime came not near him. She is not the child 
Of solitude. Healtli shrank not from him, 
For hor home is in the rarely-trodden wild." 

'■ An 1 tall and swift of foot were they 

Beyond your dwarfing city's jjale abortions. 
Because their thoughts had never been the prey 

Of careor gain. The green woods were their portions. 
Motion was in their days, not in tlieir slumbers, 

And cheerfulness the handmaid of their toil ; 
Nor yet too manj' or two few their numbers ; 

Corruption could not make their hearts her soil. 
Serene, not sullen ; even the solitudes 

Of this unsigliing people of the woods." 

— Doyi Juan, viii, Ivi. 

John Sevier, horn September 23, 1745, died 

* Major Nathan Boone was afterward a lieutenant- 
colonel in the United States army, and died at Spring- 
field, Miss., January, 1857, aged 75. 



September 24, 1815, was a contemporary of 
Boone and possessed many similar traits of char- 
acter with that daring, distinguished and en- 
terprising patriot. He was a member of the 
1st Congress (1790) from North Carolina, from 
a portion of territory formed that year into the 
State of Tennessee. 

General Sevier "descended from an ancient 
1 family in France whose name was Xavier, and 
his own uniform, bold and unique signature is 
something like that chirography. "The chiro- 
graphy is a beautiful and curious specimen. His 
father, Valentine Xavier, was born in London, 
and emigrated to America in the first j)art of 
the last century — settled on the Shenandoah, 
in Virginia, where John Sevier was born about 
1744. 

When but a young man he married MissI 
Sarah Hawkins, by whom he had six children. || 

She was delicate, and never moved from East- 
ern Virginia, but died there soon after the birth 
of her sixth child. ^ 

During Sevier's visit to his family in 1773, 
Lord Dunmore, the Governor of Virginia, then 
fitting out an expedition against the Shawnees 
and other tribes north of tlie Ohio river, pre- 
sented to Sevier the commission of captain, to 
command a company raised under his own eye 
and care in the County of Dunmore. This ex- 
pedition ended with the perilous and fearful 
battle of Point Pleasant, where James Robert- 
son and Valentine Sevier entitled themselves to 
much honor and distinction. 

The settlers on the Holston, Watauga, and 
Nolachucka were beyond the influence and power 
of the State laws and executive officers of North 
Carolina, and therefore, as wise men, who knew 
the advantage of laws and officers, acknowledged 
as authoritative, they, in 1772, adopted a form 
of government called the " Watauga Govern- 
ment," and they elected John Sevier as one of 
four delegates to a convention at Halifax, North 
Carolina. He attended a session of the General 
Assembly, and in 1777 procured the establish- 
ment of a district and the extension of State 
laws, establishment of courts, &c. The patriotic 
sentiments of the man were avowed in the selec- 
tion of the name for this district where he had 
cast his lot, and where were the bold and hardy 
pioneers with whom he was associated. This 
was "Washington District," North Carolina. 
The people had enjoyed the advantages of their 
inchoate and infant government of Watauga 
from 1772 to this date, and had accomplished 
many things worthy of note. Tliey opened 
paths across the mountains, felled the forests, 



WATAUGA COUNTY. 



463 




years afterward, deemed a good oi)portunity 
presented for her to gain the credit of an act of 
"supererogation," and passed hiws to confirm 
marriages and otiicr deeds and doings of these 
wayward " chihlren in the woods." 

July 2], 1776, " Okl Abraham," in com- 
mand of a band of Cherokecs from Chilliowee 
mountains, attacked the Watauga fort, com 



... - 7 many 

hearts faulting, fearful and desponding — taking 
shelter under British protection-certificates. 

The tories were numerous, desperate and 
daring. The British in possession of South 
Carolina, Georgia and i)arts of North Carolina 
and Virginia,- the hopes of the patriots were 
feeble, and tlie sun of independence well nigh 
obscured. But soon it beamed forth on the 



manded by Sevier and Robertson ; and, as the heights of King's Mountain, (October 7 178o") 
best teat performed, he chased the "lovely which achievement has been frequently referred 
latharine to the captain's arms ;" and we have to in these pages. Sevier had his full share of 
heard her say she used to feel ready to have the dangers, and has receive.l full credit for the 
another such a race and leap^over the pickets same— a sword and a vote of thanks were ex- 

'■ "' ' ' ' " tended to him by the Legislature of North 

Carolina. He rendered other important mili- 
tary services at Musgrove's Mill and other places 
against the British and tories, and afterward 
in defending the frontiers against the ravao-es 
of the Indians, and in 178l"he conducted sev- 
eral expeditions to the Chicamauga towns. 



to enjoy another such an introduction. 

On this same day was fought the battle of 
the Flats. Other skirmishes occurred here and 
there at different times. 

Captain Sevier was actively engaged in the 
I'xjjedition of Colonel Christian, ordered out by 
Virginia, and joined the Virginia troops at 



Double Springs, and he neglected no oppor- Peace being made with England, yet no t)eace 
funity to pursue the Indians or chastise them came to this section ; for in 1784 " the State of 
hiranyof their insults or outrages. He promptly Franklin" mingled in the seethino- cauldron of 



of 

united with others, without envy, or 'jealous/, political excitement,* and Sevi'eT'sel ''upT'^'^ov- 

or reservation, and he as readily fitted out expe- ernmeut indeitendent of the State of North 

(litions from his own neighborhood and with Carolina. Our space and limits do not allow 

his own means, without boasting, without fear, us to give the history of tliis very interestincr 

a\\y\.v{\X\inever a failure. In 1777 lie was made epoch in the life of Sevier. In 1788 he was 

lieutenant-colonel. arrested and imprisoned in the jail at Moro-an- 

In 1778 It is probable that his finst wife died, ton. The mild measures of the old mother 

for on August 14, 1779, he was married to Miss State toward her young and wayward dauo-hter 

Catharine Sherrill, of whom it is truly and granting pardons to individuals, and yieldin<^ 

liandsomely said, "she could outrun, outjump, up a section already beyond her control in*^- 



walk more erect, and ride more gracefully and 
skillfully than any other female in all the 
mountains round about or on the continent at 
large. '^ 

In 1779 Captain Sevier raised troops, entered 
tlie Indian territory, burned their towns, made 
prisoners, and fouglit the successful battle of 
" Bo; d's Creek." 

A few days after tlie battle of Boyd's Creek, 
Colonel Sevier was joined by Colonel Arthur 
Campbell with a Virginia regiment, and by 
Colonel Isaac Shelby with his troops from Sulli- 
van County, North Carolina, and afterward these 
three colonels iu harmony scoured the Cherokee 
country, scattered liostile bands, destroyeil the 
homes of the Indians, and then returned to 
tlieir own in better security and some more con- 
fidence of peace. 

The critical year of the American Revolution 



duced Sevier and his party to come into meas- 
ures of compromise. The County was ceded to 
the United States, and organized as " the Ter- 
ritory south of the Ohio river." The proba- 
tionary territorial stage was passed through ; 
Tennessee was created a State, and John Sevier 
(1790-1801) was chosen Governor, and after- 
ward from 1803-9. In 1811 he was elected a 
member of Congress from Tennessee, with Felix 
Grundy and John Rhea as colleagues, and was 
re-elected in 1813. In 1815 he was jjersuaded 
by Mr. Madison to accept tlie appointment of 
commissioner to adjust the difficulties with the 
Creek Indians. Tiiis duty, considering his 
age and health, was too severe, and while en- 
gaged in its services he was taken sick at an 
encampment on the east side of the Tallapoosa 
river, near Decatur, Georgia, where on Septem- 
tember 24, 1815, he died. 



464 



WHEELER'iS REMINISCENCES. 



WAYNE COUNTY. 



Goldsboro', the capital of Wayne, is situ- 
ated near the center of the County, about 
a mile from the Neuse river. Tlie land 
on which the town is located was originally 
owned by Arnold Borden, Lemuel H. Whit- 
field, Wright Langstoneand James Rhodes, and 
called in token of regard after M. T. Goldsboro', 
tlie assistant engineer of the Wilmington and 
Weldon Railroad. On February 23, 1839, the 
first train reached Goldsboro'. The first build- 
ing erected in the village was by Mr. Borden 
for a hotel. In 1848 the County seat, wliich 
was at Waynesboro', was moved to Goldsboro'. 

EzekielSlocumb was a native of Wayne County, 
and rendered important service to his country 
inthe Revolutionary struggle. He was at the bat- 
tle of Moore's Creek Bridge, February 27, 1 770, 
the earliest battle in the Revolution in the South, 
and lie would say his wife, too, was there. Her 
lioroic and romantic conduct is noticed in Mrs. 
Ellett's "Women of the Revolution," and also 
in Wheeler's History of North Carolina, II, 
457. She was one of the most remarkable 
women of her day. Her maiden name was 
Hooks, sister of Hon. Cliarles Hooks, who was 
a member of Congress in 1810, 1819-25 from 
the Wilmington district, and wlio moved to 
Alabama. She was born in Bertie County in 
1760. During her husband's absence in the 
army she took the entire charge of his farm, 
i and she used to say she did all the work a man 
ever did except mauling rails, and to do away 
with that exception she went out " one day and 
manled a few." 

Mr. Slocumb was an officer in the battle of 
Camden, (August Id, 1780,) where General 
Gates was defeated by Lord Cornwallis. On 
the march of the British Army in 1781, after 
the battle of Guilford, from Wilmington to Vir- 
ginia, his farm was visited and ravaged by the 
troops, and Slocumb, in attempting to protect 
his friends and family, had many narrow es- 
capes. He, with the aid of Major Williams, 
1^ raised a troo[) of about two luindred men and 

•j iollowed the royal army, succeeded in cutting 
off their foraging parties, and greatly harrassed 
the enemy until they crossed the Roanoke, 
when, with his troop, he joined La Favette, and 
was at Yorktown October 19, 1781. "Then he 



resigned and returned to his home blessed with 
the esteem of his brother officers and the re- 
spect of his fellow-citizens. The latter so ap- 
preciated his services that they tendered him 
every position of honor and trust in their gift. 
He was a member of the House of Commons in 
1808, also 1812-18. Their son Jesse was 
elected a member of Congress 1809-21, and 
died while a member, December 20, 1820, and 
was succeeded by William S. Blackledge, of New 
Berne. 

In the Congressional Cemetery at Washing- 
ton are cenota])hs erected to members of Con- 
gress who died before their terms of office ex- 
pired. We copy from one of these as follows : 
" In memory of Hon. Jesse Slocumb, a Repre- 
sentative of the United States from the State of 
North Carolina, died Decemb6r 20, 1820, aged 
forty years." 

A biographical and historical account of the 
Slocum and Slocumb families of America was 
publislied by the author, Charles E. Slocum, TVI. 
D., Ph. D., of Syracuse, New York, in 1880. 
The work is well executed, handsomely printed, 
illustrated with portraits and the family arms in 
colors. The Hon. Edward Salter, (a member 
of the Legislature in New Jersey in 1857-8-9, 
and Speaker in 1859,) has also given the results 
of his investigation into tlie history of the Slo- 
cumb family. He says that the family in 
America is supposed to have been Anthony Slo- 
cum or Siocoine, as his name was sometimes 
given, who, after he came to this country, set- 
tled at Taunton, Massachusetts, and who was 
one of the first purchasers of Dartmouth, inthe 
same State. He had a son, Giles, who settled 
near Newport, Rhode Island, and who in turn 
had sons, Giles, born March 27, lfi47 ; Nathan- 
iel, born December 25, 1652, and John. The 
last two settled in Monmouth, New Jer.sey, 
about 1667. John Slocum, better known as 
Ca]>tain John Slocum, became quite prominent 
in the country. In 1683 he was appointed by 
the Colonial Legislature captain oi' the militia, 
and the same year was appointed Chief Ranger 
of the County. The duties of this office were 
to keep a register of all horses and cattle in the 
County, and to visit all parts of tlie County to 
see that no stolen stock was bought or sold. 



WAYNE COUNTY. 



465 



and lie was authoiizfd to fiiiploy lis many dei)U- 
ties as lie tlunight necessary. Tradition says 
lie was one of tlie three men who first owned 
the land at and in tiie vicinity of the now famed 
summer resort, Long Branch. His hrotlier 
Nathaniel lived on land adjoining his. Cap- 
tain John Slocum married Meribali, daughter 
of George Parker, of Rhode Island, and it is 
said died wii'iiout issue, hut descen<laiits of his 
brother are now numerous, and living where 
their ancestors settled over two centuries ago. 

In Ward's history of Shrewsbury, Massachu- 
setts, the genealogy is given of what is [iroba- 
bly a branch of this family, who spell their 
name Slocomb. Tiiere is a traditit>n that three 
brothei's decided to adojjt three methods of sj)ell- 
ingtlie name, that the descendants might know 
from which one they descended. Among the 
earlier settlers of Virginia, whose names are 
given in Holten's List of Emigrants, the only 
one which approaches tliat of this family is 
Davey Slowcomc, who came from London, 1636. 

In England an ancient family of landed gen- 
try, in Somersetsliire, were the Slocombes, and 
from them it is probable the American family 
descends. Lanuian's Biograpliical Dictionary 
of Congressmen gives the name of the Hon. 
Jesse, formerly a member of Congress from 
North Carolina, as Slocum, but the original 
records of Congress show that he himself si)elled 
it Slocumb. The noted general in the late war, 
one of Sherman's division commanders in his 
" Marcli to the Sea," Henry W. Slocum, bom 
1827, who was a member of the 41st and 42d Con- 
gresses from New York, spells his name as does 
the New Jersey branch. The grandfather of 
Hon. Jesse Slocumb was Joseph. There was a 
person of this name admitted freeman at New- 
port, Rhode Island, 1727, after which his name 
does not again appear there. About this time, 
and during a few years subsequent, there was 
quite an exodus from Rhode Island, New Jer- 
sey and Pennsylvania to V^lrginia, the Caroli- 
nas and Georgia, and it is probable that this 
Josepli was among the number. He had two 
sons, John, Charles and Ezekiel ; the latter 
was the father of the Hon. Jesse. 

The arms and crest of this ancient family of 
Slocumbes, as described in both Burke and Fair- 
bank's " Armories of Lauded Gentry " are as 
follows : 

"Arms: On a fess gu belwe three griffins' 
heads covpcd .sa. , as many sinister wings or. 

" Crest : A griffin's head gu beiwe two wings 
expanded or." 

The derivation of the name is probably from 



combe, generally meaning a valley, but more 
literally cut-shaped depressions in hillsides ; 
and sloe, a kind of wild plum. It may have 
been that the first who received the surname of 
Slocumbe owned a combe or valley noted for 
sit)es, or lived near one ; or perhaps from some 
noted |K;rson of the name Combe, an ancient 
surname, wearing tlie leaves of the blackthorn 
or sloe as a badge or emblem, as the Earl of 
Anjoii wore tlie sprigs of broom as a badge or 
emblem of humility, from which came the sur- 
no.meof Broome in the Blantaganet royal family 
of England. The blackthorn, or sloe, is an 
emblem of difficulty, and a sprig of it worn by 
the first Slocombes might mean " Valley men 
difficult to overcome," or hard to conquer. 

in Ireland the sloe was designated by the 
Irish word aij-uc (amy,) and from this conies 
the surname Arney, and it is often found at the 
end of names of places, as in Killamy, meaning 
church of the sloes ; Clonarny, sloe meadows ; 
Mullamy, mountain of sloes, etc. 

Thomas Rutfiu was born in Frauklin County, 
tlic son of Henry J. G. Ruffiu, who was the son 
of Etlieldred Rufhn and Mary, daughter of 
William Haywood. His father represented 
Franklin County in the Senate in 1828. Col- 
onel Ruffin was liberally educated. He gradu- 
ated at the university in 1841. He studied law 
and removed to Missouri where he from 1844 to 
1848 served as the attorney for the yth judicial 
district. He returned to North Carolina and 
was elected to tlie 33d Congress, (1853-5.5,) and 
was continuously re-electecl until 1861. During 
the 37th, 38th and 39thCongre8ses(]861 to 1867) 
the State had no representatives in the United 
States Congress. At the beginning of the civil 
war he was appointed a captain in tlie 1st Nortli 
Carolina Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Robt. 
Ransom, and behaved with great gallantry in 
the many battles in wliicii tliis regiment was 
engaged. He was the colonel of the regiment; 
wlien in battle near Fairfax Court House he 
was severely wounded, from the effects of which 
he died at Alexandria, Virginia, in October, 
1803. 

Samuel Ruffin came to North Carolina from 
Virginia in 1752. High sheriff of Edgecombe 
in the time of George III ; had (1) Lamon 
Ruffin and (2) Etheldred Ruffin, lived in Edge- 
combe, afterward Greene, who married Mary 
Haywood, issue thereto : (a) Samuel, (b) Sarali,'^ 
(c) Henry John Gray, (d) Charity Ann, (e) 
Peggy Elizabeth and (f) James. 

(b) Sarah, married Henr}' or John Haywood ; 
issue, John Hayward and Samuel R. Haywood. 



466 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



John married Rebecca Palmer; issue, John, 
Rebecca, Sarali and Susan. Samuel R., married 
Eliza Perry ; issue, Allen, Mary and others. 

(c) Henry John Gray, in Legislature from 
Greene and Franklin, married Mary Tartt ; 
issue, Pemiuah Watson Ruffin ; Lamon, died 
in C. S. A. ; Etheldred, died in C. S. A., mar- 
ried Elizabeth Kennedy ; (issue, Mary Lee, 
married to John E. Woodward, and had Thomas 
Ruffin Woodward and John E. Woodward,) 
Sally Blount Ruffin, Patrick Henry, Lafayette, 
Dr. George W., died in C. S. A., Thomas, 
member of U. S. and C. S. Congress, colonel 
1st North Carolina Cavalry, killed at Bristow 
Station ; Mary Haywood, married Samuel Ger- 
aldin Williams ; issue, Mary L. E. Williams ; 
William Haywoiid, (who married Agnes K. 
Chadwick ; issue, Samuel Ruffin, married 
Blanche Forster, and had James Forster Ruffin, 
Hanson Chadwick Ruffin, William Haywood, 
Thomas, Susan Drum and Mary Tartt Ruffin,) 
and to John Gray and Mary Tartt Ruffin was 
also born Samuel Ruffin, who married Anne 
Haywood, daughter of William H. Haywood, 
United States Senator. 

(d) Charity Ann, married to — Wood ; issue, 
Julius Wood, (married Miss McConico ; issue, 
iour children,) William Haywood Wood, Frank 
Wood, who married and had four children ; (ej 
unmarried; (f) James Ruffin, married Miss 
Stanton, and iiad Willie and Elizabeth, who 
married Gray Little, and had two daughters. 

Curtis H. Brogden, born December 6, 1816, 
was born, reared and resides in Wayne County, 
about ten miles southwest of Goldsboro'. His 
grandfather, Thomas Brogden, was of English 
and Scotch origin, who came from Maryland 
and settled in Wayne County before the Revo- 
lutionary war. He was noted for his physical 
strength and activity, and also, like all Irish- 
men, he was noted for his genial temper and 
generosity. He literally "carried his heart in 
his hand." Having served as a soldier in the 
Revolutionary war, he afterward married a Miss 
Pierce, and his son. Pierce Brogden, was the 
father of the subject of our present sketch ; an 
industrious, hard-working farmer of unblem- 
ished character. He nuirried the daughterof 
John Beard, an Irishman, who possessed all 
the noblest traits of Irish character. She was 
a most exemplary, Christian woman, and to her 
example and lier pious influences may be traced 
that high moral character for which her son has 
ever been distinguished. For this son of her 
love and hopes she cherished the fondest affec- 
tion. She encouraged his love of books, and 



lived to see him respected for his virtues and 
abilities, and the honored representative of the 
people. His early days were, from the circum- 
stances of his family, devoted to labor on a 
farm. He worked every summer to make a 
support, and in the winter after the crops were 
stored away attended school, but whether in the 
field or at home, he never neglected his books. 
When he had attained sufficient education he 
was employed to teach "an old field school," 
which duty he discharged to the advantage of 
his pupils aud great acceptability to his patrons. 
Whatever he attempted he " did with all his 
might," and was always successful ; while his 
generous disposition and his genial manner 
rendered him popular and caused him " to win 
golden opinions from all sorts of men." His 
career in political life is interesting and roman- 
tic. He had never attended a militia muster 
until he was by age ordered to the muster field. 
The second time he attended he was made cap- 
tain of the company, and soon arose by suc- 
cessive promotions in the service to be major- 
general. He had never heard a political speech, 
or seen a candidate for the Legislature until the 
day that he became, by the wishes of the people, 
a candidate himself, on July 4, 1838. On tiiat 
day he ploughed until eight o'clock, rode ten 
miles to the Court House, mustered three hours 
in the field, and marched to the Court House 
where the candidates for the Legislature an- 
nounced themselves. After the otiiers had 
spoken he unexpectedly to every one announced 
himself also as a candidate in a speech which 
surprised his audience, and won for him a tri- 
umphant election by tlie largest majority ever 
given in the County for any candidate. Wiien 
he took his seat in the House he was the young- 
est member of a body composed of such men as 
William A. Graham, Michael Hoke, Kenneth 
Rayner, Robert B. Gilliam, David S. Reid, 
Hamilton C. Jones and others. Among " these 
burning and shining lights " he was not ob- 
scure. If not a practiced politician he was an 
attentive and close observer. It was remarked 
of him that he learned more and faster than 
any one in the Assembly. When he spoke he 
realized Fielding's advice, " a man speaks bet- 
ter when he knows what he is talking about." 
Being a devoted Democrat, he openly expressed 
liis sentiments, and sometimes encountered op- 
jiosition. ■ 

On a notable occasion Hon. Kenneth Rayner 
undertook to measure swords with him, thinking 
to disarm him with ease, but he came " to shear, 
and got shoru himself." 



WAYNE COUNTY. 



46'7 



Such was tlio prudence and sagacity of his 
course that for ten successive sessions he was 
elected from Wayne to the Legishiture. At the 
session of 1856-57 he was elected Comptroller 
o*' the State, and was re-elected for ten years, re- 
ceiving the approbation of the Legislature and 
the support of both i)arties. The finance com- 
mittees of each session examined liis accounts, 
and invariably complimented his fidelity, accu- 
racy and neatness. In 18G8 Governor Brog- 
den was chosen an elector on the Presidential 
ticket, and presided over tlie Electoral College, 
when it met at Raleigh in December, and cast 
the vote of the State I'or Grant and Colfax. The 
same year he was elected a trustee of the Uni- 
versity, and in 1869 a State director in the 
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. 

For many years he presided as one of the 
justices of Wayne County Court, which his ac- 
quaintance isith the fundamental principles of 
the law (for he had read law and received a 
license to practice) eminently fitted him. 

In the " North Carolina Manual," of 1874, p. 
364, it is stated that William Thompson was 
State Senator from Wayne County in 1852, 1854 
and 1856 ; tliis is an error, as the "Journals " of 
the Senate show that Governor Brogden was the 
Senator from Wayne during the years mentioned. 

In 1869, because of his well known integrity and 
ability, he was appointed collector of internal 
revenue ; but as lie never had received any office, 
save trom the people or the Legishiture, although 
the place was a lucrative one, he declined it. He 
was again elected, in 1868 and 1870, to the 
Senate, and served until 1872, xifhen he was 
elected by the people Lieutenant-Governor of 
the State, after an active canvass, by a majority 
of 2,000 votes. On July 14, 1874, on the death 
of Gov. Todd R. Caldwell, he as.sumed the duties 
of Governor of the State. His course as Gov- 
ernor has cliallenged the admiration and respect 
of every citizen of the State. Cautious in his con- 
duct, firm in his decisions, liberal to his friends, 
while just to those who differed from him, his 
administration will descend in history as an ex- 
ample worthy of remembrance by all. His in- 
augural address was a model document. 

On May 20, 1875, he delivered an address at 
the Centennial, celebrated in Charlotte, which 
was highly eloquent, poetic and patriotic. And 
the next year, as Governor, he represented the 
State at the Centennial celebration in Philadel- 
phia on July 4, 1876. 

In 1876 he was elected a member of the 45th 
Congress over Wharton J. Greene, and served 



on the important committee " on the revision of 
the laws regulating the counting of tlie electoral 
votes for President and Vice-President," of 
which Hon. Milton J. Southard was chairman. 
Tliis question should be settled, or at some 
future day it will prove the rock upon which our 
national ship of State will be seriously injured, 
if not wi'ecked. 

After his term in Congress had expired, 
(March 4, 1879,) Governor Brogden retired to 
his home in Wayne in possession of the sincere 
regard of his friends and the high respect of 
all parties. 

Governor Brogden has never married. Poli- 
tics (like painting to Michael Angelo) has been 
too jealous a mistress to allow any rival in his 
affections. 

The example presented in the life and career 
of Governor Brogden is well worth the study of 
every youth of our nation. From the jjlough 
he, by good conduct, reached the presidency of 
the Senate and the Governorship of the State, 
and a seat in Congress. 

William T. Dortch was born in Nash County in 
1824, now resides at Goldsboro', in tliis County. 
He is no relation to William B. Dortch, of Ten- 
nessee. He graduated at the University in the 
same class (1849) with Kemp. P. Battle, Peter 
M. Hale, Charles R. Thomas and otiiers. Mr. 
Dortch read law with B. F. Moore, and prac- 
ticed with such success that he is the acknowl- 
edged head of the profession in his section of 
the State. He was elected to the Legislature 
(House) in 1858 and 1860, and was Speaker till 
September, 1861, when he (witli George Davis 
as colleague) was chosen Senator from North 
Carolina ; and again 1864, with William A. 
Graliam as a colleague. 

Since the war closed he has pursued his pro- 
fession, yet he takes a great interest in whatever 
concerns the honor and welfare of his State. He 
was active in opposing the sale of the Western 
Railroad to Messrs. Best & Company ; and in 
the Senate (1880) he was most decided and ac- 
tive, but he was overruled, and the sale has been 
accomplished. Time will prove who was right. 
He still pursues his profession in partnership 
with his son, Isaac F. Dortch, (born 1849,) who 
represented tlie County of Wayne in the House in 
1874, tlie Counties of Wayne and Duplin in the 
Senate of 1876. lie married Lucy, a daughter 
of Dr. Thomas Hogg. Mr. Dortch is clear and 
cool in his judgment, slow to form his opinion, 
but when once convinced and determined, he is 
as firm as the rock of Gibraltar. 



4(i8 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES, 



WILKES COUNTY. 



Montford Stokes (born 1760, died 1842,) lived 
for a long time and represented this County in 
the Legislature — in the Senate, 1826, and in the 
Comino'is in 1819-29 and 1830. He was the son 
i>f' Je¥e(m Stokes, born in Halifax County. His 
early days were spent on the ocean in the em- 
ploy of Josiah Collins, sr., sailing out of the 
port of Edenton. Leaving the merchant service, 
he entered the infant navy of our Revolution, 
and served under Commodore Stephen Decatur, 
the father of the distinguished commodore of the 
war of 1812, who was killed by Barron in a duel 
in 1820. During one of his cruises his vessel 
was captured by the British, in 1776, lu^ar Nor- 
lulk, and he was confined on board of the ju-ison 
ship, in New York harbor, wliere his sufferings 
weie intense. After tlie war he abandoned the 
sea and removed to Salisbury, where for many 
years he was the Clerk of the Superior Court, 
and with superior abilities he discharged his 
duties with great satisfaction. His intelligence 
and clerical accomplishments led to bis selection 
as principal clerk of the Senate ; here he ac- 
quired sucn powerful influence that he was 
elected Senator in Congress in 1815 and until 
1823. He had been jtreviously elected to this 
distinguished station and had declined it. In 
1830 lie was elected by the Legislature Gov- 
ernor of the State over Richard Dobbs Spaight, 
jr. His old friend, General Jackson, appointed 
hiui, in 1831, Indian agent in Arkansas, wher ■ 
he resided until his death in 1842. Governor 
Stokes in his character was unquestionably a 
man of genius, learning and of the highest cour- 
age. But his roving, roUicksomedisposition pre- 
dominated over his better qualities, and careless 
of his own ; he was greatly harrassed in pecu- 
niary matters. He was of uuquestioned cour- 
age, and " sudden and quick in quarrel." He 
fought a duel, near Salisbury, at Mason's old 
field, with Jesse A. Pearson, to whom we have 
already alluded, (page 401,) and was severely 
wounded, the efiects of which he carried to his 
grave. 

Governor Stokes was twice maridg^ first, to 
Miss Irwin, in Tarboro', the »is#rof (.the gal- 
lant Captain Henry Irwin, of the Second North 
Carolina Continental troops, who fell at Ger- 
mantown in 1777, by whom he had one daugh- 
ter, Mary Adelaide, who married, first, Hugh 



Chambers, of Salisbury, and, second, William 

B. Lewis, of Nashville, Tenn. Mr. Lewis was 
one of the auditors of the Treasury from 1827 
to 1837 under Jackson, and whose only daugh- 
ter married, about 1830, Mons. Pageot, the 
French Minister, and now resides in Paris. 
Major Lewis died 1864. Governor Stokes mar- 
ried a second time Rachel, a daughter of Hugh 
Montgomery, by whom he had ten children, 
five sons and five daughters. 

I. Hugh M., well educated, graduated at 
the University in the same class (1815) with 
John H. Bryan, Isaac Croom, Edward Hall, 
Lemuel Hatcli, F. L. Hawks, Willie P. Man- 
gum, Priestly Manguin, Uichard Dobbs S})aight, 
and otliers. Read law with Jmlge Murphey, 
succeeded his father as clerk of the Su[)erior 
Court of Rowan for two years, resigned and 
settled in Wilkesboro' and practiced law ; elected 
a member of the House of Commons in 1819. 
Taught school until he died. 

II. David, for some years a midshipman in 
the United States Navy, wjis dismissed from this 
service and entered the revenue marine service. 
He married in Norfolk. 

III. Rebecca Camilla, married Major Wra. 

C. Emmett, a native of Maryland, but lived in 
Tennessee, at Murfreesboro',- then moved to 
Nashville. After some years, removed to North 
Carolina, where they lived until the deatli of 
Mrs. Emmett, when he returned to Tennessee 
and married a second time. 

IV. Thos. J., married in Wilkes County, re- 
moved to Tennessee, where he lived and died, 
leaving several children. 

V. Sarah M., married Joseph W. Hackett, 
who lived and died in Wilkes County. 

VI. Henry J., died young. 

VII. Montford Sidney, born October 6, 1810, 
was a nudshipman in the United States Navy, 
in which he served some five years, when he 
resigned and returned home. When the war 
with Mexico began. North Carolina put a regi- 
ment in the field, of which Robert T. Paine, 
of Chowan, was colonel ; John Fagg, of Bun- 
combe, lieutenant-colonel; Montford S. Stokes, 
of Wilkes, major. The conduct of Major 
Stokes was so commendable that he was voted a 
sword by his regiment. In the late civil war 
he was appointed colonel of the first regiment 



WILSON COUNTY. 



469 



of North Carolina State troops, with Matt. W. 
llansom as liontcnant-colonel. In the battle of 
Chickahouiiiiy ho was, on June 26, 1802, se- 
verely woiiiiiled, and died at Richmond on July 
7 following. He died like a hero and a patriot. 
The following account, written at the time, is 
given of the death of Colonel Stokes : 

"After visiting my friend, who had been 
wounded severely, I went to the hospital to see 
Colonel Stokes. As soon as I saw the pros- 
trated and mutilated form of i)oor Stokes, I 
ti'it tliat lie had fought his last battle, and soon 
would join that — 

' Mij^lity Ciiniviin 
Which lialts at iii.^ht-time in ttie valo of iloath.' 

His surgeon stood mournfully by. His cheek had 
the jiallor of death ; his eye had lost its luster, 
and liisliands had theclamtnycoldnessof dissolu- 
tion. He needed stiranlanis, the doctor sug- 
gested, and I asked him if I should procure 
some for liim. He rcjdied with promptness, 
opening mournfully his languid eyes: ' Yes, I 
should be glad to liave some, but the otiier boys 
here need it as much as I, and we cannot get 
enough for all. I am very thankful, but do not 
wish that you should trouble yourself for me.' 
These were the last words I ever heard from tlie 
lips of M. S. Stokes. How characteristic of 
the man. The celebrated reply of the generous 
and gallant Sydney on the fatal field at Zutjdien, 
when lie passed the cup of water from his dying 
and parched lips to those of a suflering soldier, 
so lauded in history, does not excel in self- 
sacrifice, pliilanthropy and moral grandeur this 
dying remark of the brave Stokes. Such are 



the jewels of North Carolina, and none more 
brilliant than this." 

VIII. Catherine, married Dr. Alexander, a 
native of Mecklenburg, and moved to Alabama. 

IX. Ann, married Hon. Roland Jones, a na- 
tive of Rowan County, but a resident of Shreve- 
port, Louisiana. He wasajudgeand wasa mem- 
ber of 33d Congress, 1853-55. He died in the 
midst ol" his family at Shreveport. 

X. Racliel Adelaide, married Lemuel P. Crane, 
of Louisiana, a lawyer. He died, leaving sev- 
eral children. Mrs. C. still resides at Shreve- 
port. She and her sister, Mrs. Jones, are the 
sole survivors of Governor Stokes' family. 

General James B. Gordon wasa native of this 
County, and was of the most accomplished and 
of the most gallant oHicers. He was much 
loved and esteemed by all who knew him. He 
entered the service a.s a lieutenant in Colonel 
Stokes' regiment. He served in the Legisla- 
ture, 1850, as a member from Wilkes. He was 
made major of tlie 1st North Carolina regiment 
and afterward transferred to 1st regiment of 
cavalry- — tlie crack regiment in the service com- 
manded by Colonel Robert Ransom. He so 
distinguished himself in many battles tliat he 
was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general 
on May 11, 1804; at Yellow Stone Tavern, near 
Riclimond, in a raid of General Sheridan, he 
was killed ; with him fell at the same time the 
lamented and daring General J. E. B. Stuart, 
of Virginia. Of so elegant a gentleman, so 
gallant a soldier, Aristo miglit well have said: 
" Natura il fece epoi ruppe la stampa t" Nature 
having formed him, then broke the mould in 
which he was cast. 



WILSON COUNTY. 



Ricliard W. Singletary resides in Wilson, but 
is a native of Beaufort County, born February 
10, 1837 ; educated at Lovejoy's Academy, and 
the University where he graduated in 1858, in 
same class with Wm. M. Coleman, John A. 
Gilmer, James T. Morehead, James T. Scales 
and others. He read law, but never practiced 
the profession, owing to his ill health. He en- 
tered the army as a volunteer in Company H, 
27th North Carolina troops, and rose rapidly to 
the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and was wounded 
at Sharpsburg September 17, 1862, where his 



regiment lost two-thirds of its number in killed 
and wounded. In consequence of his wound, 
Colonel S. resigned, but in a few months after 
he accepted a captaincy in the 44th regiment, 
and was wounded in the battle of Spottsyivania 
Court House, which caused him to retire from 
the .service. After the war he moved (in 1868) 
to Wilson and became engaged in editing the 
Plain Dealer. 

He was elected in 1875 a member of the Con- 
stitutional Convention, and in 1876 a member 
of the House. 



m 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



FINALE. 



We have now finished our book of Reminis- 
cences of the Men of North Carolina, which we 
trust will prove acceptable to the kind people 
of whom, and for whom, it has been compiled. 

Doubtless, as we anticipated in the beginning, 
some worthy names have escaped mention, and 
others have been recorded that might as well, 
perhaps, have been omitted. However that 
may be, it has been a labor of love and the 
study of a lifetime. 

We do not believe that genealogical trees or 
doomsday books are the essentials of human 
happiness, yet we do believe in " pride of 
family " to a certain extent. There was a time 
once, in this republican land of ours, when 
many glorified themselves in ignoring the fact 
that they came from a distinguished ancestry, 
as if the spirit of our democratic institutions 
opposed any reference to family histories. That 
we were born of an honest and industrious race 
lor several generations back was quite sufBcient, 
and so it may be. And yet if a man were 
asked if he had a grandfather, we would logi- 
catTy infer that he must have had one, but this 
he could not assert as a historical or legal fact, 
unless there was some record of that fact. 

This indifference to family records is passing 
away, and now our peoj^le are taking more in- 
terest in such researches. These annals of our 
venerated ancestry certainly are not — 

" Airy tongues, that syllabic men's names. 
On sands and shore." 



We trust they have answered the question so 
forcibly put by one of the distinguished sons of 
the State : "Who are the people of North 
Carolina, and what was their origin and career?' 
And so remind their descendants of those noble 
men who lived and died for their country — 

" In ourselves their souls exist 
A part of ours." 

The only merit claimed by us is the patient 
and painstaking labor, which has cheerfully 
been bestowed in collecting them together, and 
so presenting them to my countrymen as a gar- 
land of glorious memories to refresh and regale 
the senses of our kind readers. And so we close 
with the sentiment so beautifully expressed by 
Judge Whiting, already alluded to: "Let it 
not be thought that we are working for our- 
selves alone, or for those now living. Let us 
hope that tliousands yet unborn will bless tlie 
patient and pious hands that have rescued from 
oblivion these jirecious memorials of men — 

" Wliose tongues are silent quite ; 
Whose bodily forms are reminiscences 
Fading." 

" All these wore lionored in theirgeiierations and were 
tlie glory of tlieir times. There be of them that have 
left a name behind them that their praises miglit be re- 
ported. * ♦ * 'J'lieir bodies are buried in peace, but 
tlieir name liveth forevermore." — Ecclesiasticus, xliv, 
7-14. 




INDEX 



■ PAOE 

Abbot, Gen. Joscpb 319 

Adamr, John, on Caswell. 105 

Aiken, Gen 61 

Alamance, battle of 

1, 103, 381 

Albcrtson, J. W 369 

Alexander, Abram 

263, 266, 277 

Alexander, Adam 263 

Alexander, R 263 

Alexander, Ezra 263 

Alexander, genealogy 268 

Alexander, George 97 

Alexander, George A 271 

Alexander, Hezekiah 264 

Alexander, JobnMcKnitt. 

264, 268, 269 
Air cander, M. W., ad- 

ct. ess on M^nklenbnrg 

Declaration 265 

-Alexander, Nathaniel 97 

Alexander, William Ju- 
lius 289 

Allen, "William 126' 

Alston, PiAU?..: 112 

Alston, Willis •..■■■■■ 204 

AmHas, Philip 101 

Anderson, Geo. B 335 

Andenson, Robert W 336 

Annandale 121 

Arm/ioid, Robert F 225 

A-Tisiead, Walker K 136 

Armstrong, William J. A. 220 

Ashe, gencalorv 8, 300 

Ashe, John } tista 

7, 204, 299, 305 
Ashe, Gen. Jolin, resist- 
ance to stafnp act 

40, 298, 300 

Ashe, Samuel 301, 305 

Asha, Samuel Porter 301 

Ashe, Gov. Sam\iel 305 



PAOE 

A.shc, Samuel Acourt 306 

Ashe, Thomas S 6 

Ashe, Williams 306 

Atkinson, Gen. Henry 370 

Atkinson, Bishop Tlioma.s. 313 
"Atticus" attacks Gov. 

Tryon 51 

"Atticus letters" of Mau- 
rice Moore 51 

Avery, Alphonso C. 81 

Avery, genealogy 76 

Avery, Waightstill ....76, 270 

Aver>, Waightstill W. ... 81 

Badger, Geo. E 18, 142 

Bagley, William H 869 

Baker, Gen. Lawrence S.. 126 

Baker, Blake ^56 

^.llcy, J^^hn L 365 

(Not Baily, a.s spelled in text.) 

Bain, Donald W 449 

Balburnie, William 64 

Balch, Rev. Hezekiah J... 

95, 270, 277 

Balfour, Andrew 380 

Barlow, Arthur 101 

Barnes, i^.iviil A -i+ 

Baraett family 371 

Barringers 1x1 , 96 

Battle 'family 160 

Battle, Elisha 160 

Battle, Kemp P 162, 4 49 

Battle, William H 160 

Baxter, John 410 

Beard, John 466 

Beard , Maj 172 

Beckwith, John W 442 

Benton, Thomas H 335 

Bennet, Risden Tyler 8 

(Not Richard, as printed.) 

Bibb, William W 108 

Biffle, Paul 395 



PAOE 

Biggs, Asa 253 

Bingham Academy 336 

Bingham, William 336 

Bi.shops from North Caro- 
lina to other States 284 

"Black Beard" 116 

Blackledge, Wm. S...137, 464 
Blakely,Johnson,U.S. N. 307 

Blake, James 396 

Bloodworth, Timothy 307 

Blount family..lvii, 11, 12, 130 

Blount, Willie 32 

Blount, Simon 223 

Blount, Thojnas 158 

"Bon Homme Richard".. 198 

Boone,- Daniel 461 

Jjorlaud, ki.:It,;"> . S>3-' 

Boyden, Nathaniel ''06 

Bragg family 56 

Branch, j'ohn 208 

Branch, L.O'B 211 

Brandon, Mattiiew 97 

Brevard famiiv 237, 243 

Brickell family 216, 218 

Bridgers, Robert R. ... luti 

Brehon, T)i. James G 452 

Br-,A)ks, Judge George W. 

Ill, 235, 365 

Briar Creek -^03 

Brogden, Curtis H 466^ 

Brown, John ^l-o 

Brown, Bedford., 107, 109, 1 ^ ' 

Bryan, Francis •■ l-i ^ 

Bryan, John H.. \ 

Bryan, Nathan.... ;••• -" 

Brunswick County, ?-sist- 
ance to thi stamp Zpt, 

1766 •• 39 

"Buffaloes" 127 

Bnford's defeat 279, '285 

Burk-), Gov. Thomas, 

112, 1S« ^^ 



472 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



PAGE 

Buncombe, Col. Edward... 

56, 240, 421 

Burgess, Dempsey 99 

Burgess, Tlioiuas 157 

Biirringtoii, Gov. George. 300 
Burrington, Gov. George, 

on the Moores 50 

Burrow, George 129 

Burgwyn, Henry K 319 

'Burns, Otway 102 

Burr, Tlieodosia 303 

Burton, Hutchins G 200 

Burton, Robert 179 

Burton, Robert H 179, 249 

BynuDi, John Gray 410 

Cabarrus, Stephen 122 

Caldwell, Andrew 224 

Caldwell, Dr. Charles. .97, 225 
Caldwell, David, D. D.... 

187, 278 
Caldwell, Judge D.avid F. 225 

Caldwell, Dr. Elani 225 

Ciildwell, Greene W 289 

Ciildwcll, Joseph P 225 

Caldwell, Todd R 94 

Calhoun, John C..65, 129, 279 

Cambreling, C. C 12,13 

Camden, battle of 105, 175 

XaBSCTDii ; JVj« .- Johii ..... . . 430 

Carjpron, Duncan 267, 431 

Camero :i , Paul 355 

Campbel), Fanjuard 145 

Campbell, David 396 

Can e Creek ,^battle of. 84 

Cannon , NewLon .■ 1 8C 

'Cape Fear Meieury"' 

Ic2, 262, 279 
^ajiitol of North C .roJina. 
(See State House.) 

Gipeliart, Triatraui 220 

Ca})ehart, Cullcn 220 

X^apehart, Archibald A.... 221 

(Urr, Julian S 357 

Carwn family 88 

a;-b..u,Oa.W. p .gg 

-'J'arru.gum, t'^ml 43^ 

Caswr';!, Gr;,. Richard . .. 103 

Ca.tr; i avidM 223 

Catawb;. River, passage of, 

b3V\ijord Cornwallis 228 

^-nafuiers, Dr. Cliarlos.... 297 
C'^i'inem, Hamilton Eon- 

xderson 393 

GiilrpdlHii^ 'Js, 337 



PAGE 

Charleston, siege of.. .240, 286 
Charlotte occupied by the 

British 230 

Charlotte, memories of .... 255 
Charlotte, U. S. branch 

mint at 289 

Cherry, William 342 

Chowan favors indepen- ■ 

dence 117 

Chowan Baptist Female 

Institute 222 

Chronicle, William 176 

Churton, agent of Lord 

Granville 171 

Cilly, Clinton A 99 

Civil War began and 

closed, when? 274 

Clark, James W 34 

Clark, Gov. HenryT.,lxii, 158 

Clark, William J 143 

Clay'.<5 debts paid by James 

C. Johnson 120 

Cleveland, Benj 416 

Clinch, Gen. Duncan L... 165 

Clingman, Thomas L 72 

Clinton, Sir Henry 46 

Cogdell, Richard.. "^ 129 

Cochran, James 372 

Coke^ Oct;\vius 449 

Cileman, Daniel 98 

Compton, Sir Spencer... . 298 

Conigiand, Ed«ard 296 

Cook, James, Capt. C. S. 

N 19, 20 

Congresses, provincial 6 

Congresses, Confederate, 
North Carolina delega- 
tion 407 

Constitutions of States. 

^ when framed 4i, 42 

Conventions, State, on 
Nortli Carolina Consti- 
tution 42 

Constitution of United 

States rejected 133 

Corbyn, Francis 309 

Core Indians 101 

Cornwallis, Lord 186 

Gotten, Arthur 217 

Gotten, Godwin 43 

Gotten, James 5 

Gotten, John 217 

Gotten, Henry E 324 

CointS, Judges of U. S., in 
North Carolina 139 



PAGE 

Court House of Hertford 

burned 217 

Cowan, John 311 

Cowan Ford battle, Feb. 1, 

1781, 228 

Cowles, Calvin J 289 

Cox, William R 449 

Craige, Burton 407 

Craige, Major James, Brit- 
ish service 52 

Craighead, Alexander 

275, 276 

Craighead, Thomas B 279 

Crane, Lemuel P 469 

Groom, Hardy B 226 

Groom, Major .• 129 

Cunningham, John W.... 373 

Crowell family 203 

Cross Creek, memories of. . 35 

"Dalton" on Gaston 138 

, Daniel, Judge J. J 206 

\ Daniel, J. R. J 206 

Daniel, Gen. Junius 206 

Davidson, John 271 

JDavidson, Gen. William.. \ 

1 228, 238, 240 i 

Davie, William R 199 ' 

214, 255, 267, 269, 277, 278 

Davis, Bishop 309, 310 

Davis, Charles 310 

DavJs, Geoige.. 310 

Davis, Josepli J 173 

Daves, John P 128, 215 

Dawson, William John- 
ston .._. 118 

Declarations of Indepen- 
dence, Ma J 2 5 ""l^r*- 
2^!^ July 4, 1776, then- 
construction and destruc- 
tion 238, 241 

262, 269, 270, 275, 277; 278 

DeGraaffenreidt 128 

Deems, Charles For..e ... 354 

Dewcs, Thomas. 342 

Devereux, Thomas P 319 

Dickens, Samuel 372 

Dickeraon, Jame6P...238, 288 

Dick, Joim M 192 

Dick, Robert P ..'.'.'"." 192 

"Diligence," the sloop of 
war, brings the royal 
stamps to Wilmington.. 39 

Dillard, John H 194, 392 

Dixon, Joseph 185 



INDEX. 



47; 



PAGE 

Dobbin, James C 107, 149 

Eockorv, Alfred 382 

Dockery, Oliver A 884 

Dobbs,"Gov 128 

Dodj,'e, Jivmcs R 393 

Douglas, Stephen A.. 389, 391 

Dowd, Clement 67 

Donnel, John R 139 

Donael, Richard S 19 

Downs, Henry 273 

Dortch, William T 467 

Dortch, Isaac F 4G7 

Drake, John H 172 

Dudley, Edward B... .311, 312 
Duels^ 

Baxter and Erwiu 135 

Brancli and Forsytli .... 90 

Bynum and Jennifer.... 135 

Cameron and Dufty 90 

Carson and Vance 

90, 93, 135 
Clingman and Yancev.. 

75, 135 

Gilly and Graves 99 

Flauner and Walker.... 135 

Henry and Stanley 

135, 148 

Harris and Yellowly.... 135 

Howe and Gadsden.. 44, 135 

Jones and Johnson 135 

Law and Blanchard 135 

Stanley and Spaight.... 134 

Stanley and Inge 135 

Stokes and Pearson 401 

Simpson and White- 

hur.st 135 

Dunn, John .395, 398 

Durham tobacco interests. 363 

Early on Ramscur 248 

Easton, John 129 

Eaton, John H.i 205 

Eaton, Mrs., and Jack- 
son's Cabinet.. 206, 208, 288 

EJenton 116 

Edi'>n , Gov. Charles 116 

Edwards, Weldon N 456 

EJv'ards on D. L. Swain.. 62 
Education in Nortli Caro- 
lina 256, 257, 258, 259 

EUis, Hon. John W 405 

Embargo opposed by Gov. 

Stone 32 

Empie, Rev. Adam 312 

Engelhard, Joseph A UU; 



PACK 

English statntes in force.. 147 
Epidemic, 1816, in Bertie 

County 35 

Episcopal Church 

117, 313, 316, 317 

Eppes, John W 200 

Erwin, W. W 224 

Etheridge, Emerson 154 

Eutaw Springs, Sept. 8. 

1781 36, 450 

Eve, 0. B., life saved in 

battle by Masonry 11 

Everett, Edward, on Gas- 
ton 139 

Ewell, Gen., compliments 
the troops of Nortli Car- 
olina 207 

Fanning, David, Tory 

112, 381 

Fanning, Edmund 51, 324 

Felton, Boone 106 

Fisher, Charles . i03 

Fisher, Ciiarles F 404 

Fisher, Frances C 405 

Flenuiken, John 273 

Flag, first of U.S 198 

Folk, George N ' 99 

Forney family 244 

Forsythe, Col. Benjarain .. 167 

Forsythe, James N 167 

Fowle, Daniel G.. 442 

Franklin, State of. ; 463 

Franklin, Jesse 420 

Franklin, Mesliack 421 

Frazer, James 214 

Freeman, Edmund B 432 

Freeman, Jonathan Otis.. 432 

Furches, David M 225 

Furman, Robert M 75 

Gale, Christopher, of Eden- 
tori 114 

Gales, Joseph, sr 428 

Gales, Weston R 430 

Garret, Thomas M 33 

Gaston, Dr. Alexander.... 129 
Gaston, William. .33, 137, 171 
Gatling, Dr. Richard Jor- 
dan 106, 22) 

Gatling, Dr. John «-r>ia^ 

Genealogy of — '^~- ' ^^^ 

Alexander.... 268 

Ashe ......'.%, 300 

Avery , ,, , ^..^^.^.^ JZfi. 



PAG I 

Genealogy of — (couunued.) 

Barringer Ixi, . 

Barnett ? 

Battle 

Blount Ivii, 

Bragg ' 

Brevard 237,J^ 

Brickell 2 

Carson 

Caswell, Gov. Richard . 1 

Clark Ixii , 1 1. 

Clinch, Gen. Duncanjj^ 165 

Gotten .'.'.. ..7^17 

Craighead, Rev. Dr. 

Alexander 278 

Crowell 203 

Davidson 271 



Davis... 
Donnel, 
Dudb 



309 
13!» 



24 



Richard S 

•/-'uv. EdwardB 

orney 

Gaston r~:Z'. 

Graham 229 

Hawkins 451 

Haywood Ixii, 158 

Henderson 179, 183 

Hill 303 

Iredell 124 

Jo'in.'^.'^r'n, Chowp"^ , . 120 

Jones .\. .... 202 

Lillington 4> 

Locke 40i 

Lowrie 287 

McDowell 8: 

Mebane 33i 

Montgomery, Rowan:-... " 

Moore 51, 52 

Morehead 192 

Morrison, Rev. Robert 

H 177 

Nash 382 

O-sborne 291 

Pearson 40' 

Pettigre w 42b 

Phifer Ix.-i, 96 

Polk 2n<l-2P= 

Ruffin ...' Mt 

Fvuinders ,... 'I 

Settle r 

Sheppard b 

Shepperd 3^ 

Shiiip 2' 

Slocnirb 4 

Spaight ; 

Stanley , — ^-^lo' 



• 74 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



PAGE 

jfenealogy of — (coutiuuea.) 

Steele 398 

Stokes 468 

'trange 320 

'aylor 147 

learner 455 

Villiamson 371 

Williams 418 

Wright 304 

Wynns 216 

Yancey 106 

Grermantown battle, Oct. 

4, 1777.... 157, 240 

Germans in Cabarrus 

County xxxix 

Gettysburg battle 165, 426 

Gillaspie, James 156 

Gilliam, Henry H 117 

Gilliam, Robert B Ill, 182 

Gilmer, John A ........ ..192 

jlasgow, .-James 129, '205 

Glasscock, Dr. George 298 

Goelet, Dr 423 

Goldsboro' 4 64 

Gordon, Jam^s B 469 • 

Graaffenieidt ind the 

Swis.s i)a]atii.os 128, 129 

Graham, Geu. Joseph... 

- --.. I?'^^ 231 

Gn.hamy^.:?g?;C!....231, 237 

Gra.iam, Edward 140 

Graham, William 273 

Graham, William A ..231, 232 
Gra':am, William A. jr... 23V 

Graiam, John W 237 

■^i'!int, James, of Iowa 208 

Granlmry, Josiah T 369 

Gn-ves, CaWin 108 

Greene, Rt. Rev. William 

M 312 

Greene, Gen. Nathaniel... 
V 397, 453 

Green, Gen. Thomas J.... 459 
KJreen, Col. Wharton J... 459 

Gregory, Isaac 99 

' ' '^«sa|-f , William 99 

■ i m cb,, Gen . B ry an 373 

iswoi Vj Conn., massacre 
t fort, ia-Revohitionary 

vVar 79 

rove, William (-"arry 146 

■iindy, Felix ..56. 46.3 

.dger, J. C. I : 75 

'iiford Court House, bat- 
ti^o-L... 185, 186 



PAGK 

Guilford Court House bat- 
tle described by James 

Martin, sr 413 

Guion, Dr. Isaac 136 

Guion, Haywood W 250 

Guthrie, John J 14 

Habeas Corpus,. 110, 111, 235 

Hale, Edward J 154 

H,.ger, the tory, kills Gen. 

Davidson 241 

Hall, Edward 456 

Plall, Judge John 455, 457 

Hambright, Frederick 176 

Hanging Rock, battle of.. 271 
Hamilton, Col. John, loy- 
alist 214 

Hancock, Susan J 287 

Hardy, Wasliington M.... 88 

Harnett, Cornelius 46, 299 

Harris, Dr. Charles 1)7 

Farris, Maj. Tliomas 97 

Han-io, William S 97 

Harris, Rouct and James 273_ 

Harper, James G 13, 98 

Harper, Robert Goodloe... 175 

"Hatteras," a poem 16 

Harvey, John 367 

Haughton, John H 427 

Hawkins family 451 

Hawks, Francis L 140 

Hawks, John 128, 263 

Hawley, Joseph R 385 

Haj'wood family. Ixiii, 114, 158 

Haywood, John 113, 204 

Henderson, Pleasant 

113, 180, 461 
Henderson, Richard.... 51, 179 

Henderson en Person 175 

Henderson, Archibald 181 

Henderson, Leonard 182 

Henderson, John Lawson. 183 

Henderson, James P 248 

Henderson, John S 398 

Henry, James L 69 

Henry, Louis D 148 

Hewes, Joseph 122 

Hicks family 178- 

Highlanders 145 

Hill, Gen. A. P., eulogy 

Oil Sen. Pender 165 

Hill, Gen. Daniel Harvey 290 

Hill, WhitmiU 30, 253 

Hill, William... 303, 432 

Fill. Dr WilHat^.G ..... 4.34 



PAQB 

Hill, William H 3J3 

Hilliard, Henry W l.-i3 

Hillsboro', Henry E. Cot- 
ten's sketch of. 324 

Hines, Richard 158 

Hogg, Gavin 124 

Hoke, John F 246 

Hoke, Michael 245 

Hoke, Robert F 245 

Holden, William W 110 

220, 297,367,379, 441, 458 

Holmes, Gabriel 411 

Holmes, Gen. Theophilus 

H 411 

Holmes, Owen 311 

Holt, Tliomas M 4 

Hooks, Charles 156 

Hooper, William 306 

Horse-shoeor To-ho-iie-ka, 

battle of, 1814 229, 419 

How .-, Robert 42, 46 

Howard, Martin 51 

Houston, William, put un- 
der ])ledge not to exe- 
cute tlie stamp act... 40,- 302 

Houston, James 246 

Huguenots 238 

Hunt, Memucan 184 

Hunt, William 184 

Hunter, Dr. C. L 176 

Hunter, Humphrey 175 

Husband, Herman 

174, 179, 381 
Hussey, John B 156 

Impeachment and trial of 
Gov. Holden 220, 441 

Indians — Tuscaroras, Nat- 
chez and Chickasaws 

101, 196, 224 

Independence — 

In Chowan County 117 

In Craven County 129 

In Duplin County 155 

In Meckl en bnrg County 2j9 

Ingram, Edwin ,ri96 

Innes, Col. James 308 

Insurrection among slaves 

127, 222, 449 

Iredell, James, Jndge 

120, 123 

Iredell, Gov. James, jr.... 

120, 123 

Irwin, Henry 157, 468 

Irwin, Robert 274 



INDEX. 



4T5 



PAGE 

Ives, L. Silliiniiu, bishop 
ofN.Caroliua.143, 313, 445 

Jack, James 266, 286 

Jackson, Andrew 

90, 205, 224, 287 
Jaokson coiiufcted with 

Vance family 64 

Jackson and Carson 92 

Jackson and the Mecklen- 

!mrg Declaration 268 

Jackoou and the Craig- 

heads. 279 

Jarvi.s, Thomas J 125 

Jefterson, Thomas, diary 

of 278 

Jcfl'erson, Thomas, on the 
effects of the battle at 

King's Mountain 169 

Jefferson, Thomas, on 

Washington 9 

Jefterson and the Meck- 
lenburg Declaration 

262, 277, 278 

Johnson, Andrew 434 

Johnson, Cliarles 122, 123 

Johnson, Jonas 157 

Johnson, Tiiomas D 76 

Johnson, Fort, destroyed 

by (ren. John Ashe 302 

Johnstone family and the 
marquisate of Annan- 
dale 121 

Johnstone, Gov. Samuel.. 

118, 123 
Johnstone, Gabriel ...118, 300 

Johnstone, John 120 

Johnstone, James C 120 

Johnstone, Dr. Samuel.... 

118, 119 
Johnstone, Rev. Samuel J. 120 

Jones, Allen 196, 321 

Jones, Cadwallader 196 

Jones, Edward 307 

Jones, Jian'.iltonC 407 

Jones, James 217 

Jones, John Paul 198 

Jones, Pride 201 

Jones, liobert JI 461 

Jones, Edward 461 

Jones, Willie 196 

Jo""or, Andrew 200 

Judd, ilev. Bethel 313 

Judiciary, U.S., in North 
Carolina ,..,..139, 2h6 



PAOE 

Judiciary system of North 

Carolina 147, 160, 182 

Judiciary, ijualificationsof 181 

Keerl, Thomas M 139 

Kendriek, J. G 27 

Keenan, Owen K 156 

K-emin, Thomas 156 

Kennon, William 274, 398 

Kerr, John 110 

King, William K 411 

King's Mountain 64 

84, 169, 176, 246, 418, 463 

Kirk, Col. George W 110 

Kirkland, Ann, at Salem 

Academy 172 

Ku-Klux-Clan...llO, 235, 458 

Lafayette, Gen., visits 

North Carolina 222 

ijane, Joseph, Joel and 

Jesse 436 

Lanier, Robert 169 

Law, Israel G 170 

" awson, John 50, 101 

Leach, James M 155 

Lee, Gen. Robert E., on 

Pender 1 65 

Lee, Gen. Robert E., on 

Branch 213 

Lcc, Gen. Robert E., on 

North Carolina trooj)s .. 374 
Lee, Gen. Henry, on Da- 
vidson 241 

Lenoir, William. 352, 353, 417 

Lewis, William B 468 

Lewis, Di. Richard H 376 

Liberty llall, or Queen's 

Museum 230, 255, 263 

Lillington, Gen 47 

Lincoln'ssurrender, (1780) 240 

Lisle, Lady Alice 217 

Little, William, chief jus- 
tice 115 

Locke family 400, 453 

Long, John 382 

Long, Henry W 216 

Love, Robert 69 

Lord Proprietois relin- 

quisli their patent 171 

Lowrie, Samuel 287 

Lynch law, origin of the 

name 172 

fliao A rici!. Rufus ¥....._ .3 



PAOli 

MacBryde, Archibald 297 

MacCay, Hon. Spruce 400 

MacClure, Matthew 274 

MacCullock, H. Eustace... 208 
MacCullock, Benjamin .... 208 

MacDonald, Flora 145 

MacDowell, Thomas D.... 38 

MacDowell, Silas 252 

McDowells... 82 

McFadden, F(^ 273 

McGeliee, Thonias 372 

McGehec, Jloritford 372 

Mclntirc's Creek skirmish 231 

McKay, James J 37 

McKnitts 238 

McLean, Dr. William. 246, 272 

McNeil, Archibald 297 

McRae, Duncan K 153 

McRee 123, 318 

Macon, Nathaniel 453 

Macon on secession 454 

Maco!'. on Caswell.,.,...,,^. ^165^ 

Manly, Basil 112 

Manly Charles 113 

Manly, Matthias E..j 143 

Maun, N 209 

Manney, Thomas 217 

Manning, John 216 

Mangum, Willie P ...124, 334 

Marsteller, Lewis H 3'9 

Marshall on Iredell........ j23 

Martin, Alexander 1S8 

Martin, Francois X 129 

Martin, Gc'i James G.... 368 

Martin, Judge James 400 

Martin, James, sr 412 

Martin, Joseph John 254 

Martin, Josiah, last roy") 
governor of North Caro- 
lina 41, 132 

Martin, Josiah, his account 
of the battle of Moore's 

Creek 104 

Ma.soii, Rev. Richard S.... 445 
Masonry, FrcC .9, 10, 11, 120 
Matthews, Massei:din .... 64 
Maynard, Lieut., kill: 

Blackbeard ^I'j"] 

Meade, Bishop of Va 174 

Meares, William B 318 

Mebane family 330 

Mecklenburg County, Dec- 
laration of Inde])en- 
dence, 1775..41,95. 201, 22^ 
2-Jii, 241, 2r.O tj 275, 1. 



i76 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



PAGE 

Mecklenburg and the Reg- 
ulators 259 

Mendenliall, George C 192 

Merrimon, Hon. Angustu.s 

S 69 

-Meredith, Lewis 216 

Mexican War 437, 459 

Michal, Dr. G. W 93 

Micklejohn, Rev. John.... 174 

Miller, Mrs. Mary Ayer... 153 

Mint, U. S., at Charlotte.. 289 

Mitchell, Elisha 63 

Montrose, a Graham le- 
gend 229 

Moore's Creek battle, Feb. 

27, 1776 

48, 51, 52, 104, 298 

Moore, Alfred 48, 52, 102 

Moore, Bishop Richard C. 313 

Moore, Augustus 126 

Moore, Bartholomew F.... 209 

jl?'"'e; Cbpvlps 230 

Moored Dr. Godwin C 217 

Moore, Maurice 50, 300 

Moore, Dr. Thomas J 292 

Moore, William Armistead 128 

Moravians 2, 170 

Mordecai, George W 432 

Mordecai, Moses 431 

Murehead, Jwl.u M... 189, 192 

MoiinsM. M 115 

Mosely, Edward... 48, 227, 306 

Mosely, W. D 227 

Morrison, Neil 274 

Morrison, Re>-. Dr. Robert 

Hall 177, 231 

Monts'^mery, (Jol. Lem. P. 396 

Montgomery, Hugh 396 

Muuiford, George 400 

Murlree family 215 

Murfreesboro' 215 

Murphey, A. D 333 

Nash, Abner 132 

Nash, Fra?icis. ..o^, 133, 332 

Nash, Fredeiick 133, 332 

Ne.^'Cos, admirable con- 
duct in Civil War 127 

New Berne 128 

Kftw Berne Council of Safe- 

tv 129 

Newland, David 93 

Newman. Dr. Anthony 396 

■"Tewton, George 396 

' naragua . 20 



PAGE 

"Ninety-six" 261 

Norcum, Dr. James 124 

North Carolina and South 

Carolina separated 50 

North Carolina men who 
have become distin- 
guished abroad 12 

North Carolina kind and 

generous to settlers 13, 99 

Nortli Carolina, education 

in 256 

North Carolina, presiding 
officers of both Houses of 

Congress from 122, 453 

North Carolina in Cabinet 151 
North Carolina Provincial 

Congresses 6 

North Carolina restored to 

the Union 210 

Norwood, Benjamin 179 

Nnlliilcation 91 

Oath, Regulators' as to 

crown officers 4 

Odem, John B., person- 
ates Gen. Win field S. 

Scott 126 

Ogden, Aaron ii 

Ogilvy, Lady 121 

Orangeburg, S. C. , siege of 201 

Osborne, Alexander 291 

Osborne, Adlai 291 

Osborne, Edward Jay 291 

Osborne, Judge James W. 

292, 296 
Osborne, Sprace McKay.. 293 

Outlaw, David 33 

Outlaw, George 32 

Owen, John 37 

Owen, James 37 

Palace, Royal, New Berne. 128 

Palatines 128 

Patterson, Samuel F 98 

Patterson , Rufus L 98 

Patton, Benjamin 274 

Patton, John 14, 188 

Patton, Montraville 86 

PattiUo, Rev. H 182 

Paxton, Judge John 408 

Peai-.-on family 401 

Pearson, R. C 

94, 110, 367, 403 

Pender, William D 165 

Pe-^-^er. Lee's eulogy C" •■ IG5 



PAGE 

Penn, John 178 

Person, Thomas 174 

Pettigrew, Charles. ...313, 423 

Pettigrew, Ebenezer 424 

Pettigrew, Gen. J. John- 
ston 343, 424 

Phifer family Ixvi, 96, 275 

Phillips, Charles 63 

Phillips, Rev. James 62 

Phillips, Samuel F 63 

Phillips, Mary 172 

Pickens, Israel 93 

Plummer, Kemp 455 

Polk, Oharley 284 

Polk, Ezekiel 260 

Polk, James K 260 

Polk, Leonidas 284 

Polk, Lucius J 202 

Polk, Robert 260 

Polk, Thomas 

. 261, 281, 282, 283 

Polk, William H 201 

Polk, William, son of John 285 

Pollock, Gov. Thomas 

129, 319 

Pool, John 368' 

Porter, Alexander, on the 
birthplace of Jackson... 287 

Potter, Henry 148 

Potter, Robert 184 

Porterfield, Denny 35 

Porterfield, James 35 

Price, Charles 156 

Pultuey, name assumed by 
Johnstone 121 

Query, John 275 

Q ueen ' s Museum 

230, 243, 255, 263 

Raft Swamp battle 228 

Raleigh, Sir Walter 101 

Raraseur's Mill, battle of.. 84 
Ramseur, Gen. Stephen D. 246 
Ramsay, Dr. J. G 51., in 
Jackson's copy of the 
Mecklenburg Declara- 
tion 268 

Ramsay, Dr. J. G. M., on 
Jackson's love for Craig- 
head 279- 

Ransom, Edward 428 

Ransom, Matt. W....^ 321 

Ravenscroft, Bisliop ./ohn 
■ SUvlc. :■..:... in, 3]i, 442 



INDEX. 



47V 



PAGE 

Rayner, Kenneth 219 

Reade, Edwin G 370 

Reese, David 275 

Reese, George 275 

Rognlators, their oath 4 

Regulators, their jninish- 

raent 1, 259 

Reid, Davids 390 

Rcncher, Abratn 115 

Robertson, James 462 

Roberts, William P 177' 

Robinson, Rev. John 95 

Robinson, James Lowrie.. 251 
Rocky Mount, battle at.... 271 

Rodman, William B 19 

Rogers, Dr. John, his I'am- 

ily 330 

Ruffin, Thomas 2, 465 

Russell, Daniel L 319 

Rutherford, Griffith. ...37, 399 
Rutherford, John, a tory.. 37 

Salem Academy 172 

Salter, Edward 129 

'^•■"•dors, Rev. Joseph H. 446 

, ...iei-,, Komulus M 106 

- ' i- William L 44S 

inuol... 99 

jmiel T 100 

.,.., ;;ov. Alfn-d M 386 

- ! s, James T 195 

■ ' , 1 249, 250 

■T 273 

,, . .. .. uiield 126 

beabury, iJish^i Samuel, 
tutor of Waightstill Av- 
ery 78 

Seaton, William W... 170, 428 

Seawell, Henry 4gO 

Secession 406^ 44 ] , 454 

Settle, Thoma?, sr 389 

Settle, Thomas, jr 389 

Seven Pines, battle of, 

May 31, 1862 223 

Sevier, John 462 

Sharpe, William 224 

Shaw, Henry M 154 

Sheering, Charles, killed.. 112 

Sheppard family 139 

Sheppard, William P. 365 

Shepperd, William 326 

Shipp, Bartlctt 249 

Shipp, William M 249 

Sliober, Francis E 407 

Shotwell, Randolph A 296 



PAGE 

Singletary, George E. B.. 14 
Singletary, Richard W.... 469 

Sitgreaves, John 139, 199. 

Skinner, Jo.seph B 125 

Skinner, Rev. Thomas E. 125 

Slaves, insurrection of. 222 

Slocumb, Ezekiel 464 

Slocumb family 464 

Smart, Susan 285 

Smith, Gov. Benjamin, aide 
to Washington.. 53, 54, 352 

Smith, William H 219 

Smith, William A 226 

Snap Dragon 102 

Spaight, Richard D 133 

Speight, Jesse 185 

Spencer, Samuel 5 

Spottsylvania C. H., bat- 
tle of. 207 

Springs family 263, 272 

Stanford, Richard 372 

Stamp Act in North Caro- 
lina 39, 40 

Stanley family 17, 135 

Staples, John N 195 

Starke, Lucien 8, 308 

State House location 436 

State House burned, J'me, 

1831 .-. 456 

Stedman, Elisha '57 

CLeeie, John, Gov. of New 

Hampshire 399 

Steele, John, Salisbarv... 397 

Steele. Mra. Elizabeth 397 

Steele^ WalterL 385 

Stephens, John W, killed HI 
S..evC!ison, Andrew W., 
borrowed the " Cape 

Fear Mercury" 2G2, 279 

Stokes, Montford 468 

Stokes family 468 

Stone, David 30,31, 32 

Stone, Zedekiah 30 

Stony Point 215 

Strange, Robert 149 

Strange, Robert 320 

Strudwick, Elizabeth 172 

Stuart, Lady Anne 216 

Sugar Creek Church 277 

Sumner, Gen. Jethro .131, 450 

Swain, David L 56 

Swain, George 57 

Swan, Samuel 300, 306 

Swan, William 306 

Tobacco at Durham 363 



PAOK 

Tarleton, Banastre 

186, 197, 286 

Tayloe, Charles F 20 

Tayloe, Jonathan 30 

-Taylor, James F 450 

-Taylor, John Louis 146 

Tea, resolutions against... 118 

Teach (see Blackbeard).... 116 

Thermal Belt 252 

Thomas, Charles R 143 

-Thompson, Jacob 109 

'Tliompson , Richard 1 89 

Thurman, Allen G 126 

Toole, Henry I 157 

Toomer, John D 148 

Tonrgee, Albion W.. .111, 194 
Troops in Revolutionary 

Wail, 186 

Troops in late Civil War. 234 

Transylvania Land Co 180 

Troy, Wesley C 153 

Tryon, Gov ....4, 40, 128, 226 

Tryon Palace 128 

Tryon, destroyers of his 

ammunition train 95 

Turner, James 454 

Turner, Daniel 455 

Tuscaroras 196, 200 

"The University;" its 
sketch by Hon. Wil- 
liam H. Battle ..58,1 63 337 
"'ii)6 University;" ii.g 
buildiugo,hv Hon. Kemp 
P. Battle...". :5H 

Uuitas Fratrnni 

=Yauce ifrffiVi J : : 

Vance, David «..> 

Vance, Dr. Robert 04, 97 

Vance, Gen. Robert B 68 

Vance, Zebnlon B 60, 65 

Venable, Abram W 183 

Van Hook, Robert 372 

Wachovia Tract, Wash- 
ington's visit to 171 

Wachovia Tract, Bishop 

Ravenscrolt's visit to 171 

Waddell, Alfred M oil 

Waddell, Hugh. ..39. 310, 311 

Waddell , Maurice Q 311 

Walker, Felix 408. 

Walker, Gen. William, in 
Nicaragua 24 



478 



WHEELER'S REMINISCENCES. 



PAGE 

Waring, Robert Payne.... 296 

Warren, Dr. Edward, 
(Bey) xlix, 127 

Warren, Judge Edward «' . 19 

Washington as described 
by Jefferson 9 

Washington despairs in 
1779 215 

Washington city attached 
by Early, Jnly, 1864... 248 

"Wasp," under Blakely 
takes the "Reindeer," 
"Avon," and the "Ata- 
lanta" 308 

Waxhaw settlement 

279, 28fi, 287 

Webster, Col. Wihson, let- 
ter to, by Lord Cornwal- 
lis 187 

Webster, Daniel and Car- 
son £2 

Welling, Dr. J. C, quoted 

■ 269. 276 

Wellboin, Gen. James.... 

189, 397 

Wilson, Joseph Harvey... 289 

Wilson, Zacchens 275 

W^inston, Joseph 168 



PAGE 

Wiley, J. McC 98 

Wiley, Patrick H 34 

Wheeler family 

Wlieeler, Dr. John 

Wheeler, John, jr i 

Wheeler, John H ii, 289 

Wheeler, Junius, U. S. A.. ii 
Wlieeler, Samuel Jordan. . . ii 

Wiiitesides, John 395 

Whitson,Dr. J. McD 93 

White, Hugh L 223 

White, lost colony of 101 

White, William 106 

Wiley, Rev. Calvin H 194 

Wiley, J. McCaleb 98 

Williams, Gov. Ceujamin. 

203, 297 

Williams, James 178 

Williams, John 178 

Williams, Lewis 419 

Williams, Nicholas L 420 

Williams, Joseph 113 

Williams, Marinaduke 108 

Williams, Robert.... 108 

Williams, Dr. Robeit^ of 

Pitt 373 

Williams, Samuel 5 

Wilmington 298 



PAGE 

Williamson, James 371 

Williamson, Dr. Hugh L. 

122, 267 

Wilson, Thomas J 172 

Wilson, Louis D 164 

Wihson, Joseph 289 

Winchester battle, Sept. 

1864 248 

Winslow, Warren 152 

Winston, Joseph 168 

Winston, Patrick H 34 

"Wingfield" 127 

Wortli, Gov. Jonathan.... 377 

Wright, Joshua Granger. 304 

Wright, William A 304 

Wright, William H 304 

Wynns, James D 120, 216 

Wynii.3, Gen. Thomas 216 

^"Wyoming" letters of 

Eaton 205 

Yancey, Bartlett 106 

Yancey, William L 73 

Yeates, Jesse J 221 

Y'oung, Robert S 79 

Zimmerman, Mrs. Betty M. 434 

Zinzindorff, Count 171 



,0 o^ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

00017333413 



